Before the summer ends, celebrate the season with this super quick and easy Heirloom Tomato Bruschetta. Slice four ripe heirloom tomatoes, and place them on top of French bread slices and fresh mozzarella slices to make this beautiful appetizer.
Y’all. Football season officially kicks off this week, and I cannot even contain my excitement because football season is one of my favorite seasons of the year… and because I’m officially bringing back Tailgate Thursday.
This time around, it’ll be a little different because we are not tailgating every week, but y’all had better believe we will be making up awesome tailgate food to munch on as we watch our Tigers on the television.
However, we are tailgating this weekend, as the Tigers are coming up to Dallas to play against TCU’s Horned Frogs in the 2013 Cowboys Classic. We’re pretty pumped about it. After all, it’ll be our first game since we moved to Texas, and I know it’s going to be a great time since we have family and friends coming in for it.
So… Heirloom Tomato Bruschetta.
The name alone implies it’s not a normal recipe you’d find at a traditional tailgate, and I’m OK with that. I’m sharing it with y’all today because it’s something that can be easily prepped beforehand, then pulled together once you and your crew have gotten the grill started and the party set up. In fact, the only work this recipe calls for on location is the bread should be toasted on the grill. And you can keep the other components of the recipe chilling in the cooler until the time is right.
Once you warm up the bread, all you do is place the pre-cut slices of mozzarella, tomato and basil on top of the bread, then drizzle with both olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Top the bruschetta off with a sprinkle of both salt and freshly ground pepper, and you’ve got an awesome appetizer for your party without having to do much work at all! Bonus points for including some vegetables into the mix at your tailgate, as I find these are sometimes hard to come by. (Just me?)
Let’s talk about bruschetta!
Bruschetta is a simple Italian appetizer that is toasted bread, rubbed with garlic and drizzled with extra virgin olive oil. The bread can be toasted in either the oven or on the grill.
Traditionally, it’s this toasty bread (with the garlic and EVOO) is topped with fresh tomatoes (if they’re in season) and a pinch of salt. Since the bread is toasted/grilled, it holds up to the juiciness of the fresh tomato.
This classic Italian recipe hails from Tuscany, though bruschetta is made all over Italy with fresh, seasonal ingredients! (Want to learn more? I loved reading about bruschetta from La Cucina Italiana.)
Now, obviously, this bruschetta recipe strays from the classic, but I hope that the celebration of a seasonal ingredient on a delicious slice of bread speaks to you and your tastebuds.
Here’s how you make it:
Heirloom Tomato Bruschetta
Before the summer ends, celebrate the season with this super quick and easy Heirloom Tomato Bruschetta. Slice four ripe heirloom tomatoes, and place them on top of French bread slices and fresh mozzarella slices to make this beautiful appetizer.
Ingredients
- 1 loaf French bread, sliced
- 4 heirloom tomatoes, sliced
- 10 fresh basil leaves, torn
- 8 oz. buffalo mozzarella ball, sliced
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- Extra virgin olive oil and good balsamic vinegar, to taste
Instructions
- Lightly brush the bread with a little olive oil.
- On the grill, toast the pieces of bread for 5 minutes.
- When the bread is toasty, layer with the cheese, tomatoes and basil.
- Top each slice with a drizzle of olive oil and balsamic vinegar, then add a little salt and pepper.
- Enjoy immediately!
Notes
When we initially tried this, our mozzarella was SMOKED. You can jazz it up in this regard if you want to, but classic mozzarella is always tasty, too!
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
12Serving Size:
1 servingAmount Per Serving: Calories: 182Total Fat: 6gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 15mgSodium: 381mgCarbohydrates: 23gFiber: 1gSugar: 3gProtein: 9g
Nutrition facts are an estimate and not guaranteed to be accurate.
Kelly @ hidden fruits and veggies says
I definitely fee like there is a severe lack of veggies at tailgating (and general sports-watching). this sounds great.
Katherine says
I’m totally a fan of fresh, lighter foods at a tailgate. Wonderful idea! Smoked mozzarella also sounds like a wonderful ingredient here. I recently had bruschetta with fire-roasted tomatoes and would highly recommend that route as well.
Eileen says
I can’t say we tailgate (we lived half a mile from Michigan Stadium for a year, and that was WAY too much for me), but I would definitely bring a big plate of these guys to a party! Or, more realistically, eat them all at the kitchen table while quietly & un-sportily reading a book. 🙂 Tomatoes and cheese on toast are just one of those perfect combinations.
Alli says
Yum! As a Jersey girl I’m crazy about tomatoes (in case you don’t know it out there, we’re famous for our tomatoes). My mom just made this bruschetta recipe from Ina Garten that involved whipped feta topped with a tomato salad. It was heaven.
laurasmess says
Uh… what’s a tailgate? Is it like a pot luck? In Australia we only use ‘tailgate’ in reference to driving to close to the car in front of you, haha. Anyway, regardless of what a tailgate may be… these bruschetta sound delicious! I love heirloom tomatoes. So yummy… this recipe definitely makes them shine. Thanks lovely! xx