Summer tomatoes are nature’s candy. They’re so good you can just slice and eat them with a little salt and olive oil. My favorite way to turn that snack into a meal? Bruschetta.
Bruschetta perfectly highlights the sweet tomato season. Even if you let the tomato mixture sit too long, the flavors meld and just get better and better. I’ve served it almost any time of day — lunch, dinner, snack, app, and even with eggs for breakfast! It becomes the perfect complement to any meal or recipe.
I typically serve bruschetta on a piece of thick grilled rustic bread, finished with a drizzle of balsamic vinegar. Recently, this combo sparked the idea of a bruschetta pizza — all the same flavors, but better for feeding a crowd. Plus, grilling pizza dough adds such great charred flavor that really goes the distance, and that’s before you’ve added the fresh mozzarella and juicy tomato topping.
I’m using heirloom cherry tomatoes in this recipe for the perfect bite-sized topping as well as colorful presentation. But feel free to use your favorite kind of summer tomatoes or whatever is ripe at the market.
Bruschetta Pizza
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup
olive oil
- 4 cloves
garlic, sliced, plus 1 clove minced
- 1 pound
heirloom cherry tomatoes, quartered or halved
- 1/4 cup
fresh basil leaves, torn
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 pound
refrigerated pizza dough, at room temperature
- 8ounces
fresh mozzarella, sliced into 1/4-inch-thick slices
- 2 tablespoons
balsamic vinegar
Flaky sea salt, to garnish
Instructions
Preheat a grill to 500ºF or grill pan to medium-high heat. Combine the olive oil and sliced garlic in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 5 minutes, then remove from the heat and allow to cool. Strain the garlic and discard.
Combine the tomatoes, basil, minced garlic, and 2 tablespoons of the garlic oil in a medium bowl. Season with salt and pepper to taste and set aside.
Stretch the pizza dough into a round or rectangle to fit grill or grill pan. Brush pizza dough with some of the cooled garlic oil. Place on the grill oiled-side down and cook until lightly charred and crust begins to bubble, 4 to 5 minutes. Brush the top side with garlic oil and flip to char the other side. Place mozzarella on top of the grilled side immediately after flipping and close the lid of the grill to allow the cheese to melt. Cook until the crust is charred and cheese has melted, 4 to 5 minutes. Remove from the grill and spread tomato mixture evenly over the top. Drizzle with balsamic vinegar and sea salt and serve.
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