Bruschetta with Feta is a super easy appetizer or light meal! Serve with balsamic glaze or vinegar for a fresh, tasty and simple feta bruschetta.
Appetizer recipes like my Grazing Platter, Caprese Bites, Baked Brie with garlic and my Spinach Cob Loaf make entertaining simple!
The Grilled Chicken Bruschetta and Caprese Bruschetta are fuss free party starters!
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Recipe highlights
Not only is this recipe quick and easy to make, it uses simple, fresh and easy to find ingredients!
Ticking the box of either appetizer, brunch or light meal, the simple combination of flavours delivers both taste and texture!
A vegetarian recipe that can be bulked up if wanting to add more protein or served when you don't have a great deal of time to prepare something fancy.
Switch it up and use crostini (smaller pieces of bread) and entertain a crowd with no fuss nature of the recipe.
Substitute cherry tomatoes and crumbled feta if you have those on hand.
For an Italian style appetizer with feta cheese to get the party started you simply can't go wrong!
Ingredients needed
This recipe is about super simple, easy to find ingredients. The photo below is a visual guide so that you can get what you need:
As you can see, the recipe calls for:
- feta cheese: arguably the hero of this dish! You will find that you can purchase Greek Feta Cheese which has a rougher texture or Danish Feta which is super smooth. You can use either, however, I find that the Greek Feta cheese holds its shape more when being prepared (ie cut into pieces)
- sourdough: you don't have to use the same bread as me, you can use your favourite! I recommend a freshly baked loaf with nice thick slices such as shown in the photo. Another good option is rye bread.
- fresh basil leaves: these bring an Italian flavour to our bruschetta! Their aroma elevates the combination of ingredients ensuring a fresh bright taste.
- tomatoes: the tomatoes pair extremely well with the feta cheese and basil leaves, it is a winning combination. I like to purchase standard size tomatoes as shown in the photos and chop them up accordingly.
- parsley: this is an optional ingredient. It provides a herby freshness and we use it combined with olive oil to coat our bread before we toast it.
- olive oil: as you can see from the photos down below, we use the oil with the garlic powder and parsley with salt and pepper to create an infusion that we coat the bread with.
- garlic powder: this provides the bruschetta with a great garlicky taste and can be found in the herbs/spices part of the supermarket.
- salt and pepper: we use these to season the other ingredients for the recipe.
- balsamic vinegar: you can use either balsamic vinegar which has a thinner texture reminiscent of traditional salad dressing OR you can use the thicker balsamic glaze. If using the glaze, you only need a small amount.
There is a Greek appetizer twist in our recipe for the the feta, basil and tomato mixture is traditionally found in Greek Bruschetta recipes. It is a delicious combination that delivers both great taste and diverse textures!
Instructions
Here are the step by step instructions to make the recipe. We start by creating an infused olive oil which we use to coat the bread prior to toasting.
The steps above are:
- Start with olive oil (photo 1)
- Add garlic powder (photo 2)
- Salt and pepper (photo 3)
- Whisk to combine (photo 4)
Next we need to:
- chop parsley (photo 5)
- stir parsley into olive oil mix (photo 6)
- brush each slice of bread with seasoned oil (photo 7)
- repeat till all slices are seasoned (photo 8)
Then we pop the baking tray with our seasoned bread into the oven for at least 15 mins. This will crisp up the bread so that the bruschetta is crunchy and delicious!
When the bread is toasting in the oven, you can use this time to prepare the bruschetta topping!
The final 4 steps are:
- bake the bread for 15 mins in the oven (photo 9)
- cut the feta cheese into small pieces (photo 10)
- use a knife to chop your tomatoes (photo 7)
- combine the tomato, basil and feta in a small bowl (photo 8)
To keep the bruschetta crispy and not soggy, we need to seperate the bread from the topping and balsamic vinegar until it is time to serve it. Then when you are ready simply top the bruschetta with the basil, tomato and feta and drizzle with balsamic vinegar!
Frequently asked questions
What is bruschetta topping made of?
Bruschetta topping is commonly made of a combination of tomatoes, fresh basil, red onion, feta or other cheese and balsamic glaze or reduction.
Served with toast, crostini or mini toasts, it is an ideal appetizer as it can be prepared in advance and pulled together at the last minute.
Bruschetta topping can include meat or be vegetarian, as well as using olives, pesto, cheese and or other ingredients.
How do you cut tomatoes for bruschetta?
If using standard round tomatoes you can cut them into small, bite sized pieces.
If using cherry tomatoes, you can choose to cut them in half or quarters.
The trick is to keep the tomato pieces small so that can be mixed in with the other ingredients such as basil and feta.
How do you keep bruschetta from getting soggy?
The trick to keeping bruschetta from getting soggy is to not combine the ingredients and glaze until ready to serve.
You can prepare the entire recipe by chopping the basil, tomatoes, parsley, garlic and olive oil, but hold off on comibining them until you are ready to eat.
When ready top the freshly toasted bread with the tomato mixture and drizzle so that the bread remains fresh and the bruschetta topping doesn't get soggy.
Is Bruschetta better the next day?
One of the best things about this recipe is that you can make it in advance.
If you make the topping, keep it in a bowl with glad wrap in the fridge. Toast the bread and keep that separate in an air tight container. Drizzle with balsamic vinegar at the time of serving!
It can be better the next day if the prep work is done but the ingredients remain separated from each other!
Expert tips for success
- roughly chop the basil to add colour and flavour in the dish
- buy a sliced loaf of bread to save cutting it yourself!
- make the toasted bread a few hours in advance
- keep the topping, balsamic vinegar and bread seperate until ready to serve!
Check out my How to Toast Bread in the Oven post for extra helpful tips on oven baked bread!
The balsamic vinegar is the key ingredient to draw together all of our ingredients. We use it in a similar way in our Cheese and Onion Sandwich and our Pesto Grilled Cheese.
Related recipes
Reliable recipes that work are best for parties and entertaining guests.
You might need a few more recipes for further inspiration:
- Grazing Platter (to feed a crowd)
- Mini Quiches (12 different ways)
- Baked Brie with garlic
- Coconut Prawns (with 2 different dipping sauces)
- Cob Loaf (with a cheesy spinach dip)
Olive recipes like my Artichoke Olive Tapenade, Easy Green Olive Tapenade, Sun-dried Tomato Tapenade and Olive Tapenade all work well as a base layer if you want to switch up the flavours.
I would love to hear your feedback in the comments below. As always sing out if you have any questions.
Adrianne xx
📖 Recipe
Brushetta with Feta (Feta Bruschetta)
Equipment
- Baking tray
- Bowl
- Pastry Brush
- Small jug
- Mini whisk
- Small serving bowls
- Party platter
Ingredients
- 400 gram sourdough (loaf) sliced, Note 1
- 200 grams feta cheese Note 2
- 5 small tomatoes Note 3
- ½ bunch fresh basil Note 4
- ½ olive oil
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder Note 5
- ⅓ cup fresh parsley optional
- balsamic vinegar to serve
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 180°C/400°F/gas 6.
- Line a flat baking tray with grease proof paper
- Combine olive oil, garlic powder, salt and pepper in a small jug Note 6
- Use kitchen scissors to roughly chop the parsley then add it to the seasoned oil
- Spread your bread slices out onto the baking tray
- Use a pastry brush to coat each bread slice with the seasoned oil
- Place the baking tray in the oven and bake the bread for 15 mins or until toasted. Note 7, 8
- Use a knife to chop the tomatoes and feta cheese, roughly chop the basil leaves.
- Combine the tomatoes, feta and basil in a mixing bowl and stir to combine.
- Remove the toasted bread from the oven, let sit for 1-2 mins and then top with the tomato, basil and feta mix
- Drizzle with balsamic vinegar and serve.
Video
Notes
- Note 1 Purchase sliced bread as this will save you time, plus the pieces will be all uniform in thickness which is hard to achieve if you are cutting them one by one yourself!
- Note 2 I use Greek style feta cheese, you can also use Danish style if you prefer
- Note 3 You can use normal tomatoes, vine ripened tomatoes or roma tomatoes.
- Note 4 Fresh basil leaves are essential for this recipe as they bring a flavour that ties everything else together!
- Note 5 This will be in the herbs and spices aisle, it is a handy ingredient for many recipes!
- Note 6 I like to use a mini whisk to combine these ingredients, it is easy and ensures that everything is consistently mixed together.
- Note 7 Don't worry about turning the bread slices over in the oven, they will get crispy and crunchy with the technique of brushing them with oil before baking.
- Note 8 The bread will still feel a little soft when you gently press a finger onto middle after 15 mins, but it will crispy up very nicely as it cools down. (Don't worry if it is not 'rock hard' at this point).
Nutrition
Published March 2020 updated Jan 2022 with new tips!
mimi rippee says
I love these! There's not one thing I don't love about your bruschetta. Tomatoes are out yet, so I'll wait till they are looking ripe, but I can't wait!
Adrianne says
Thanks Mimi!! I always love to hear your thoughts on my cooking. Hope you are well and taking care of yourself.