Heirloom Tomato Bruschetta

Our heirloom tomato bruschetta stars colorful, in-season heirloom tomatoes and makes a perfect summer appetizer. In traditional Italian style, the bread is first toasted, then rubbed with fresh garlic while still warm. Then it’s piled with a mixture of juicy chopped tomatoes, red onion, and olive oil and seasoned simply with salt and pepper. A shower of fresh, fragrant basil finishes the whole thing off. We’ve found that building the bruschetta on halved baguettes before cutting them into individual servings helps minimize prep time while also lending a rustic look. For best results, wait to make this recipe until fresh tomatoes are at their prime, which is typically late summer to early fall.

What are Heirloom Tomatoes?

Heirloom plants are understood to grow from seeds handed down from one generation to the next. Seed saving ensures the continuation of a plant that was not bred to travel long distances without blemish—unlike shiny, red, and perfectly round supermarket tomatoes—which is why heirloom tomatoes come in all shapes and sizes and often contain cracks and other quirks. They have a true sense of place and can be better adapted to certain soils and withstanding local pests. Only available for a short time of year (at least in most of the country), they are beloved for their rich flavor, fragrant aroma, and delightful juiciness.

4 Tips for Making Bruschetta

Thoroughly toast your bread: Whether you're using a broiler or the heat of your grill, it's important to thoroughly and evenly toast your bread to dry it out before adding the tomato mixture. This will ensure the bread doesn't become soggy immediately and can instead stand up to the juicy topping.

Don't skip the garlic: Rubbing the bread with a garlic clove while it's still warm lends it an incredible allium flavor that takes this recipe over the top. As you rub it against the crusty bread, the garlic clove should start to disintegrate—that's how you'll know it's thoroughly working its way into the nooks and crannies.

Use a slotted spoon: When topping the toasted baguette halves, use a slotted spoon to keep excess liquid behind in the bowl. This will help to keep the bruschetta pieces as crisp as possible. And while you may be tempted to toss the liquid, it's full of tangy flavor and can be refrigerated for up to two days and tossed into pasta dishes and salad dressings.

Serve immediately: Despite toasting the bread and keeping off excess liquid, the bruschetta will eventually soften as the tomatoes soak into the bread. For that reason, for the best texture we recommend waiting to top the baguette slices until you're ready to serve.