Bruschetta with Mozzarella consists of Italian crusty bread topped with sun dried tomato pesto, creamy mozzarella , fresh tomatoes and basil and then drizzled with extra virgin olive oil. It is a colorful, fresh tasting and quick appetizer perfect for light summer days ! The ingredients are less and flavors are plentiful in this easy to prepare, healthy recipe which can be served as a snack , a light lunch or an appetizer for your guests.
The bread is very important here, try to find sourdough bread, baguettes or rustic Italian bread. Toppings can easily be customized as per your taste.
Few Tips:
- You can use store bought sun dried tomato pesto or any tapenade of your choice. Though, I would highly recommend making sun dried tomato pesto at home ! You can find the recipe here . It is absolutely delicious and quick to make .
- If you are using big tomatoes, cut them in half and scoop out the seeds. It will stop bruschetta from being runny.
- Don’t substitute fresh basil for dry basil! Fresh basil has very beautiful aroma.
- You can buy big balls of mozzarella and chop it in pieces or buy pearl mozzarella.
- I haven’t used Balsamic vinegar in the recipe but it is also commonly used.
If you love Italian food , check out my recipes of Italian Vegetable Sandwich or easy Panzanella salad ! If you have some left over pesto you can use it in Italian Vegetable Sandwich so there is no waste .
‘If you try this recipe I would love to hear from you! I would appreciate if you could leave a review or a comment below !! Please feel free to share your feedback and suggestions as well! Thank you so much.‘
Cuisine : Italian Course: Snack/Appetizer Serves: 3-4
Ingredients :
- French Baguette : 1 or 6-8 slices of crusty sourdough bread.
- Sun dried tomato pesto: 1 cup , store bought or home made ( you can find the recipe here )
- Ripe tomatoes: 4-5 medium sized, seeds removed and chopped
- Mozzarella : 1/4 cup chopped or approximately 125 grams, chopped
- Salt and black pepper: as per taste
- Basil leaves: a handful
- Garlic cloves: 2 , chopped
- Olive oil: 2 tbsp
- Extra virgin olive oil: 1 tbsp for drizzling
Method:
- Preheat oven to 180 degree centigrade or 350 degree Fahrenheit .
- If you are using baguette, slice it into about 1/2 inch slices and place on a baking sheet.
- Brush both sides of bread slices with olive oil and then bake in the oven for 8-10 minutes or until the slices begin to crisp on the edges.
- In the mean time, season chopped tomatoes with salt and pepper and a splash of olive oil and set aside to rest at room temperature.
- Heat 1 tbsp of olive oil in a pan and cook chopped garlic on medium low heat until the garlic is lightly golden.
- Roughly chop basil leaves. Add basil leaves and mozzarella to the chopped tomatoes.
- Next add cooked garlic cloves along with the oil in which it is cooked to the tomato mix.
- To assemble, spread a layer of pesto on bread slices and then top with bruschetta mixture, finishing with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and a sprinkling of salt and pepper.
- Garnish with sliced basil leaves.
- Enjoy!
No Comment