Delicious, sweet tomatoes paired with fragrant basil that you can’t help but want to inhale all day long, along with a lovely gluten-free rustic bread (if you can’t find a local baker making something like this, it might be time for a change of scenery). And let’s not forget the fresh mozzarella, because cheese is essential to my happiness. If cheese isn’t your thing, feel free to leave it out, and everything will still be great.
This dish comes together in about 30 minutes. It’s incredibly flavorful, bursting with bright, fresh, summery notes. Who knows, we might just skip the appetizer and turn this into our main course!
Bruschetta with Mozzarella
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: Serves 10 1x
There is nothing quite like the classic flavor combination of sweet tomatoes with fresh basil and mozzarella. This simple gluten-free Bruschetta with Mozzarella is a 30-minute appetizer that everyone will love and devour.
Ingredients
- 2 pints (21 ounces) cherry tomatoes, de-stemmed and halved
- 1 bunch of fresh basil*, minced
- 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil (plus more for brushing on baguette slices)
- 2 tablespoons Balsamic vinegar
- 2 small cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 gluten-free baguette (or any type of rustic style bread), sliced 1/2″ thick on the bias
- 8 ounces ciliegine (cherry-sized) fresh mozzarella, each ball sliced in half
Instructions
- Toss: In a large bowl, toss together the tomatoes, basil, olive oil, Balsamic vinegar, garlic, salt, and pepper. Let it marinate for about 15-20 minutes.
- Toast the bread: Preheat oven to 400°F. Place the baguette slices on a large baking sheet and brush the top of each slice with olive oil. Toast the baguette slices in the oven until golden, about 10 to 15 minutes.
- Add the cheese: Once the baguette slices have toasted, add mozzarella to the tomato mixture and toss to combine.
- Serve: Spoon the tomato mozzarella mixture on top of the baguette slices just before serving. Enjoy!
Notes
The equipment section above contains affiliate links to products I use or recommend.
Ingredient quantities: The amount of basil you use is really up to you. Sometimes I love to load it up with extra basil and other times I’ll use just a small handful. Try a spoonful of the tomato mixture and if you feel like it needs more basil (or any of the other ingredients for that matter) add more. This recipe is really forgiving with how much of each ingredient you use.
Grill option: Too hot in your home to turn on the oven? Toast the bread on a medium-hot grill instead until you get some nice smokey grill marks.
Gluten-free rustic-style bread: New Cascadia Traditional is my go-to gluten-free baker for baguettes and rustic-style bread. If you live in the Portland-Vancouver Metro area you can find their baked goods in most grocery stores. They also offer mail order options for their breads, bagels, buns, and rolls.