Caprese Bruschetta
Caprese bruschetta gives you all the fresh tomato, basil, and garlic flavor of a classic bruschetta with mozzarella cheese added to it. It’s a delicious Italian inspired appetizer or even light lunch focused on fresh flavors of sweet tomatoes, fragrant basil, and rich mozzarella.
Post may contain affiliate links. As a member of the Amazon affiliate program, I may earn a small commision from qualifying purchases. To read my affiliate policy, click here.
One of my all time favorite appetizers is bruschetta.
That combo of tomatoes and basil on garlic rubbed grilled bread is heaven.
But let’s make it even better with my favorite ingredient: cheese.
Because obviously bruschetta with mozzarella is superior to anything without cheese.
Obviously.
And that’s what Caprese bruschetta is- the classic appetizer with the addition of mozzarella cheese.
Because cheese.
Ingredients and Kitchen Supplies
Here’s what you need to make caprese bruschetta:
- Tomatoes – Ideally, you want to look for Roma tomatoes or other tomato with firm textures. But just about any tomato that is fresh will work, it just might make the mozzarella bruschetta a bit more wet.
- Fresh Mozzarella – You can use either a ball, log, or the tiny balls. If you don’t want to spend the money on the fresh stuff, you can use a block of mozzarella typically found with the other shredded and block cheeses. If you use either a ball, log, or block, you will want to cut it into small pieces.
- Balsamic Vinegar or Glaze – We used a glaze when we shot our process shots, but you can use balsamic vinegar or make your own reduction.
- Fresh Basil – You will want to use fresh basil leaves and cut them into smaller ribbons.
- Olive Oil – You’ll need just enough to coat the tomatoes for the bruschetta and to drizzle on top of your bread slices.
- Salt n Peppa – Crush it, a crush ’em real good. These help enhance the flavor, but you could skip them if you prefer.
- Garlic – You only need a single clove cut at its thickest part. You use it to rub the toasted bread slices.
- Loaf of Fresh Bread – You’ll want to use a bagette so you can make smaller rounds to eat the bruschetta.
Nice thing about bruschetta is you do not need any kitchen equipment.
You’ll just need:
How to Make Caprese Bruschetta
1. Prepare the toast.
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F.
Slice your bread into roughly half-inch thick rounds removing the end piece unless you want an awkard piece that does not sit evenly on a plate.
Bonus points to cut it at a slight angle, but you do not need to do this.
Place the bread on a cookie sheet and drizzle some olive oil over top of each piece.
Flip the bread over and drizzle olive oil on the other side as well.
Toast the bread for about 10 minutes or until it becomes golden brown and appears toasted.
You do not need to flip the bread, but you certainly can if you want to.
2. Prepare the tomato salad.
As the bread toasts in the oven, wash and cut your tomatoes into small, bite-sized pieces.
If you are using a log or block of mozzarella, cut it into bite-sized pieces as well.
Finally, slice the basil into thin ribbons or rough chop them if you like.
Place the tomatoes, basil, and mozzarella in a mixing bowl and pour on the olive oil and balsamic vinegar or glaze.
Gently mix the ingredients together.
If they are not fully coated, add a small amount of olive oil and continue to mix until they all have a coating of olive oil and balsamic.
3. Assemble the mozzarella bruschetta.
Carefully remove the toasted bread from the oven.
Peel and cut a larger garlic clove roughly in half.
Rub the garlic clove over the top of each piece of toast.
The idea here is to give them a slight garlic flavor, not to over-whelm the salad with garlic.
Yes, this is one of the few recipes where more garlic is not actually better.
Spoon the bruschetta with mozzarella on top of each piece of toast and serve.
Serving
For a final touch, you can drizzle some balsamic reduction and fresh basil leaves on top of the caprese bruschetta.
You can also add shaved or shredded parmesan on top for some added flavor and cheese.
My husband likes to add kalamata olives. It’s like adding my tears to the top. Don’t do this.
You can also crack some additional pepper or lightly salt the tops.
Storing
We generally recommend not storing caprese bruschetta or really any bruschetta.
Bruschetta with mozzarella focuses on fresh ingredients and flavors, so storing it takes away from the fresh taste.
Also, the longer tomatoes sit – particularly with a vinegar on them – the more they tend to leak their juices.
The end result is slightly mealy and overly wet.
FAQs
What is bruschetta?
Bruschetta is grilled bread, rubbed with garlic, and topped with tomatoes and basil tossed in olive oil and balsamic vinegar.
Isn’t it grilled?
Yes! In fact, bruschetta in Italian comes from the word “bruscare,” which means to grill over coals.
I bake or broil the bread for Caprese bruschetta because I’m making a larger batch and just want to toast it all up at once rather than in batches.
Tips and Tricks
- Use roma or similar tomatoes for the best flavor and texture for tomatoes. But in summer any tomato really will work especially if they are fresh from your garden or the farmer’s market.
- We do not recommend cutting the tomatoes ahead of time. Tomatoes get mealy in the fridge when stored.
- Even though this is an Italian recipe, we often find French baguettes work best for the toasted rounds. Yes, you can use just about any crusty bread and it may be good if you want to make larger pieces of toast.
- I bake the bread to make a large batch at once. If you’ve got a big grill pan or grill you could grill your bread. That’s the best flavor- especially if you are doing it outside!
- You can toast the bread under the broiler if you like, just make sure to check it after about 30 seconds to a minute. The broiler can cook it much faster, but it can also take it from golden brown to burned to a crisp really fast.
Other Caprese Appetizer Recipes
Here are some other delish Caprese appetizer:
- Easy Tortellini Caprese Skewers– Basically this pasta salad in an appetizer form making it perfect for a party or the holidays
- Fried Mozzarella Caprese– Why not bread and fry the mozzarella?
- Puff Pastry Caprese Cups– Yet another tasty appetizer with little buttery puff pastry cups full of Caprese salad
- Burrata Panzanella Salad Recipe– Decadent cream filled mozzarella in a tomato bread salad.
- Strawberry Caprese Salad– Sweet strawberries replace tomatoes in this salad.
- Panzanella Caprese Salad– Caprese and toasted bread cubes.
- Mini Caprese Skewers– Make the salad into a beautiful portable appetizer
- The Best Burrata Caprese Salad– Rich burrata replaces mozzarella.
- Elegant and Easy Prosciutto Caprese Skewers– Caprese skewers with the addition of thinly sliced prosciutto.
- Easy Pesto Caprese Salad (Italian Mozzarella, Tomato, Basil Salad)– An easy salad with tomatoes, mozzarella, basil, and pesto
And if you are looking for other bruschetta recipes check out my Air Fryer Roasted Tomato Bruschetta Recipe or Quick and Easy Bruschetta Pasta.
Did you make this? Let me know!
Did you make this caprese bruschetta or any other recipe on my site? Leave me a comment below and let me know how you liked it.
Make sure you follow along with me on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram to see everything we’ve got going on.
Stay in the know! Sign up for our newsletter that contains the latest recipes and tips.
Ingredients
For Tomato Salad
- 3 medium Roma tomatoes You can use any meaty tomato.
- 1 cup fresh mozzarella
- 1 tablespoon olive oil plus more for drizzling
- 1 tablespoon balsamic glaze or vinegar
- 10 leaves basil
- 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper This is to taste.
For Toast
- 1 garlic clove
- 1/2 loaf fresh bakery baguette
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F.
- Slice about half a loaf of bakery bread into small rounds that are about 1/2 thick.
- Place the rounds on a cookie sheet and drizzle with olive oil.
- Flip the bread rounds and drizzle the other side with olive oil.
- Toast the bread in the warm oven for about 10 minutes or until they turn golden brown.
- As the bread toasts, cut the tomatoes into bite sized pieces.
- Slice the mozzarella into bite size pieces.
- Cut the basil leave into ribbons or rough chop them.
- Combine the tomatoes, mozzarella, basil, balsamic glaze, salt, pepper, and olive oil in a large mixing bowl and gently toss together.
- Slice a large garlic clove in half.
- Allow the toast to cool to the touch and then rub the garlic clove over each piece.
- Spoon some of the tomato mix onto each piece of toast.
- Top with more balsamic glaze and basil if desired and serve.
