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Grilled Bruschetta with Tomato Topping

By Mark Huxsoll

Published on April 30, 2024

Time

25 minutes

Yield

Serves 6 to 8

Grilled Bruschetta with Tomato Topping

Ingredients

BREAD

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar ½ teaspoon table salt ¼ teaspoon pepper 6 (¾-inch-thick) slices rustic sourdough bread 1 garlic clove, peeled

TOMATO TOPPING

2 pounds ripe tomatoes, cored and halved along equator1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling¼ cup shaved Parmesan cheese 1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano ¾ teaspoon table salt ¼ teaspoon pepper

Before You Begin

We prefer to use sourdough bread here for its inherent moisture and chew, but you can use other styles of rustic bread, if desired.

Instructions

  1. FOR A CHARCOAL GRILL: Open bottom vent completely. Light large chimney starter half filled with charcoal briquettes (3 quarts). When top coals are partially covered with ash, pour evenly over grill. Set cooking grate in place, cover, and open lid vent completely. Heat grill until hot, about 5 minutes. Clean and oil cooking grate.FOR A GAS GRILL: Turn all burners to medium-high; cover; and heat grill until hot, about 15 minutes. Clean and oil cooking grate.
  2. for the bread

  3.  Whisk oil, vinegar, salt, and pepper together in small bowl. Brush bread slices evenly on both sides with oil mixture (use entire mixture). Place bread on grill and cook, uncovered, until bread is charred and crisp on both sides, 5 to 7 minutes, flipping slices about every 1 minute. Transfer grilled bread to cutting board. Lightly rub 1 side of each bread slice with garlic.
  4. for the tomato topping

  5.  Toss tomatoes with oil in large bowl and place skin side down on grill. Cook (covered if using gas) until skins are spottily charred and tomatoes are softened, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer tomatoes to cutting board and chop into rough ½-inch pieces; transfer tomatoes, along with any accumulated juices, to bowl. Add Parmesan, oregano, salt, and pepper and toss to combine.
  6. Top grilled bread slices with tomato mixture and drizzle with extra oil. Serve slices whole, halved, or cut into strips.
Grilled Bruschetta with Tomato Topping
Photography by Steve Klise. Styling by Chantal Lambeth.

Grilled Bruschetta with Tomato Topping

Save

Time

25 minutes

Yield

Serves 6 to 8

Ingredients

BREAD

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
½ teaspoon table salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
6 (¾-inch-thick) slices rustic sourdough bread
1 garlic clove, peeled

TOMATO TOPPING

2 pounds ripe tomatoes, cored and halved along equator
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
¼ cup shaved Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano
¾ teaspoon table salt
¼ teaspoon pepper

Test Kitchen Techniques

Ingredients

BREAD

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
½ teaspoon table salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
6 (¾-inch-thick) slices rustic sourdough bread
1 garlic clove, peeled

TOMATO TOPPING

2 pounds ripe tomatoes, cored and halved along equator
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
¼ cup shaved Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano
¾ teaspoon table salt
¼ teaspoon pepper

Test Kitchen Techniques

Ingredients

BREAD

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
½ teaspoon table salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
6 (¾-inch-thick) slices rustic sourdough bread
1 garlic clove, peeled

TOMATO TOPPING

2 pounds ripe tomatoes, cored and halved along equator
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
¼ cup shaved Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano
¾ teaspoon table salt
¼ teaspoon pepper

Test Kitchen Techniques

Why This Recipe Works

For this recipe, we set out to upgrade assembled toasts. To do this, we used a grill as our cooking apparatus and treated the bread as the star. Knowing we would be topping the bread, we wanted to avoid bread with an open crumb structure and holes, so we chose a rustic sourdough loaf for its even crumb structure. We sliced the bread ¾ inch thick and brushed it with a vinaigrette rather than just olive oil to boost savory flavor and brightness. Though the grilled bread is so good that we think it’s worth heating the grill just to make it, we also grilled tomatoes for the topping. We chopped the grilled tomatoes and combined them with shaved Parmesan, fresh oregano, and salt and pepper before spooning them onto the bread. The end result? A delicious appetizer or snack perfect for summer cookouts.

Before You Begin

We prefer to use sourdough bread here for its inherent moisture and chew, but you can use other styles of rustic bread, if desired.

Instructions

  1. FOR A CHARCOAL GRILL: Open bottom vent completely. Light large chimney starter half filled with charcoal briquettes (3 quarts). When top coals are partially covered with ash, pour evenly over grill. Set cooking grate in place, cover, and open lid vent completely. Heat grill until hot, about 5 minutes. Clean and oil cooking grate.FOR A GAS GRILL: Turn all burners to medium-high; cover; and heat grill until hot, about 15 minutes. Clean and oil cooking grate.
  2. for the bread

  3.  Whisk oil, vinegar, salt, and pepper together in small bowl. Brush bread slices evenly on both sides with oil mixture (use entire mixture). Place bread on grill and cook, uncovered, until bread is charred and crisp on both sides, 5 to 7 minutes, flipping slices about every 1 minute. Transfer grilled bread to cutting board. Lightly rub 1 side of each bread slice with garlic.
  4. for the tomato topping

  5.  Toss tomatoes with oil in large bowl and place skin side down on grill. Cook (covered if using gas) until skins are spottily charred and tomatoes are softened, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer tomatoes to cutting board and chop into rough ½-inch pieces; transfer tomatoes, along with any accumulated juices, to bowl. Add Parmesan, oregano, salt, and pepper and toss to combine.
  6. Top grilled bread slices with tomato mixture and drizzle with extra oil. Serve slices whole, halved, or cut into strips.

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