Fresh, fast and bursting with flavour – this bruschetta bowl is your new 5-minute obsession
If you’re craving something bright, fresh and full of Italian-inspired flavour, this 5-Minute Bruschetta Bowl (with Balsamic Pearls!) delivers in every bite. Sweet tomatoes, golden croutons, fresh herbs and Sticky White Balsamic come together in minutes to create a salad that’s simple, stunning and unbelievably delicious.
Why You’ll Love this Bruschetta Bowl
- Ready in only five minutes
- No cooking (unless you’re making homemade croutons)
- Fresh, colourful, bright Italian-inspired flavours
- Perfect way to showcase Sticky Balsamic products (you can use other products though)
- Easily upgraded with barley + feta for a more filling bowl
What Is a Bruschetta Bowl?
Think: all the flavours of classic bruschetta… just without the toasted bread slices.
Instead, everything lands in one big bowl – tomatoes, herbs, balsamic and golden croutons – creating a salad that’s bright, fresh and ridiculously delicious.
I also love adding barley and feta when I want extra texture, chew and colour. Try both versions and let me know your favourite!
Ingredients You’ll Need
(Full measurements in the recipe card below)
- Medley tomatoes – or any mix you love
- Homemade croutons (see notes below recipe card for how to make them)
- Red onion – thinly sliced
- Fresh herbs – basil + parsley – or whatever you have available
- Long green chilli (optional but so good)
- Sticky White Balsamic (you can also use any caramelised balsamic vinegar)
- Olive oil
- Sea salt + cracked pepper
- Sticky Balsamic Pearls – the “wow” factor
Optional Add-Ins
- Cooked barley (or brown rice, quinoa, freekeh)
- Firm feta, crumbled
How to Make the 5-minute Bruschetta Bowl
- Mix the base
Combine tomatoes, croutons, onion and herbs in a bowl. Season generously. - Add the dressing
Whisk olive oil with Sticky White Balsamic and pour over the salad. Toss gently. - Finish with pearls
Add as many Sticky Balsamic Pearls as your heart desires. Serve immediately.
About Sticky White Balsamic
Sticky Balsamic makes the most beautiful caramelised balsamic vinegars and balsamic pearls in Australia (and they now ship to the USA!). Their products can be purchased online or at select stockists.
If Sticky White Balsamic isn’t available, you can substitute with:
- Caramelised balsamic from the supermarket, or
- A mix of white balsamic vinegar + olive oil + a good pinch of sugar
What are Balsamic Pearls?
Little flavour bombs of balsamic encased in delicate spheres – they pop in your mouth and add both taste and drama to any dish. Sticky Balsamic Pearls come in flavours like original, truffle, fig, lemon and quince. There’s no true substitute, so if you can’t get them, simply leave them off – the salad still shines.
Serving Suggestions
This Bruschetta Bowl is such a versatile little number. Serve it as a light lunch, a simple dinner or as a bright side dish with anything grilled. It pairs beautifully with chicken, fish or steak, and it’s the perfect way to bring colour to an Italian-inspired spread. If you’re entertaining, pile it onto a platter, finish with extra herbs and balsamic pearls, and let everyone scoop their own. The barley-and-feta version is also fantastic for picnics or a more filling meal.
Storage
This salad is best enjoyed fresh so the croutons stay crunchy, but you can store components separately. Keep the tomatoes, onions and herbs in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days. Store the dressing separately and add just before serving. Homemade croutons should be kept in an airtight jar at room temperature and will stay crisp for up to 2 weeks. Once dressed, the salad will soften quickly, so only mix what you plan to eat immediately.
More Salads:
- Red Cabbage Salad with Honey Lime Dressing
- Easy Lebanese Fattoush Salad
- Vietnamese Chicken Salad
- Easy Rocket + Parmesan Salad
5-Minute Bruschetta Bowl
Ingredients
- 400g medley tomatoes, halved (or use any combination of tomatoes of your choice)
- 1 ½ cups croutons (See Note 2)
- ½ red onion, thinly sliced
- ⅓ cup freshly chopped herbs (basil, parsley, chives, etc)
- ½ long green chilli, thinly sliced (optional but adds a nice kick)
- Sea salt flakes and cracked black pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon Sticky White Balsamic (or use a store-bought caramelised balsamic vinegar – See Notes below)
- Sticky Balsamic Pearls (optional)
OPTIONAL FILLING
- ⅔ cup cooked barley (you could also use brown rice, freekeh, quinoa etc)
- ¼ cup crumbled firm feta
Instructions
- Combine tomatoes, croutons, onion, herbs in a bowl. Season well with sea salt and pepper and toss to combine.
- Whisk olive oil and sticky white balsamic until combined. Pour over the salad and toss to coat. Top with as many Sticky Balsamic Pearls as you wish. Serve and enjoy.
OPTIONAL
- Add barley and feta in Step 1 if desired for a more fulfilling salad.
Notes
- Cooks Notes:
Oven Temps: Oven temperatures are for conventional, if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C.
Measurements: We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon = 5 ml, 1 tablespoon = 20 ml and 1 cup = 250 ml.
Herbs: All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed.
Vegetables: All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified.
Eggs: We use extra-large size and eggs are 55-60 g each, unless specified. - Homemade Croutons
Any bread works — sourdough, baguettes, focaccia or stale bread. I use homemade sourdough for the delicious tang.- Cut bread into 2cm cubes.
- Toss with olive oil, salt and pepper.
- Air-fry at 200°C for 12 minutes, shaking every 4 minutes until golden and crunchy.
- Cool completely and store in an airtight jar for up to 2 weeks. (They never last that long!)
- Sticky Balsamic Substitutions:
If Sticky White Balsamic isn’t available, you can substitute with:- Caramelised balsamic from the supermarket, or
- A mix of white balsamic vinegar + olive oil + a good pinch of sugar
Leave a Reply