Toward the end of summer, I often prepare cherry tomato bruschetta. I love how easy it is to make, how delicious it tastes, and how great it is to use my fresh tomatoes from the garden. There is no better version of bruschetta than this one, featuring blistered cherry tomatoes, fresh herbs, and creamy ricotta.
Garlic and cherry tomatoes are roasted in the oven until they blister. Toasted bread spread with creamy ricotta will serve as the foundation for this delicious tomato mixture. You’ll season the bruschetta with salt and pepper to enhance its flavor, then serve it to your guests. This recipe will become a favorite all year long when you are looking for an easy, impressive appetizer or light meal.
Looking for more recipes to use up your fresh tomatoes? Try my Tomato Tart, puff pastry topped with garlic, olive oil, & tomatoes. Or how about Easy Marinated Tomato Salad, absolutely easy to make!
What is bruschetta?
Bruschetta is the word used for bread toasted in the oven, usually rubbed with garlic and olive oil. However, most of us associate bruschetta with toasted bread topped with some variation of tomato topping.
I like to think of bruschetta as carbs topped with colorful veggies to make me feel better about eating more bread.
Ingredient List for Cherry Tomato Bruschetta:
- Olive Oil. Use good quality olive oil. Try infused olive oil for a fun change.
- Cherry Tomatoes. Cherry tomatoes are the right size to get the blistered effect that is so yummy. However, our recipe testers have had good luck using heirloom tomatoes.
- Garlic cloves
- Shallot. Totally optional but adds some yummy depth of flavor!
- Salt and Pepper
- Bread. Sourdough, ciabatta, or baguette. Basically, a nice thick crunchy bread.
- fresh Basil, chopped
- Ricotta cheese. You won’t need a whole lot of ricotta for each toast because of its rich, creamy texture.
What are the best tomatoes for bruschetta?
Any high-quality, great-smelling, fresh, and ripe tomato works great for bruschetta. I prefer using cherry, plum, or the big guys…beefsteak from my garden or the farmer’s market.
What is the best bread for Bruschetta?
Use a rustic type of bread with a crunch exterior and a softer interior. But you don’t want bread so soft or holey that the filling sinks through it. You also need the bread to be able to be toasted nicely. Ciabatta, sourdough, and baguettes are my personal choices but use what you have on hand or your family’s favorite.
How you’ll make Cherry Tomato Bruschetta:
- You’ll roast the tomatoes, garlic, and shallot with a good glug all together until the tomatoes are a bit wrinkly and bursting.
- Next up…toast your bread in the oven. Drizzle a bit of olive oil on top before adding it to the oven.
- Spread your creamy ricotta on top of your toasted bread. Give it a healthy dose of salt and pepper.
- Top with your blistered tomatoes and another bit of fresh basil. Enjoy!
Tips for making cherry tomato bruschetta:
- Make sure to give the tomatoes plenty of time to blister up.
- Save the liquid from the pan…this is tasty for vinaigrette or simply dipping bread.
- Try adding a drizzle of high-quality balsamic vinegar right before serving.
- Swap out ricotta for mozzarella if that is what you have on hand.
- Don’t skimp on the salt and pepper..be generous!
Can you make Bruschetta ahead?
Because the whole point of good bruschetta is toasty bread I wouldn’t recommend trying to make it ahead. However, you could get your tomatoes blistered ahead of time so they simply need to be heated and they are ready for the toasty bread.
You’ll find that you make a version of this recipe on a regular basis using whatever bread you have on hand and even mixing it up with onions instead of shallots, and various tomatoes, maybe even throwing in some chopped olives or zucchini. Bruschetta, in my opinion, is like summer’s version of soup…mix and match to your heart’s content!
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 Pint cherry tomatoes
- 4-6 garlic cloves
- 1 Shallot Sliced
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp ground black pepper
- 4 slices sourdough bread
- 2 Tbsp fresh basil chopped
- ½ cup Ricotta
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees
- Place tomatoes and garlic into baking dish
- Coat with 2 tbsp olive oil
- Season with salt and pepper
- Roast for 30 minutes or until the tomatoes start to bubble (check after 20 minutes)
- Spread bread slices with olive oil and toast until golden brown
- Once cool, spread toast with ricotta, add tomatoes
- Garnish with shallot, basil, salt and pepper
Video
Notes
-GARLIC CAN BE FRESH OR DRY
-ROAST CAN BE AT 400 DEGREES FOR 20
-IF SAVING FOR LATER, DRAIN OFF EXTRA LIQUID FOR STORING
-EXTRA LIQUID (FROM BAKING PAN) CAN BE REUSED IN A DRESSING FOR LATER OR OTHER RECIPES
Nutrition
Recipe Tester Lisa’s Tip:
I mixed 2T chopped basil into the ricotta before spreading, then topped with additional basil and salt/pepper. Super tasty!
Recipe Tester Katie says:
I used a variety of tomatoes (cherry and heirloom) — didn’t have enough cherry from the garden — and a baguette. Very yum!
