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If you’ve been cooking along with me for a while, you know I’m not flashy in the kitchen—I’m practical, consistent, and deeply loyal to the recipes that earn a permanent spot in our rotation. This simple bruschetta recipe is one of those recipes. It’s our main use for our No Knead Bread recipe, and it shows up alongside almost every pasta dish we make.
I learned the technique for this style of bruschetta while traveling in Italy, where it was treated less like a “recipe” and more like a habit. Good bread, fresh garlic, quality olive oil, salt, and timing. Years later, cooking for two at home, this is still how we do it. It’s simple, unfussy, and exactly what a pasta night needs.
Jump to:
Getting Started
If you’re pairing this simple bruschetta recipe with a pasta dish (like we almost always do), timing is everything. Start prepping just as your pasta dish enters its final stages:
- Peel one garlic clove
- Slice the bread and set it in the toaster
- Have your olive oil and salt ready to go
This whole process takes just a few minutes, and bruschetta is best when made and eaten immediately.
Simple Bruschetta Recipe Ingredient Recommendations
Bread
Use our No Knead Bread recipe or a similar rustic, artisan-style loaf. You want something with structure—crispy on the outside, chewy on the inside. Soft sandwich bread won’t give you the same result.
Garlic
Use a fresh garlic clove—no substitutes here. I love garlic so much (and we use it so often for recipes just like this) that I actually grow it.
How to peel a garlic clove easily:
Separate one clove from the bulb and slice off the hard, flat root end. Place the clove on its side on a cutting board. Lay the flat side of a chef’s knife over the clove and carefully press down with the heel of your hand. The peel should loosen and come right off.
Olive Oil
Use a quality olive oil. This is not the place to cut corners—it should be 100% olive oil and Made in Italy. With so few ingredients, the oil really matters.
Rather than having olive oil shipped directly to you from Italy (which we have done!), grocery chains and big box supermarkets usually have something that will work it just requires investigating the label a little more thoroughly than just grabbing a jar labeled ‘olive oil’ off the shelf. This could also be a great opportunity to visit your local Italian market.
Salt
Flaky Maldon sea salt is ideal. Right now, we’re using a garlic-flavored Maldon salt, and we love it—because if you haven’t noticed yet, we really love garlic.
Simple Bruschetta Recipe Finishing Touches
Once the bread is toasted, rub the warm surface with the peeled garlic clove. Drizzle generously with olive oil, sprinkle with flaky salt, and serve immediately. That’s it. No distractions, no overthinking.
Simple Bruschetta Recipe Pairings
This makes a great snack on its own, but it truly shines alongside a pasta dish—especially simple tomato sauces, creamy pastas, or anything where you’ll want a little extra bread to soak up what’s left on the plate. Try it alongside:
We’ve also topped it with air fryer roasted cherry tomatoes, which are absolutely worth trying. Yum.
Simple Bruschetta Recipe Leftovers
There aren’t any.
We make exactly what we need, when we need it, and enjoy it fresh—just like it’s meant to be
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Simple Bruschetta
Ingredients
- 1 slice bread
- 1 clove garlic
- extra virgin olive oil
- salt
Instructions
- Toast bread.
- While bread toasts, peel garlic clove.
- Rake garlic clove across toast.
- Drizzle toast lightly with olive oil.
- Sprinkle lightly with salt. Any salt will work. Maldon sea salt flakes or coarse kosher salt is best.
- Serve immediately.