If you have never tried bruschetta, you will want to give this recipe a shot! Full of juicy tomatoes and melty cheese, flavoured with garlic and fresh basil, this dish sings of summer. Delicious and so quick to make up, this is one of my family’s favourites.
This recipe for bruschetta with mozzarella is my mother-in-law’s. She had to feed a crowd, so you know that a recipe from her is simple, filling and delicious. Bruschetta is basically a piece of bread, grilled, with a topping of tomatoes, cheese and herbs. Here, we don’t grill the bread. Instead, we throw it in the oven, making it a quicker meal to get on the table.;)
The ingredients to make bruschetta!
- A loaf of French bread. I could have made my own, but I decided to make things a bit quicker and bought one at the store.
- Good olive oil. 1/4 cup in all.
- Mozzarella cheese. 2 cups cubed.
- 1/4 cup of fresh basil, cut using the chiffonade technique. To chiffonade the basil is to basically roll the leaves up tightly, and slice them thinly, so you end up with very thin strips.
- Fresh tomatoes on the vine. I used 5 medium tomatoes, deseeded.
- Salt. 1 teaspoon will do the trick. Of course, use more or less according to taste.
- Two cloves of crushed garlic. We love garlic here, so if you want to use less, go ahead and do that.
How to deseed a tomato.
Cut the stem off the tomato. Quarter the tomato, cutting from stem down. Scoop out the seeds and juice using a spoon or, if you’re like me, just use your thumb. Set the tomato aside for later dicing.
Pulling the bruschetta together for a quick meal.
- Turn your oven on to 350 degrees F.
- Cut the deseeded tomatoes into small pieces. You want them to end up in small cubes. Place in medium sized bowl.
- Cut 1/2″ slices of the mozzarella, and then cut them into small cubes. Toss them in the bowl with the tomatoes.
- Chiffonade your basil. Rolling the leaves tightly, and slicing thinly with a sharp knife. Add to bowl.
- Crush your garlic with a knife or garlic press. Scrape into bowl on tomato and cheese.
- Add salt.
- Measure the olive oil, and pour over the bowl of ingredients.
- Gently combine the mixture, and set aside.
- Cut the French bread into slices, as I have done, or lengthwise in half. This is how my husband grew up eating it, but I prefer to slice the bread.
- Lay your bread out on a cookie sheet, and spoon the bruschetta mixture on each slice of bread or on the loaf that you’ve cut in half.
- Bake for 15 minutes. Let cool for a few minutes before eating.
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Tips for making the best bruschetta!
- Fresh basil is best! If you can’t find any at the store, or you didn’t plant any in your garden, 1-2 tsp of dried basil will be almost as good as fresh.
- To chiffonade the basil, roll the leaves up tightly, and slice thinly with a sharp knife.
- Remember to deseed your tomatoes. If you leave the seeds and juice in the tomato, it will soak into your bread, making it soggy.
- Definitely use fresh, crushed garlic. Nothing beats fresh garlic!
Bruschetta with Mozzarella Cheese
Fresh garlic and basil make this bruschetta the perfect summertime meal!
Servings: 12 pieces
Ingredients
- 1 loaf of French bread, sliced, or cut in half lengthwise
- 5 medium tomatoes on the vine, deseeded and cubed
- 2 cups mozzarella cheese, cubed
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup fresh basil, cut in the chiffonade method
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1 tsp salt
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
- Deseed the tomatoes, and cube them. Place in a medium sized bowl.
- Cube the cheese, preferably in 1/4'' sized cubes.
- Add the olive oil, garlic, basil, and salt to the tomatoes and cheese. Combine gently.
- Slice the bread, and lay it out on a large cookie sheet. Spoon the bruschetta mixture onto the bread.
- Bake for 15 minutes, letting cool for a few minutes before enjoying!
Notes
- Fresh basil is best! If you can’t find any at the store, or you didn’t plant any in your garden, 1-2 tsp of dried basil will be almost as good as fresh.
- To chiffonade the basil, roll the leaves up tightly, and slice thinly with a sharp knife.
- Remember to deseed your tomatoes. If you leave the seeds and juice in the tomato, it will soak into your bread, making it soggy.
- Definitely use fresh, crushed garlic. Nothing beats fresh garlic!
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