Food & Cooking Recipes Quick & Easy Recipes Quick & Easy Snacks Grilled Pepper Bruschetta 5.0 (1) This easy, crowd pleasing appetizer is perfect for summer. Prep Time: 10 mins Cook Time: 10 mins Total Time: 20 mins Servings: 8 Jump to recipe You won’t believe how quickly this grilled pepper bruschetta comes together. Charring the peppers brings out their natural sweetness and takes just 10 minutes. While they cook, slice a pint of cherry tomatoes, then toss them with briny capers and tangy red wine vinegar. Add in the peppers and a few glugs of olive oil for silky richness, then pile the whole thing onto slices of toasted crusty bread. We like a few shavings of nutty Parmesan on top, but you could easily swap in a dollop of creamy ricotta or leave out the cheese altogether. Big on flavor but low on effort, these tangy toasts are a summer home run. 20 Summer Appetizers for All Your Warm-Weather Gatherings Credit: Kelsey Hansen Key Ingredients for Pepper Bruschetta Bell peppers: Feel free to use red or yellow bell peppers instead of orange, but avoid green as they're much more vegetal. Before grilling, remove the ribs and seeds. If using mini bell peppers, which are even sweeter, plan to use eight. Tomatoes: Cherry tomatoes are our pick for this recipe as they're exceptionally juicy and flavorful. You can swap in a large tomato, chopped into medium-size chunks, if you prefer. Capers: We love the briny brightness that capers bring to this recipe. If you don't like their flavor, simply omit them. Red-wine vinegar: Tangy red-wine vinegar helps to counter the sweetness of the grilled peppers. If you prefer the flavor of balsamic, feel free to use it instead. Olive oil: Go with the best extra-virgin olive oil you have on hand for the pepper mixture. You'll be using a generous amount of it, so its flavor will really come through. Parmesan cheese: Nutty and salty, Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese is just the thing to finish off these tangy-sweet bites. Use a vegetable peeler to shave off large, thin pieces. Bruschetta Verses Crostini Both bruschetta and crostini are crunchy toasts of Italian origin, but differ when it comes to their size and thickness. Italian for "little toasts," crostini are typically thin slices of crisp, toasted bread, whereas bread for bruschetta is usually larger and thicker. How to Make Pepper Bruschetta Ahead We don't recommend making the bruschetta ahead, but you can get most of the work done ahead, then assemble the bruschetta shortly before serving. To do this: Grill and slice the peppers up to one day before serving. Refrigerate them in an airtight container and let them come to room temperature before stirring in the other ingredients. Directions Credit: Kelsey Hansen Grill peppers: Heat grill to medium-high. Place peppers, skin side up, on the grill, cover, and cook until they begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Turn peppers over and cook until charred, about 4 minutes. Remove from grill and let cool. Credit: Kelsey Hansen The peppers should be well marked and softened—but not fully tender—when you pull them off the grill. Cut peppers and combine with tomatoes, oil, and vinegar: Cut peppers into thin strips. In a medium bowl, combine peppers, tomatoes, capers, vinegar, and oil. Season with salt and pepper. Credit: Kelsey Hansen Assemble bruschetta: Top toasted bread with pepper mixture and Parmesan. Credit: Kelsey Hansen Variations Use a different vinegar: Instead of red-wine vinegar, try using sherry vinegar, which is nuttier and more complex. You can also use balsamic for a slightly sweeter flavor. Add olives or anchovies: In place of capers, chop up a handful of olives (try Kalamata or Niçoise) or mince an anchovy or two to stir into the pepper mixture. Try a different cheese: Omit the Parmesan cheese and spread a spoonful of ricotta onto each toast before adding the topping. What to Serve With Grilled Pepper Bruschetta Use these toasts to kick off a Mediterranean-inspired summer menu. Starters: Since you'll have the grill going already, consider serving grilled prosciutto-wrapped melon alongside the bruschetta, or try our citrus and green olives with goat cheese. Mains: For the main event, you can't go wrong with grilled halibut steaks with potatoes and olives, our simple but flavorful marinated chicken thighs, or this impressive grilled whole fish recipe. Dessert: To close out the meal, serve cherry-raspberry semifreddo or grill some stone fruit to serve with mascarpone cheese. Or scoop chocolate or vanilla ice cream and finish it with olive oil and a pinch of flaky sea salt. 5 More Recipes With Bell Peppers to Try Grilled Pepper and Red-Onion Pizzas Marinated Peppers With Mint and Sesame Eggplant and Roasted-Pepper Pasta Bell Pepper, Yogurt, and Harissa Soup Broiled Pork Chops With Yellow-Pepper Puttanesca Updated by Esther Reynolds Esther Reynolds Esther Reynolds is an experienced recipe developer, recipe tester, food editor, and writer with over a decade of experience in the food and media industries.