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What Are the Best Tips for Making Olive Bruschetta?

Megan Shoop
Megan Shoop

Olive bruschetta is a simple bread topping made from chopped olives, spices, and sometimes other vegetables. Those who need a fast side dish, or just want a tasty pre-dinner snack, can usually whip up some olive bruschetta in very little time. The main ingredients are usually just olives, basil or tarragon, garlic, and minced onions. This mixture is usually tossed together with cheese and olive oil and then spread onto baguette slices. The bruschetta can then be baked in the oven for several minutes to melt the cheese, make the bread crispy, and warm the topping.

The first step to making an olive bruschetta usually involves choosing the olives. There are a wide variety of olives available in stores — from salty, green Spanish olives to smoky black olives. Purple and red kalamata olives are also options. Most olive bruschetta recipes call for more than one kind of olive, though the cook may choose any kinds he or she likes. For instance, a mixture of black and green olives would provide a salty-yet-mellow flavor. Combining kalamata olives with green olives would produce a very salty, tangy bruschetta mix.

Kalamata olives, which are often used in olive bruschetta.
Kalamata olives, which are often used in olive bruschetta.

Next, the cook has to decide what other kinds of vegetables and spices he or she is going to add to the bruschetta. Red onions, grape tomatoes, carrots, bell peppers, and celery are all viable vegetable options. These recipes also usually include minced garlic, basil, and sometimes parsley or tarragon. Fresh herbs are usually preferred over dried because they usually have a brighter flavor that stands up more easily to the saltiness of the olives. Cooks may choose just a few of these ingredients, or experiment with varying ratios of all of them.

Toasted bread and olive paste, waiting to be assembled as bruschetta.
Toasted bread and olive paste, waiting to be assembled as bruschetta.

All of the ingredients must be chopped up into small pieces, and the finished mixture should look a bit like colorful confetti. The cook may then add a dash of balsamic vinegar, if desired. The next main ingredient to go into olive bruschetta is olive oil. The oil should be light in flavor and color because the olives have a strong taste. Olive oil simply helps all of the flavors marry easily.

Fresh mozzarella is often used on bruschetta.
Fresh mozzarella is often used on bruschetta.

The cook should then add cheese. Mozzarella, especially fresh varieties, is traditional, but feta and goat cheese are also delicious. All of these ingredients may be allowed to marinate together until the bread is done warming, or be spread on top of the bread and baked along with it. Either way, the baguette should be sliced into thick slices and toasted in the oven until golden brown.

Discussion Comments

Chmander

I've never tried bruschetta before, but this article and it's respective comments are very interesting. Next time I go out to eat, I may give it a try. It's amazing what you can make from the simplest of ingredients, no?

Viranty

@RoyalSpyder - Did you make this in a culinary arts class? If so, that's awesome! I remember making many dishes when I was in high school as well. I've never planned to be a chef, or even work in the food industry, but it was pretty fun regardless. The items could be made at home, and it was great working as a team with others.

One thing I learned in my culinary arts class is that no matter what you're baking, you always need to make sure to measure the ingredients to a T. In fact, funny story. One time where we made cookies, we must have missed an ingredient because they were harder than a rock. They even made a dent in the wall when someone threw them, ha ha.

RoyalSpyder

In high school, I remember making bruschetta. To be honest, it wasn't really that complicated of a process. However, I think the problem was that when I was working with others in a team, they all wanted to do their own thing. Because of this, there were often disputes, and the process took a lot longer than it really should have.

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    • Kalamata olives, which are often used in olive bruschetta.
      Kalamata olives, which are often used in olive bruschetta.
    • Toasted bread and olive paste, waiting to be assembled as bruschetta.
      By: Natalia Mylova
      Toasted bread and olive paste, waiting to be assembled as bruschetta.
    • Fresh mozzarella is often used on bruschetta.
      By: Viktor
      Fresh mozzarella is often used on bruschetta.
    • Green olives can be combined with other olives for unique bruschetta flavors.
      By: volff
      Green olives can be combined with other olives for unique bruschetta flavors.
    • Olive oil is a key ingredient when making olive bruschetta.
      By: margo555
      Olive oil is a key ingredient when making olive bruschetta.
    • Diced bell peppers add color and taste to olive bruschetta.
      By: valery121283
      Diced bell peppers add color and taste to olive bruschetta.