This Grilled Tomato Crostini recipe is a perfect use for those sweet, ripe tomatoes. A nice smoky flavor from the grill makes these a new favorite tomato appetizer.
What's not to love about tomatoes on toasty bread? The smokey flavor of grilling the tomatoes first adds another level of flavor that is #lipsmacking!
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Steps for Making Grilled Tomato Crostini
This recipe is a great way to use those summer tomatoes and fresh basil. Throw in some red onions and french bread and you have a delicious crostini appetizer ready in just 20 minutes!
- Lightly brush the french bread with olive oil on both sides. Grill each side until toasty and golden brown. Cut each piece of french bread into crostini sized pieces.
- Cut the fresh tomatoes in half.
- Toss the tomatoes and onion with the olive oil and garlic. Grill both sides.
- Rough dice the grilled tomatoes and onions and add the chopped, fresh basil.
- Stir and serve immediately with the crostini.
Tips for Making Crostini?
Crostini means little toasts. However, since we are actually grilling this on our outdoor grill we are using a larger slices of French bread for ease. We brush each piece with oil, grill both sides, and then cut into smaller 'little toasts'! The number of slices of bread needed will depend on the size of your slices. A smaller loaf, with small slices, may only give 2 crostini per slice and 12 slices will be used. A larger French loaf, with bigger slices, might yield 3-4 crostini size pieces from each slice and 6-8 slices will be used. The crostini can also be made in the oven as directed in our Homemade Crostini recipe.
Our Favorite Riffs
This is a great base recipe for a tomato basil crostini and so easy to make this your own.
- Add corn. Grill some fresh corn, remove from the cob, and add to the tomato mixture.
- Bring in some cheese. Whipped feta cheese or whipped goat cheese is delicious with this bite. Spread it onto the crostini before topping with the warm tomato mixture.
- Use different oils. Use an infused olive oil, herb or garlic would be great! Use butter instead of olive oil.
- Drizzle balsamic reduction over crostini. A small drizzle of balsamic reduction over the top of each tomato topped crostini adds a sweet flavor to each bite.
Equipment We Used
We made this recipe on our outside BBQ grill (both charcoal or gas work great.) Put the bread, tomatoes and onions directly on the BBQ grill, we kept the ingredients large to make grilling directly on the grill possible. Using a BBQ grill pan can make turning the ingredients easier, but it's not necessary. If using one, make sure to lightly oil the grill pan before placing the ingredients on the pan.
If you don't have a grill this can also be made in the oven for a roasted tomato crostini!
- Crostini. Brush with olive oil. Place in 375 degrees Fahrenheit oven for 7-8 minutes. Turn each piece over and bake another 7-8 minutes until they are a light golden brown. Remove and cut into crostini size pieces.
- Roasted Tomatoes and Onion. After coating with the oil and garlic, place on a baking sheet and roast in a 425 degrees Fahrenheit oven for 10 minutes. Turn each tomato and onion over. Cook another 5-10 minutes until tomatoes are sizzling. Dice, mix with basil, serve.
Time Saver Tips
We love this grilled (or roasted) but if you are in a hurry skip that step. Dice the tomatoes and onions, combine with 2 cloves minced garlic and basil. Serve with crostini.
Purchase pre-sliced french bread. While making homemade crostini is VERY easy and they are so good, using pre-made crostini also works.
Make Ahead Tips
Make the crostini up to a day in advance and store in an airtight container on the counter until ready to serve. Crostini can be served at room temperature or heated in a 200-250 degrees Fahrenheit oven until warm, 2-3 minutes.
Saving Leftovers
The FDA recommends discarding any perishable food that has been out at room temperature for more than 2 hours.
If you are within the FDA recommendations, these grilled tomatoes and onions will save in the refrigerator. It can be drained and used within 2 days on crostini or added to a marinara or spaghetti sauce. We even reduced this and then blended into a pizza sauce. It was delicious!
Other favorite crostini recipes
Some FAQ's about Grilled Tomato Crostini
They are both oiled, toasted bread. Crostini are small pieces while bruschetta is larger pieces. If you didn't cut the slices of French bread into smaller pieces, you would have bruschetta.
No problem. This can also be made in the oven. Make homemade crostini, roast tomatoes, red onion, and garlic in a 425 degrees Fahrenheit oven for 15-20 minutes turning over half way through cooking. Dice, mix with basil, and serve.
📖 Recipe
Grilled Tomato Crostini
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 24-30 pieces 1x
Description
This Grilled Tomato Crostini is a perfect recipe for those sweet, ripe tomatoes. A nice smoky flavor from the grill makes these a new summer favorite.
Ingredients
- 3 large fresh tomatoes, (about 2 pounds)
- ½ medium red onion, peeled
- 4 cloves garlic, minced (about 2 teaspoons)
- 7-12 slices french bread
- ½ cup olive oil, divided, (may not need it all)
- Salt and pepper to taste
- ¼ cup fresh basil, chop or chiffonade
Instructions
- Preheat your outdoor grill to medium-high heat. (See NOTES below to prepare this in your oven.)
- Slice the tomatoes in half.
- Slice the red onion in half.
- Lightly brush both sides of the french bread slices with olive oil.
- Place oiled french bread on the grill. Grill each side until lightly toasted, 3-4 minutes per side. Remove to a cutting board and cut each slice into 2-3 inch pieces.
- Drizzle tomatoes and red onion with olive oil and add minced garlic, salt, and pepper. Use your hands to spread the oil and garlic over all sides of the tomatoes and onions.
- Place onions and tomatoes, cut side up, on the grill. Grill until they are sizzling, 3-4 minutes. Turn over and grill for another 2-3 minutes.
- Remove tomatoes and onions to the cutting board. Cut the onion into small pieces, BE CAREFUL as the grilled onion skin is very slippery. Gently chop the tomatoes.
- Add tomatoes and onions to a bowl with the basil. Mix until combined. Place in a bowl and serve beside the grilled french bread.
Notes
Substitutions and Additions. Add a pinch of red pepper flakes to the grilled tomato-onion mixture for some extra heat. Add some feta cheese or goat cheese to the warm tomato-onion mixture. Spread each crostini with some whipped feta or whipped goat cheese before topping with the tomato-onion mixture. Drizzle each crostini with some balsamic reduction.
We used larger french bread slices and then cut those in quarters instead of using baguette slices. Why? Because it is easier to grill larger pieces of bread than small rounds on a BBQ. Small baguette slices will work on the grill they are just harder to keep from falling through the grill grate. You can also just use an oven prepared homemade crostini slice or store purchased crostini. Number of bread slices needed will depend on the size of bread.
We put our tomatoes and onions directly on the BBQ grill. Using a BBQ grill pan can make turning the ingredients easier. Make sure to lightly oil the grill pan before placing the ingredients on to grill.
To make this in the oven:
Brush both sides of bread with oil. Bake 7-8 minutes at 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Turn over and bake another 7-8 minutes until golden brown. Remove and cut into smaller pieces.
Coat tomato and onion with oil and garlic. Bake at 425 degrees Fahrenheit for 20 minutes turning over half way through. Dice. Add basil, mix, and serve.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Appetizer
- Method: Grilling
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 piece
- Calories: 96
- Sugar: 1 g
- Sodium: 261.7 mg
- Fat: 2.7 g
- Carbohydrates: 15.2 g
- Protein: 3.2 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
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