The Olive Garden Bruschetta

The Olive Garden®
Bruschetta

The Olive Garden's recently redesigned bruschetta recipe improves on the Italian chain's previous version. The tomato salad is now served in a separate serving dish rather than on the bread. The tomatoes are finely diced before mixing with the other ingredients, and the ciabatta bread (thinly sliced Italian loaf bread will do) is sprinkled with a little parmesan cheese before it's toasted. Try to find a nice, chewy loaf of bread for this dish -- get the best bread in the store. The better your bread, the better your bruschetta.

3 firm roma tomatoes, finely diced (about 1 1/2 cups)
1 tablespoon minced fresh basil
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
1/4 teaspoon salt

9 to 10 slices ciabatta bread (or Italian bread)
1 tablespoon grated parmesan cheese
pinch dried parsley flakes

Toss diced tomatoes with basil, garlic, olive oil, vinegar, and salt in a medium bowl. Cover and chill 1 hour.

When you are ready to serve the dish, preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Combine parmesan cheese with dried parsley in a small bowl. Arrange the bread slices on a baking sheet. Sprinkle a couple pinches of the parmesan cheese mixture over each bread slice. Bake for 5 minutes or until bread is starting to crisp.

Pour tomato mixture into a serving dish, and serve alongside the toasted bread slices.

Serves 4.

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