Pepperoni Bruschetta

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This pepperoni bruschetta is so full of fresh ingredients that is so simple to make and perfect for an appetizer or snack.

What is Bruschetta?

• In Italy it is sliced toasted bread rubbed with olive oil and seasonings and then served with some sort of topping
• It is usually served as an antipasto aka an appetizer or as a snack
• It was originally created to salvage bread before completely going stale
• Toppings for brushetta usually consist of tomatoes, beans, cheese, or cured meats

I think a lot of people are confused like I was about bruschetta actually being the bread and not the topping. You can read more about the confusion in this article called, “Bruschetta is the bread, not the topping”

Making the Bruschetta Topping

Add diced tomatoes to a large bowl (Photo 1) then add chopped up pepperoni (Photo 2) Next you add sliced kalamata olives to the bowl (Photo 3)

Next add the shredded Parmesan cheese (Photo 4) and then pour the olive oil in the bowl (Photo 5) and the balsamic gearing (Photo 6)

Now add the basil (Photo 7) and then the oregano (Photo 8) Stir everything together well, cover and refrigerate until you are ready to serve.

Making the Bruschetta

Start by preparing the butter mixture by melting the butter over medium high heat (Photo 1) Next add the minced garlic (Photo 2) and cook for 5 minutes (Photo 3) and remove from heat

I personally prefer to use butter instead of olive oil when preparing the bruschetta. The topping has plenty of olive oil flavor to go around.

Make thinner slices of french bread (Photo 1) to the whole loaf. Take the slices and lay them flat on a baking sheet (Photo 2) You might need 2 baking sheets to fit all of them.

Next take your garlic butter and brush it on each slice of bread (Photo 3) Put it in the oven for about 12 minutes or when the bread starts to turn golden brown.

Tips and Tricks

• Your bread doesn’t need to be fresh right from the bakery. Buying it a couple days ahead and letting it set around does just great for this recipe.
• I prefer baguette bread because of the smaller size, but french bread works just as great. French bread is just a little bit wider compare to baguette bread.
• Olive oil is a suitable substitute for the butter in this recipe. You would just want to heat it with the garlic on a lower heat. Or if you have garlic infused olive oil no need for even cooking it before.
• I really like using cherry tomatoes for this recipe because of the little bit of sweetness they bring, but any type of tomato works fine.
• You can substitute the type of olives you use in this recipe. I prefer the tartness of a kalamata olive because it is like a mix of a green and black olives.
• Using fresh basil really can bring a nice flavor to this dish. But if in a pinch dried basil works just as well. I used dried basil that I had made from fresh basil I had awhile back.
• Letting the tomato mixture marinate in the refrigerator for a bit I believe makes this taste so much better

When you’re ready to serve just spoon your bruschetta onto your bread and it’s ready to eat.  This is perfect to whip up for your next party or also great to serve to go with your favorite wine.

Other recipes to try

Mediterranean Dip with Whipped Feta
Olive Tapenade
Mediterranean Dip
Mediterranean Feta Cheese Log

Or check out these other great Appetizer recipes

Did you make this recipe? Then give a star rating below and tag your picture on Instagramwith #glitterandgraze

Update Notes; This recipe was originally posted in October of 2016, but was republished with new photos, cooking tips, step by step picture instructions and a recipe tweak in June 2019.