Our dear friends, Nancy and Richard, went to Italy last summer to celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary! While they were there, they arranged to take a cooking class. One of the recipes they learned was Italian bruschetta. Since then, Nancy has made this for us, and I have made it several times as well. It’s delicious every time! Of course, I updated my version with a few of Melissa’s Modifications.
Stay tuned for the rest of the month as well. We’ll focus on easy and delicious appetizers.
To Healthy Eating,
Melissa
Italian Bruschetta
There's nothing like a delicious tomato bruschetta on a piece of crusty rustic bread! It's so very good as a starter.
Ingredients
- 1 loaf Crusty or Rustic Bread Cut into thick slices.
- 1-2 cloves garlic Make into a garlic paste.*
- 3-4 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
- 3 large Tomatoes Ripe and juicy.
- 1 small bunch Fresh basil Tear into pieces.
- Part-Skim Mozzarella Cheese or Parmesan cheese Optional.
- 1 pinch salt As needed.
Instructions
- Dice the tomatoes and put in a bowl. Add the torn basil leaves.
- *Chop garlic. Sprinkle a pinch of salt on top, then smear the salt into the garlic with the flat side of a knife until a paste is created and the juices have released from the garlic.
- Add garlic paste to the tomato mixture.
- Add pinch of salt and pepper along with 3-4 Tbsp. of olive oil. Mix together well. Let the mixture marry for 5 minutes or so.
- Slice the bread, and grill on both sides until both sides are crusty but soft enough in the middle.
- Grate fresh garlic on the bread.
- Scoop tomato mixture onto the bread. Garnish with fresh basil as desired.
Notes
Melissa's Modifications: This is a simplistic and easy recipe to prepare and serve. As a modification to this recipe, I have added fresh mozzarella or parmesan on the top, then broiled for a few minutes to melt the cheese before serving. If you do not eat dairy, use Violife plant-based cheeses. They are great alternatives. You can also make a cashew-nut-based ricotta cheese. The recipe is featured in my "Tasty Vegan Lasagna" recipe (posted last year in March).
Nutritional Values: 1 Serving - 123 Calories; 9g Fat; 3g Carbs; 1g Fiber; .8g Protein
With Added Violife plant-based cheese: 137 Calories; 10.2g Fat; Sodium 36.4mg; 3.9g Carbs; 1g Fiber; .8g Protein
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
