What could possibly make the already perfect bruschetta even better? Loads of balsamic vinegar, of course! My recipe for bruschetta topping involves letting the tomatoes and onion sit in a balsamic/olive oil marinade for a while before being scooped onto bread and baked. It’s zippy and delicious!
For a while, bruschetta was kind of my go-to restaurant food. You know how some people say you can tell how good a restaurant is by how they prepare one single simple dish? I think there’s a classic one they use in that example. Anyways, for me that’s bruschetta. I’m judgy and I don’t care. It’s my favourite.
So I’ve eaten a lot of it, from dry tomatoes on dry toast to perfectly grilled and seasoned bread with lime green pestos drizzled overtop – there’s a lot of variation, and not all of it good. But much of it is very, very delicious.
This recipe takes my favourite things and combines them. The best bread, in my opinion, is a ciabatta, but a focaccia can also be a good take sometimes. You’ll see two different kinds in my photos on this post, and both were A+ delicious. I think one was an Italian bread.
As a topping to this delicious treat, I love drizzling on some balsamic reduction. My favourite premade one is Nonna Pia’s, which is made in Canada and I think pretty widely distributed now. I’m not affiliated with them or anything, just a big fan.
If you are someone who eats cheese, you could top this bruschetta with some parmesan before or after baking it. But it’s really not missing anything if you don’t!
Balsamic and Tomato Bruschetta
Ingredients
- 4 slices ciabatta bread
- 2 large tomatoes
- 1/2 cup white onion
- handful fresh basil, or 1 tbsp dried
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 1 tsp sea salt
- pepper
Instructions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Lay out the ciabatta slices on a baking sheet.
Dice the tomatoes and put into a bowl. Add the diced onion. Finely chop or tear up the fresh basil, and add the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, sea salt, and a dash of pepper.
Allow the bruschetta mixture to sit for at least 10 minutes to allow the flavours to incorporate.
Spoon out the tomato mixture onto the bread. Evenly distribute the liquid remaining overtop the bread.
Bake for 10-15 minutes.
Recipe Notes
You can add a clove of diced garlic to the mixture if you don't mind smelling of garlic for the rest of the day. Powdered garlic would work too.
