Bruschetta Salad

Bruschetta Salad

We absolutely love this one. It takes everything brilliant about bruschetta and turns it into a proper salad you can eat with a fork, which sounds simple but honestly tastes incredible. You get jammy, sweet tomatoes, fresh basil, a hit of garlic and then these golden, herby croutons that soak up all that juice and olive oil without going completely soggy. It's the kind of thing that feels fancy but comes together in about 25 minutes, and every time we make it people ask for the recipe. If you've got ripe tomatoes and a good loaf, make this tonight.

Cook: 25 min
Serves 2

Before You Start

  • Preheat oven to 200°C
  • Large baking sheet
  • Mixing bowl
  • Microplane or fine grater (for garlic)

Ingredients

  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tsp Italian herbs dried
  • 200g unsliced seeded brown bread - inch cubes
  • ½ tsp garlic powder
  • Salt & pepper to taste
  • 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
  • 1 banana shallot small
  • 1 small garlic clove
  • 400g mixed cherry tomatoes
  • Salt & pepper to taste
  • 2 tbsp Nooch
  • 10g basil leaves
  • 2 head(s) of romaine lettuce

Method

1

First, make your croutons

  • Cut the bread into 1 inch cubes
  • Add the olive oil, herbs, garlic powder and a little salt and pepper to a mixing bowl and mix together with a fork to combine
  • Add the bread to the bowl and fold it into the flavoured oil, making sure all the bread is well covered
  • Spread the bread out evenly on a baking sheet, put the sheet in the oven and bake the bread for 12-15 minutes until golden and crispy
2

While the bread is in the oven, make the tomato mix

  • Peel and finely dice the shallot. Peel and grate the garlic
  • Quarter the tomatoes
  • Put the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, shallot and garlic in a bowl and stir to combine
  • Add the tomatoes to the bowl and fold to combine and cover
3

Prepare the rest of the salad

  • Trim and roughly shred the lettuce
  • Pick the basil leaves and slice the bigger leaves
4

Build the salad

  • When the croutons have cooled, put them in a salad bowl
  • Add the tomatoes to the bowl and toss to combine with the croutons
  • Add the lettuce and basil to the bowl and toss to combine
  • Sprinkle the nutritional yeast and a sprinkle of black pepper over the salad and serve immediately as a side or as a very light lunch

Tips & Variations

  • Use the ripest tomatoes you can find: This is one of those recipes where the quality of your tomatoes really matters. The riper and sweeter they are, the better the dressing that forms at the bottom of the bowl. Cherry tomatoes or heritage varieties work brilliantly here.
  • Don't skip resting time: Once everything's combined, let the salad sit for 5 minutes before serving. The croutons start to absorb the tomato juices and it all comes together in the best way. Trust us on this one.
  • Make it a main: We love adding a big handful of cannellini beans or some torn vegan mozzarella to bulk this out into a proper lunch. It works really well and keeps you full for ages.

Why This Works

The trick is getting the croutons properly golden and crispy in the oven before they meet the tomatoes. If they're a bit underdone they'll just turn to mush, but when they're properly crunchy they hold up beautifully and absorb all that garlicky tomato dressing without falling apart. That contrast between the juicy tomatoes and the crispy bread is what makes this so good.