Bruschetta Pizza

Bruschetta Pizza is loaded with taste, texture and Italian flavours. Quick and easy to make with fresh ingredients this vegetarian recipe will tick all of your boxes. This bruschetta pizza recipe delivers maximum yum with minimal effort 👍😉😘.

Recipes like my Basil Artichoke Pizza, Ciabatta Pizza and Pear Gorgonzola Pizza give us loads of variety stepping away from traditional pizza toppings.

My Caprese Bruschetta, Crumbed Mushrooms and the Baked Feta With Honey work as sides, the main dish or a starter.

🤍 Recipe Highlights

I have summarised everything that you will come to know and love (LOVE ❤) about the recipe in the points below:

• Easy: homemade pizza is super fun and easy to do! Save time and effort by using a prepared pizza base and all you need to do is throw the toppings on and pop it into the oven!
• Versatile: if you want to add additional ingredients such as chicken or bacon, you can! They blend in very nicely with the existing recipe.
• Homemade bruschetta pizza: provides a pairing of flavours that are not possible to get from the local pizza store. Miles away from a pepperoni and cheese, ham and pineapple or meat lovers combo this recipe ticks the pizza box as well and the unique and interesting pizza topping box. (No same, same, boring here 😉).
• Family friendly: nothing beats sitting around the table catching up on everyone's week with a couple of homemade pizzas feeding the hungry. Everyone of all ages with love this recipe! (Satisfaction pretty much guaranteed 🥰😍).
• Budget friendly: this recipe is a great way to stick to the budget but still enjoy a takeout style recipe.
• Italian recipes: similar to caprese salads, bruschetta is an Italian recipe with fresh flavours and pops of colour. Balsamic vinegar or glaze is a blissful pairing that works well with this cuisine. A mid week change from Asian or Australian perhaps! 😉👍😁.

🥗 Ingredients

The photo below is to show you everything you need to make the recipe. Please refer to the printable recipe card for specific ingredient measurements as well as detailed instructions.

As you can see the recipe calls for:

• Pizza base: you have many options here which I will go into more detail in the substitutions and variations. My tip is to choose your favourite pizza base!
• Basil pesto: this provides flavour, texture and works as the pizza 'sauce'. Store bought from the cold section (dip area) is my recommendation 👍.
• Cherry tomatoes: these are a great choice for a bruschetta pizza as they literally burst with flavour and we don't need to remove the seeds and flesh, we can simply cut them in half.
• Red onion: another great easy to get your hands on ingredient. The onion brings a lovely contrasting flavour to the tomatoes and basil.
• Bocconcini: these are small balls of mild white cheese that you will find in a tub in the fridge section. We drain them but there is no need to rinse them.
• Mozzarella cheese: or pizza cheese that melts well will work for the recipe. We use this ingredient to bind the pizza toppings to the pizza base.
• Basil: fresh and zesty this ingredient really packs a punch in any recipe. We don't cook this as it browns and looses its freshness, rather we chop and cover the pizza with it for the fresh herb taste.
• Balsamic glaze: thick and syrupy not thin (balsamic vinegar) we use this to drizzle over the top of the pizza as a way to bring together the cooked pizza as well as fresh basil.

🍳 Instructions

Here at the step by step instructions to make the recipe. We start by adding the bruschetta toppings to a medium size bowl and using a spoon to stir and combine.

• Add the chopped tomatoes, onion and basil pesto to a bowl (Photo 1)
• Stir to combine (Photo 2)
• Add the cheese to the pizza base (Photo 3)
• Oven bake for 2 mins to melt cheese (Photo 4)

👩‍🍳 How to Make Bruschetta Pizza

Start by combining the sliced cherry tomatoes, chopped onion and basil pesto. Stir this mixture together so that the pesto covers the ingredients. Then spread mozzarella onto the pizza base and toast for 2 minutes or until the cheese has melted.

• Add bruschetta toppings to pizza base (Photo 5)
• Place bocconcini balls on top of the tomato mixture (Photo 6)
• Bake for 25 mins till pizza base is crispy and bocconcini melted (Photo 7)
• Add chopped basil (Photo 8)

• Drizzle balsamic glaze over the top of the pizza (Photo 9)

Use a pizza wheel or a chopping knife to slice the pizza, then serve and enjoy!

🍽 Serving Suggestions

If you want to serve a side with this recipe the Garlic Pizza Bread compliments the flavours very nicely.

Filling and a 'meal in one' you might not need or want anything else to go with it, but I can assure you that a glass of Pinot Gris or Pinot Noir will go down a treat with a slice 👍😘😉.

👍 How to Guide

How to Store

Store leftovers of cooked pizza on a plate with cling wrap or in a sealed air tight container for up to 2 days. Reheat prior to consuming.

How to Reheat

Reheat leftovers of the pizza in the oven, microwave or air fryer. The oven and air fryer will give the best results, the microwave the quickest.

How to Freeze

The basil topping is quite delicate and is best consumed at the time of (post) cooking. Which is why it is not recommended to freeze leftovers or the pizza raw. You can however, freeze your choice of pizza base to be used at a later date.

😉 Substitutions and Variations

Here are my sub ins and outs that you might be thinking about as you read the post and I will tell you if I think they will work or why they won't:

• For the pizza base you can use store bought dough, store bought pizza bases, homemade pizza bases, pita bread, Portobello mushrooms or your favourite if not listed here already.
• Thin base, thick base, both will work with the pizza toppings.
• Add some cooked chicken or bacon if looking for more protein.
• An alternative to the mozzarella cheese layer is to use ricotta cheese instead 😁.
• You can use chopped feta cheese as an alternative to the bocconcini cheese if you wish.
• You can use a combination of red and orange tomatoes (often known as grape tomatoes) if you want to add additional pops of colour.
• If you want to try the combination but not as a pizza so much, you can toast Turkish or rye bread and dollop the topping on then drizzle with the glaze for a more traditional 'bruschetta'.
• Hot or mild soppressa is another ingredient that pairs well with those in the recipe. It can be added as a layer on top of the cheese or roughly chopped and combined with the tomato mixture.

💡 Tasty Tips

Here are my top tips and tricks that I want to share with you so that you master the recipe from the get go:

• In some countries the balsamic glaze will be known and sold as 'balsamic syrup'. If in doubt of the vinegar versus glaze issue, roll the bottle around in your hand. The vinegar will move very quickly. The glaze or syrup a lot slower, like honey.
• Ensure that the oven is preheated prior to using so that the cook times in the recipe card will be spot on 😉👍.
• Kitchen scissors and a glass jug are a great way to chop the basil.
• When chopping the onion, cut it into quite small pieces as the texture of these little bursts of onion compliment the texture of the cherry tomatoes and chunky basil pesto in a way that large rings of onion won't.
• A soup spoon is a handy way of dolloping the bruschetta topping onto the layer of melted cheese. You can then use the back of that spoon to spread it out into a thick layer of its own.
• Give the bocconcini balls a little bit of space from each other as they will spread as they melt.
• Use oven mits to remove the baking tray from the oven when the pizza is cooked as it will be very hot!
• Let the cooked pizza sit for 1 or 2 minutes before adding the chopped basil and balsamic glaze. This will help the toppings to 'set' and not slide off the pizza when you slice it.

🤓 Frequently Asked Questions

Is bruschetta pizza good?

Bruschetta pizza is amazing. It is a vegetarian recipe with fresh Italian flavours, diverse texture and easy to find ingredients.

What is bruschetta topping made of?

Bruschetta topping is make of tomatoes, fresh basil, bocconcini or mozzarella cheese and commonly paired with balsamic vinegar or glaze.

What is the stuff on bruschetta called?

Most commonly the stuff on top of bruschetta will be called a tomato mixture. Often with red onion and fresh basil.

Should I deseed tomatoes for bruschetta?

One way to avoid the bruschetta going soggy is to remove the seeds and wet filling from the tomatoes. It is not essential to do this however, and many bruschetta recipes will not list deseeding the tomatoes as a step. If you are not planning on eating the bruschetta soon after combining the tomato mixture, it is a good idea to use only the skins and not the flesh of the tomatoes.

😍 More Easy Homemade Take Out Recipes

If you love staying in and cooking as opposed to heading out and spending money I understand where you are coming from! Here are some more recipes along the same lines that I know you will LOVE ❤:

• Prawn Pizza
• Bolognese Pizza
• Jalapeno Pizza
• Air Fryer Portobello Mushroom Pizza
• Asian Chicken Pizza
• Beef Yaki Udon
• Shrimp Yakisoba
• Chicken Rice Paper Rolls
• Cheese and Bacon Pinwheels

You can also find more of my homemade takeout recipes in the one spot. We are eating IN tonight folks, enjoy the serenity xx.

Adrianne

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