Grilled Bruschetta Pesto Skewers
These grilled bruschetta pesto skewers are an EASY and tasty summer appetizer or side dish. They require just 5 ingredients and 15 minutes to make!
Bruschetta is a classic Italian appetizer, and is essentially toasted bread with olive oil, garlic, salt and chopped tomatoes. It’s simple but delicious! These skewers have all of those wonderful flavors (plus fresh pesto), but in a new fun presentation that’s perfect for summer entertaining.
Bonus: there’s no need to turn on the oven! All the magic happens on the grill. And these grilled tomato bruschetta skewers can be grilled right alongside whatever else you’re serving— chicken, burgers, veggies, etc. They’re sure to be the hit of any backyard dinner or summer potluck. Plus the recipe scales up and down easily to fit the size of your party, big or small.
Table of Contents
- Ingredients you'll need
- How to make grilled bruschetta skewers
- Variations and serving suggestions
- Get the recipe
- More summer appetizers
Ingredients you’ll need
- A good loaf of bread (it can be sourdough, French bread, even ciabatta or focaccia)
- Cherry or grape tomatoes
- Good pesto (either store-bought or homemade)
- Olive oil
- Salt
- Mini bamboo skewers
How to make grilled bruschetta skewers
- Prep the skewers. Toss cubed bread and cherry/grape tomatoes with olive oil and plenty of salt. Then assemble them on your skewers
- Grill. They’ll need just a few minutes over medium-high heat, just until the bread is slightly charred and toasty, and tomatoes soften and begin to burst. Don’t walk away from the grill, as these will cook very quickly!
- Drizzle with pesto. Transfer the skewers to a platter and drizzle with the pesto.
- Serve and enjoy immediately. These are best when they’re still a little warm. The grilled bread will dry out quickly too.
Variations and serving suggestions
- Add a drizzle of balsamic glaze instead of the pesto
- Add other vegetables like bell peppers or zucchini
- Add pancetta or other Italian cured meat
- Finish each grilled skewer with a mini ball of mozzarella
Get the recipe
Grilled Bruschetta Skewers
Ingredients
Skewers:
- 20 6-inch mini bamboo skewers
- 1 dry pint cherry or grape tomatoes
- 4 cups crusty sourdough or french bread , cubed (about 1 small loaf)
- Olive oil
- Coarse salt
- ½ cup pesto , store-bought or homemade
Instructions
- Soak bamboo skewers for 30 minutes before using so they don't burn on the grill.
- Add tomatoes and cubed bread to a large bowl. Drizzle with enough olive oil to lightly coat the bread and tomatoes and heavily season with salt.
- Assemble on skewers, alternating bread cubes and tomatoes.
- Grill over medium high heat for 2-3 minutes, turning often to make sure bread is toasting evenly. Skewers are done when bread is slightly charred and tomatoes have softened and start to burst.
- Drizzle with pesto and serve immediately.
Notes
- If you can’t find 6-inch skewers, you can cut regular skewers in half.
- This recipe scales up and down really well to fit your needs.
This recipe was originally published June 2018.
More summer appetizers
