Oven-Roasted Cherry Tomato Bruschetta

This Oven-Roasted Cherry Tomato Bruschetta bursts with juicy tomatoes, garlic, and melted Havarti cheese on top of a crispy baguette. The perfect year-round appetizer for two (or more!).

three pieces of roasted tomato bruschetta on a plate

I like to call this Roasted Cherry Tomato Bruschetta the I just don’t care appetizer. Don’t get me wrong; it’s delicious and addicting. This appetizer also happens to be incredibly forgiving. It is adaptable to any size dish, makes out-of-season tomatoes taste delicious, and has ooey-gooey cheese that encapsulates bursting tomatoes. It’s perfect.

ingredients for roasted tomato bruschetta in different size bowls

This appetizer is by no means authentic Italian bruschetta. In fact, I debated whether to call it bruschetta at all. That’s not the point. It makes you look like rockstar when someone unexpectedly stops by. It’s for the holiday season when you want to bring an appetizer and don’t want to bring a standard dip (again). It’s for the dinner party you forgot about. It’s a lifesaver. In bruschetta form.

HOW TO MAKE ROASTED CHERRY TOMATO BRUSCHETTA

  1. Lightly coat the bottom of the baking dish with olive oil. Add the sliced garlic cloves.

    sliced garlic cloves and olive oil in two cast iron pans with cherry tomatoes and havarti cheese on the side

  2. Add the cherry tomatoes and a pinch of salt to the pan. Toss to coat.

    two cast iron pans filled with tomatoes, olive oil, and sliced garlic

  3. Add havarti cheese in the center of the baking pan.

    two cast iron pans filled with tomatoes, sliced garlic, and a chunk of havarti cheese

  4. Bake until tomatoes are bursting open and cheese is melted.

    roasted tomatoes and havarti cheese in a cast iron pan

  5. Broil on high until the tomatoes and cheese blister on top

    roasted tomatoes and havarti cheese in a cast iron pan

  6. Slice the bread and brush with olive oil.

    slices of bread topped with olive oil on a baking sheet

  7. Place the roasted tomato mixture on top of the toasted bread slices and serve.

    three pieces of roasted tomato bruschetta on a plate

POSSIBLE SUBSTITUTIONS AND ADDITIONS

HAVARTI CHEESE. Fontina cheese also works great or skip the cheese altogether for some garlicky roasted tomatoes.

BASIL. If you have basil on hand, it’s a wonderful addition here. Add it as a finishing touch after the tomatoes are finished broiling.

three pieces of roasted tomato bruschetta on a plate with a cast iron skillet in the background

TIPS FOR MAKING EXCELLENT CHERRY TOMATO BRUSCHETTA

BAKING DISH SIZE. Don’t fuss about the baking dish size. Rather, focus on finding a baking dish that snuggly fits the cheese and tomatoes. Feel free to increase or decrease the amount of tomatoes and cheese to fit the pan size you have available.

OLIVE OIL. The taste of olive oil really shines in this recipe! I highly recommend you taste your olive oil before using it to ensure it isn’t rancid and you like the taste of it plain. This is also an excellent opportunity to try any infused olive oils such as basil or peperoncino

CHERRY TOMATOES. I recommend cutting large cherry tomatoes in half so they roast at the same rate as smaller cherry tomatoes and are releasing juices after 20-minutes of roasting.

TOASTED BREAD. Bruschetta is a great way to use up 1 or 2 day old bread since it soaks up the olive oil and tomato juices. Yum.

MAKE AHEAD. You can make the roasted tomatoes and cheese a day ahead of time. Reheat at 350°F until the warm and the cheese is completely melted. Toast the bread and assemble the bruschetta right before serving.

skillet filled with leftover olive oil and cherry tomatoes with a spoon

More Italian Recipes to Try

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Roasted Cherry Tomato Bruschetta

This Oven-Roasted Cherry Tomato Bruschetta bursts with juicy tomatoes, garlic, and melted Havarti cheese on top of a crispy baguette. The perfect year-round appetizer for two (or more!). Please note: I doubled the recipe in the pictures.

  • Author: Kim Fox
  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Cook Time: 25 minutes
  • Total Time: 30 minutes
  • Yield: 2 servings 1x
  • Category: Appetizer
  • Method: Bake
  • Cuisine: Italian
  • Diet: Vegetarian

Ingredients

Scale

For the tomatoes:

  • Glug of olive oil, enough to cover the bottom of the baking dish
  • 5 ounces (150g) cherry tomatoes, cut in half if large
  • 23 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
  • 2.5 ounces (67g) block of havarti cheese
  • sprinkle of kosher salt
  • crushed red pepper flakes, optional

For the bruschetta:

  • 1/2 baguette (French bread)
  • olive oil

Instructions

  1. Preheat. Preheat the oven to 400ºF.  Position a rack in the middle of the oven and a second rack at the top of the oven (the highest it will go).
  2. Prepare the tomatoes. Lightly coat the bottom of a 6-inch skillet or small baking dish with olive oil. Add the tomatoes, garlic, and red pepper flakes, if using. Lightly sprinkle the tomato mixture with kosher salt. Toss to coat. Place the block of havarti cheese in the center of the skillet or baking dish. 
  3. Bake the tomatoes. Bake until the cheese is completely melted and the tomatoes release juices, about 20 minutes. After the 20 minutes, move the skillet or baking dish to the top rack and switch the oven to the broiler setting. Broil on high until the tomatoes and cheese blister on top, about 5 minutes. 
  4. Slice the bread. Meanwhile, slice the baguette on the diagonal into slices 1/2-inch wide. Place the slices in a single layer on a baking sheet and lightly brush both sides of each slice with olive oil. 
  5. Toast the bread. While the tomato mixture broils, place the baking sheet on the lowest oven rack and bake the bread slices until crisp and golden on top, about 2-3 minutes. Keep an eye on the bread the entire time to prevent it from burning.
  6. Assemble. Top each toast with the warm tomato mixture. Serve the Bruschetta promptly. 

Notes

 

 

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 2 servings
  • Calories: 279 calories
  • Sugar: 4g
  • Sodium: 518mg
  • Fat: 15.6g
  • Saturated Fat: 8.3g
  • Carbohydrates: 23.1g
  • Fiber: 1.7g
  • Protein: 13.4g
  • Cholesterol: 38mg

Keywords: cherry tomato bruschetta, cherry tomato appetizer

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