Roasted Garlic Bruschetta

Roasted Garlic Bruschetta, the perfect party appetizer that can be made mostly ahead of time. This elegant dish shines brightly with the simplest of ingredients.

Course Appetizer

Cuisine American

Keyword Roasted Garlic Bruschetta

Prep Time 3

Cook Time 1 50

Servings pieces

Calories 45kcal

Author Cathy Pollak

Equipment

Two large sheet pans

Ingredients

For the tomatoes:

3 lbs cherry and grape tomatoes, sliced in half
1 head of garlic, separate out cloves, but leave the skin on
3 tbsps extra virgin olive oil, divided
1/2 tsp kosher salt
large pinch coarse ground black pepper
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
15 fresh basil leaves, chopped

For the bread:

2 rustic-style baguettes, sliced into 48 pieces (about 1/2" slices)
1/4 cup olive oil
3 large raw garlic cloves, peeled

Instructions

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (275 F if you use your convection setting).
In a large bowl (ceramic or glass) toss tomatoes and garlic with two tablespoons of the olive oil, salt and pepper. Spread tomato mixture out evenly on two large rimmed baking sheets. (Do not use foil or parchment paper.) Bake tomatoes about 80-90 minutes or until the edges have dried up a bit. Remove from oven and let cool.
Remove garlic pieces from the baking tray and squeeze out the roasted garlic into a bowl (ceramic or glass). Smash garlic with the back of a fork, breaking it up into separate pieces. (The goal is to not have the garlic clump together when you toss it with the tomatoes. Use your hands if necessary to break apart.)
Divide the balsamic vinegar evenly among the baking sheets and toss to coat with the tomatoes, scraping up any crusted bits to the pan with a wooden spoon. Add tomatoes and all pan juices to the bowl with the garlic. Add final tablespoon of olive oil and chopped basil. Toss together gently. This can sit covered at room temperature for a few hours.
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (400 if you use your convection setting). You can also use the broiler if you choose.
Brush two large rimmed baking trays with olive oil. Place slices of baguette onto trays and brush the tops and sides of bread with remaining olive oil. Bake or broil the bread until the edges are brown and bread is a little crunchy; about 6-8 minutes. Remove from the oven and rub the tops of each slice with a raw garlic cloves.
Scoop tomato mixture onto the top of each baguette slice and place on a serving tray. Serve within the hour.

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