Tomato Pepper Bruschetta

Tomato pepper bruschetta is what I make when people are coming over in an hour and my Manhattan kitchen counter is roughly the size of a cutting board. Fifteen minutes, one bowl, zero cooking.

Jump to:

• Why You Will Like This Recipe
• What You Need for Tomato Pepper Bruschetta
• Tomato Pepper Bruschetta
• How to Make Tomato Pepper Bruschetta
• Storage and Reheating Tips
• Ways to Change Up Tomato Pepper Bruschetta
• Questions I Get About Tomato Pepper Bruschetta
• Recipes You May Like
• Final Thoughts

Last July I carried home a bag of cherry tomatoes from the Union Square market, mostly because they actually smelled like tomatoes. By the time I got upstairs, Alex had eaten a handful straight out of the bag.

So I chopped what was left, added two peppers sitting in the fridge door, and we ate the whole bowl standing at the counter with toasted bread. Sarah asked for it again the next morning, on eggs.

Here's the thing about this tomato pepper bruschetta: it's a raw tomato and sweet pepper mix with basil, red onion, lemon and garlic. You spoon it on toasted bread, but we also eat it with chips, over pasta, and on top of chicken.

If you like the plain version without peppers, my classic tomato bruschetta recipe is where I started years ago. This one grew out of it, on a night when I had peppers to use up and no plan.

Why You Will Like This Recipe

• No cooking at all. You chop, you stir, you're done in about 15 minutes.
• One bowl. I hate doing dishes at 10 pm, and this leaves me with a bowl and a knife.
• It tastes fresh and a little sweet. The bell peppers give it crunch that plain tomato bruschetta doesn't have.
• Real ingredients only. Tomatoes, peppers, onion, basil, lemon, garlic, oil, salt.
• Light. About 48 calories per half cup, so I don't feel bad putting out a big bowl.
• It works with almost anything. Bread, chips, pasta, salad, grilled chicken, eggs.

What You Need for Tomato Pepper Bruschetta

Here's my list, and I've noted what I swap when the store is picking on me.

• 1 ½ lbs cherry or San Marzano tomatoes, diced small
• 1 red bell pepper, diced (orange works too)
• 1 yellow bell pepper, diced
• 2 cups red onion, diced fine
• 1 ¼ cups fresh basil, chopped
• 2 tablespoons avocado oil (good olive oil is what I usually reach for)
• 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• Salt and pepper to taste

A few notes from my kitchen. Cherry tomatoes hold their shape best, and they stay sweet even in February when the big ones taste like water.

If red onion feels sharp to you, soak the diced pieces in cold water for 10 minutes and drain them. Donald used to pick the onion out until I started doing that.

Bottled lemon juice works in a pinch, but you'll taste the difference. Fresh basil is not optional here, and dried basil turns the whole thing dusty. I learned that the hard way once.

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How to Make Tomato Pepper Bruschetta

The whole thing comes together in one bowl. I've split the steps so nothing gets lost.

Prep the Tomatoes and Peppers

1. Dice the tomatoes into pieces about the size of a pea. Small pieces stay on the bread instead of rolling off onto the rug.
2. Cut both bell peppers into a similar size. Even pieces make every bite taste the same.
3. Dice the red onion fine and chop the basil right before you mix, so it stays bright green.

Mix Everything in One Bowl

1. Put the tomatoes, peppers, onion and basil in a large bowl.
2. Add the oil, lemon juice and minced garlic.
3. Toss gently until everything is coated. I use a rubber spatula and fold instead of stir, so the tomatoes don't turn to mush.

Season and Taste

1. Add salt and pepper, then stir once more.
2. Taste it. Tomatoes soak up salt more than you think, and this is the step people skip.
3. If it tastes flat, add another squeeze of lemon. That fixes it almost every time.

Serve It Your Way

1. Spoon it over toasted bread right before serving, not before.
2. Or put the bowl out with a spoon and let everyone build their own. That's what I do when Alex has friends over.
3. Leftover juice in the bottom of the bowl is gold. Pour it over pasta or use it as salad dressing.

Storage and Reheating Tips

Store it in a glass airtight container in the fridge. I like glass because plastic holds onto the garlic smell forever.

It keeps for 3 days. After that the tomatoes go soft and the basil turns dark, which is still edible but not pretty.

There's nothing to reheat here since it's served cold or at room temperature. Take it out about 15 minutes before you eat, because cold mutes how it tastes.

One thing I noticed after making this most weeks all summer: day two tastes better than day one. The garlic mellows and the lemon settles in. Just drain a little liquid before serving.

Ways to Change Up Tomato Pepper Bruschetta

Want to make this feel like a different dish without buying anything new? Here's what we do at my house.

• Add a cup of diced fresh mozzarella and it turns into a full lunch. Sarah calls this the cheese version.
• Stir in ¼ cup chopped kalamata olives for something saltier.
• Swap the basil for fresh parsley and mint if that's what's in the fridge.
• Add 1 diced jalapeno if your people like heat. Donald does. The kids do not.
• Use balsamic vinegar instead of lemon juice for a deeper, sweeter taste.
• Spoon it over grilled chicken or salmon and dinner is basically done.

A pitfall to skip: don't salt it hours ahead and walk away. The salt pulls water out of the tomatoes and you'll come back to soup. Salt it close to serving time.

Questions I Get About Tomato Pepper Bruschetta

What type of tomatoes are best for bruschetta?

Cherry tomatoes and San Marzano tomatoes are my two picks. Cherry tomatoes have thicker walls and less watery center, so they hold up in the bowl.

San Marzano and other plum types have fewer seeds, which keeps the mix from going runny. If all you have are regular beefsteak tomatoes, scoop out the seeds with a spoon first.

How do you keep tomato bruschetta from getting soggy?

Two things. Salt at the end, not the beginning, and toast your bread properly so it has a real crust.

I also spoon the mix onto bread right as I hand it over. The minute it sits, the bread starts drinking the juice. Brushing the toast with a little oil first gives it a barrier that helps.

Can tomato pepper bruschetta be made ahead of time?

Yes, and I do this all the time before a party. Chop everything and mix it with the oil, lemon and garlic up to a day ahead.

Hold off on the salt and the basil until about 30 minutes before serving. That keeps the texture right and the basil green.

How long does tomato pepper bruschetta last in the refrigerator?

Three days in a sealed container. On day one it's crisp, day two it tastes the best, and by day three the peppers have softened.

If there's a lot of liquid pooling, pour it off and give everything a quick toss. Then eat it on pasta and call it lunch.

Recipes You May Like

• Creamy Burrata Salad With Fresh Avocado and Tomatoes if you loved the tomato and basil part of this and want something a little richer.
• Crispy Homemade Garlic Croutons because they use the same bread you toasted for bruschetta, and they make any salad better.
• Easy Caprese Pasta Salad for the nights you want the same fresh summer taste but need to actually feed people dinner.

Final Thoughts

So that's it. Dice your tomatoes and peppers, chop the basil, add lemon, garlic, oil and salt, then toss it all in one bowl.

Fifteen minutes, no stove, and a bowl that disappears before anything else on the table. This tomato pepper bruschetta has become the thing I bring when someone says just bring an appetizer.

I love it because it tastes like summer even when it isn't, and because my kids eat vegetables without me asking twice. That's a win in my apartment.

Give it a try this week and tell me how it went in the comments. Save it to Pinterest so it's there when tomato season hits.