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Bruschetta Caprese is a fun, summer appetizer that brings the classic ingredients of a classic insalata caprese recipe together with grilled bruschetta bread while celebrating the flavors and harvest of the season. Sweet, juicy tomatoes are combined with fresh mozzarella and basil then topped on thick slices of charred rustic bread that’s been rubbed with garlic and brushed with savory extra virgin olive oil. A summer treat, indeed!
Just as I say there’s a soup for every season, likewise there is a bruschetta for every mood.
And, fortunately, I love making (and eating) all of them!
This caprese bruschetta is essentially a delicious mash-up of a classic Italian tomato bruschetta and traditional caprese salad from southern Italy. It’s an easy addition to any summer antipasto spread that all will enjoy.
The quintessential caprese ingredients of ripe, juicy tomatoes, fresh mozzarella and aromatic basil are joined in miniature form with crusty, grilled bread that’s been rubbed with raw garlic and brushed with only the finest extra virgin olive oil. It’s simple, seasonal, beautiful, appetizing and makes everyone happy. All great qualities in a recipe!
For another bruschetta recipe that celebrates the ingredients and flavors of summer, check out this unique, chunky zucchini bruschetta with lots of citrusy lemon flavor!
If you like this recipe, check out this Easy Caprese Orzo Salad and this Tuscan Panzanella Caprese.
Quick Bruschetta Primer
Bruschetta (pronounced brew-sket-ta) means “to roast over coals” in Italian. It has its roots in ancient Rome where peasants grilled stale bread over an open fire for a simple addition to their meals. Originally, it consisted only of grilled or toasted bread rubbed with garlic, drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled lightly with salt.
Today, people commonly use the word bruschetta to refer to the popular, simple tomato topping that it’s often paired with. But, the word actually refers to the bread itself, not the topping.
Bruschetta is very similar to another similar Italian appetizer, crostini (pronounced cros-teenie), which means “little toasts”. Crostini are thinner, smaller slices of bread (usually from a French baguette) that are toasted then piled with various toppings, such as vegetables, savory spreads, and cheeses.
Ingredients for Bruschetta Caprese
To make this easy caprese bruschetta recipe properly, use quality ingredients as they will definitely make a difference. The ingredients are few, but significant.
- Fresh Tomatoes: I chose to use a colorful medley of pear, cherry and grape tomatoes here. They are beautiful and reliably sweet year-round. Having said this, any juicy, ripe tomatoes at room temperature can be used. The next best would be any of the “sauce” tomatoes, such as plum, roma and San Marzano tomatoes that are very meaty. Finally, if you use slicing, or beefsteak-style, tomatoes, then you may want to deseed them and not use all the pulp as it will dilute the flavor of the topping.
- Fresh Mozzarella: Along with tomatoes and basil, fresh mozzarella cheese is part of the caprese trifecta. If you can find mini fresh mozzarella “pearls”, (sometimes called perline), definitely use them for the convenience and cuteness factor. But, any size fresh mozzarella can be used,.
- Fresh Basil: One of the three main ingredients in a classic caprese. The fresh basil leaves should be fragrant without any brown spots and not limp or wilty.
- Salt: Salt is not just seasoning in this dish, but also a tool to draw out the juices from the tomatoes and make the mixture a little saucy, which pairs nicely with the grilled bread.
- Garlic: In classic bruschetta technique, raw garlic is rubbed on the just grilled, hot bread giving it a lovely, but subtle, garlic essence.
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil: Use the really great olive oil in this recipe–you will taste the nuances of it in both the tomato topping and when brushed onto the just-grilled bruschetta bread. Choose a first, cold-pressed, extra-virgin olive oil that has not been on your shelf for years. Fresher (younger) is better when it comes to olive oil.
- Bread: The essence of bruschetta! Choose a hearty and good quality bread with a sturdy crust such as pane di casa (classic Italian bread), ciabatta, sourdough, baguette or filone bread. Everyday sandwich bread is not the best option for a good bruschetta.
How to Make Bruschetta Caprese
This bruschetta with mozzarella recipe couldn’t be easier! Prep is super quick and simple. Here are the steps to make it:
- Gather and prep all ingredients. Then, make the topping by combining the tomatoes, mozzarella, olive oil, salt, black and crushed red pepper in a bowl. Let this mixture sit for 30-60 minutes at room temperature.
- Meanwhile, prepare the bruschetta bread. Grill both sides of the bread slices on a very hot grill or grill pan until slightly charred. Note that the bread should be dry and not drizzled with olive oil prior to grilling.
- PRO-TIP: If you don’t have access to a grill or grill pan, no problem! You can make the crostini version, which basically means that the bread is toasted in the oven or in a toaster.
- As the bread slices come off the grill, rub the surface of one side of the hot grilled bread with the cut side of a garlic clove. Next, brush it lightly with extra virgin olive oil.
- PRO-TIP: Be sure to wait until AFTER grilling to season the bread with the raw garlic and olive oil. If you brush the bread with olive oil prior to grilling, it will burn and become unpalatable. The bread should be dry when grilled.
- Fold the fresh basil into the tomato mixture and stir well. Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary. Then, top the seasoned grilled bruschetta bread with a generous scoop of the tomato and mozzarella topping. Serve immediately. That’s it!
- PRO-TIP: To prevent soggy bruschetta, top the bread just before serving.
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More Summer Tomato Recipes
If you’re a fan of this caprese crostini, chances are that you’ll enjoy more recipes that celebrate fresh seasonal tomatoes. Here are a few of my favorites:
- Sicilian Raw Tomato and Almond Pesto with Busiate Pasta
- Vodka Sauce with Fresh Tomatoes and Basil
- Cherry Tomato Confit with Garlic
- Pasta with a No-Cook Tomato Sauce and Ricotta
- Classic Italian Fried Peppers
- Tuscan Panzanella Salad with Fresh Mozzarella and Tomatoes
Love bruschetta? If so, check out this classic tomato bruschetta and this innovative chunky zucchini pesto bruschetta.
TOP TIPS FOR BRUSCHETTA CAPRESE
- Mozzarella: Look for mini fresh mozzarella “pearls”. They are adorable, incredibly convenient and tend to have less excess water. If all you have is a large fresh mozzarella ball, just be sure to cut it down into very small pieces and drain if there is excess liquid.
- Olive Oil: Definitely use a high-quality, first cold pressed, extra-virgin olive oil here–you will taste the difference!
- Bread: Use a quality, hearty bread with a sturdy crust that can hold up to the juicy topping, such as pane di casa (classic Italian bread), ciabatta, sourdough, baguette slices or filone bread. Everyday sandwich bread is not the best option for a good bruschetta and will fall apart from all the juices.
- Oiling the Bread: Do not oil the bread before grilling as the high grilling temperature will burn the oil and it will taste bad. The bread should be dry when grilled.
- Rub Bread with Garlic: Be sure to rub the hot, just grilled bread with raw garlic! It’s a classic technique that gives the bruschetta extra flavor that you will love!
- To Prevent Soggy bruschetta, top the bread right before serving, then serve it immediately.
- Serving: All bruschette are perfect as a snack, appetizer or nibble with an afternoon aperitivo. As an antipasto, I love pairing it with a simple pasta such as linguine with pesto and a large green salad. It’s also a perfect starter to a nice grilled steak or roast chicken.
- Leftovers: Store leftover topping in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up 2 days. Bring it to room temperature if serving on top of grilled bread again. Leftovers are also great tossed with pasta or into a green or grain salad. Store leftover grilled bread in an airtight container or bag at room temperature for a couple days.
More Great Recipes to Try
I hope that you are enjoying my Italian food blog and all of my Italian recipes and Italian-American recipes!
If you’ve tried Bruschetta alla Caprese, please let me know how it went in the comments below. I love hearing from you!
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Bruschetta Caprese with Fresh Mozzarella and Tomato
Ingredients
For the Topping:
- 1 pound grape, pear or cherry tomatoes, cut into ¼ or ½ if on the larger size
- 8 ounces fresh mozzarella pearls (See NOTES.)
- 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- ½ tsp salt
- Pinch freshly ground black pepper
- Pinch crushed red pepper (optional)
- ½ cup loosely-packed, chopped or hand-torn fresh basil
For the Bruschetta:
- 10-12 slices of even thickness Italian, ciabatta or sourdough (depends on the bread size)
- Several cloves raw garlic, cut in half or smashed
- Extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Gather and prep all ingredients according to specifications above. (Please see the section above in the blog post for Step-By-Step instructions with photos.)
- Combine the tomatoes, mozzarella, olive oil, salt, black and crushed red pepper in a bowl and stir well. Let this mixture sit for 30-60 minutes at room temperature. The salt will draw out the juices from the tomatoes and make the mixture a little saucy, which will pair nicely with the grilled bread. Stir the tomato mixture a few times as it sits.1 pound grape, pear or cherry tomatoes,, 8 ounces fresh mozzarella pearls, 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil, ½ tsp salt, Pinch freshly ground black pepper, Pinch crushed red pepper
- Meanwhile, prepare the bruschetta bread. First, preheat the grill or grill pan until very hot. Then, grill both sides of the bread slices until slightly charred. Note that the bread should be dry and not drizzled with olive oil prior to grilling.10-12 slices of even thickness Italian, ciabatta or sourdough
- As the bread slices come off the grill, rub the surface of one side of the hot grilled bread with the cut side of a garlic clove. Next, brush it lightly with extra virgin olive oil.Several cloves raw garlic,, Extra virgin olive oil
- Fold the fresh basil into the tomato mixture and stir well. Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary. Then, top the seasoned grilled bruschetta bread with a generous scoop of the tomato and mozzarella topping. Serve immediately. Buon Appetito!½ cup loosely-packed, chopped or hand-torn fresh basil
Notes
- I chose to use a colorful medley of pear, cherry and grape tomatoes here. They are beautiful and reliably sweet year-round. Having said this, any juicy, ripe tomatoes at room temperature can be used. The next best would be any of the “sauce” tomatoes, such as plum, roma and San Marzano tomatoes that are very meaty. Finally, if you use slicing, or beefsteak-style, tomatoes, then you may want to deseed them and not use all the pulp as it will dilute the flavor of the topping.
- If you can find mini fresh mozzarella “pearls”, that are sometimes called perline, definitely use them for the convenience and cuteness factor. (They also tend to have less excess water.) But, any size fresh mozzarella can be used, of course. Just be sure to cut it down into very small pieces and drain if there is excess liquid.
- Use your best extra-virgin olive oil in this dish–it will make a big difference!
- Just as some people like to drizzle balsamic vinegar over their caprese salad (I do not), you may want to add a splash of it in the topping mixture here, or perhaps drizzle a little balsamic reduction or balsamic glaze over the assembled bruschetta. It will discolor the milky white fresh mozzarella though, fyi.
- Be sure to wait until AFTER grilling to season the bread with the raw garlic and olive oil. If you brush the bread with olive oil prior to grilling, it will burn from the high heat and become unpalatable. The bread should be dry when grilled.
- If you don’t have access to a grill or grill pan, no problem! You can make the crostini version, which basically means that the bread is toasted in the oven or in a toaster. I still suggest rubbing the toasted bread with garlic and drizzling it with olive oil.
- To prevent soggy bruschetta, top the bread just before serving.
- You can make the caprese topping up to 3 hours before serving. As it sits, the salt will continue to draw more juices out of the tomatoes. I actually like this as it pairs nicely with a strong, crispy bread. But, if you prefer a dryer topping, just use a slotted spoon when topping the bread.
- Store leftover tomato mozzarella topping in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up 2 days. Bring it to room temperature if serving atop grilled bread again. Leftovers are also great tossed with pasta or tossed into a green or grain salad.
- Leftover grilled bread can be stored in an airtight container or bag at room temperature for a couple days.
So good! We had this for dinner last night and all were gone quickly! Will definitely make it again.