Move over plain bruschetta because I have something better! This Bruschetta with Cream Cheese recipe is made with ripe garden grape tomatoes, a creamy cheese mixture then topped with basil ribbons and balsamic glaze! Vegetarian
Bruschetta is one of my favorite Italian appetizers next to Antipasto which I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE!
As a matter of fact, this Bruschetta with Cream Cheese would be great served alongside of a nice antipasto platter.
What could make bruschetta even better? Yep, cream cheese! I love cream cheese!! I say it’s comfort food.
Also, you’d probably like my Sun Dried Tomato and Goat Cheese Crostini too!
Disclosure: This post may contain Amazon affiliate links which means, if you make a purchase, I’ll receive a small commission but, the price you pay is the same.
There are endless uses for cream cheese and it makes yummy spreads like in this cream cheese bruschetta recipe.
I mixed Philadelphia Cream Cheese (because it’s the BEST) with heavy cream and a little onion powder and then smeared it on a toasted baguette (but you can use Crostini instead.)
Then, I topped it with bruschetta, basil leaves and a yummy balsamic glaze!! Oh my…doesn’t that sound fabulous?
A Philadelphia cream cheese bruschetta recipe you can serve to your friends that will wow them.
What’s more, if you’re short on time, use a good quality store bought bruschetta and crostini. It’ll go much faster if you’re in a pinch.
But, making bruschetta from scratch is super easy and a great way to use up garden tomatoes.
I’m very Italian… as in my parents were (R.I.P) Italian immigrants. I learned a lot about Italian food from my mother and our family who live in southern Italy.
As a matter of fact, I’ll never forget this waiter in Florence, Italy who literally yelled at me when I ordered bruschetta the way Americans say it. He yells “Why do you Americans call it BruShetta? It’s BrusChetta!” As in “sc” NOT “sh”!! lol I hope I remember that the next time I order bruschetta in Italy.
What is classic Bruschetta?
It’s a simple Italian appetizer where fresh cherry or grape tomatoes are cut into small pieces and seasoned with fresh garlic and olive oil then added to toasted bread pieces.
Bruschetta with Cream Cheese
This delicious appetizer is a fun way to add a little flare to ordinary bruschetta. You can do a lot with this recipe too. See the substitutions below.
The first time I made this recipe, my husband ate almost the whole plate before dinner. He gladly ate leftovers the next day too.
You can make the tomato mixture and cream cheese mixture ahead of time and just assemble the appetizer before you’re ready to serve it.
You may not even have to run out to the grocery store to make this recipe as most of the ingredients are basic.
If you’re accustomed to cooking Italian, you probably already have the ingredients or the substitutions mentioned below.
Substitutions
- Use grape or cherry tomatoes if possible because they’re sweeter. But, this recipe will work with just about any tomato.
- Use crostini if you don’t have baguette bread or don’t have time to toast it.
- If you have balsamic vinegar and not balsamic glaze, you can make it by boiling the balsamic vinegar until it reduces which, only takes 5-10 minutes.
- You can use marscapone cheese instead of cream cheese.
- If you don’t have heavy cream you can use light cream or half and half.
- If you don’t have fresh basil, sprinkle with dried basil.
- Save time and don’t toast the bread but, I do recommend this if you’re bread isn’t fresh.
Make this delicious appetizer recipe with your garden tomatoes! Everyone will love this version of bruschetta…maybe even that touchy server in Florence, Italy.
You may also like:
Sun Dried Tomato and Goat Cheese Crostini
Puff Pastry Pesto Chicken Bites Appetizer
Easy Italian Roasted Red Peppers.
See more Italian recipes!
I took this recipe to Weekend Potluck.
Bruschetta with Cream Cheese
Ingredients
- 1 cup fresh grape or cherry tomatoes, diced
- 4 cloves garlic
- salt to taste
- 12 oz baguette bread or 12 Crostini
- 5 leaves basil
- Balsamic glaze
Cream Cheese Mixture
- 4 oz Philadelphia cream cheese
- 2 tbsp heavy cream
- 1/4 tsp onion powder
Instructions
- First, dice tomato and add to a medium sized bowl. If too much liquid accumulates, drain the juice or it'll make the bread soggy. Very ripe tomatoes will have a lot of juice.
- Then, add peeled garlic cloves and salt to taste to the tomatoes. Let stand while you complete the rest of the recipe so the tomatoes can pick up the flavor of the garlic.
- Meanwhile, add cream cheese, heavy cream and onion powder to a mixing bowl and mix until well combined. Set aside.
- Next, stack the basil leaves. Roll them from the stem side. Cut from one of the round ends. Basil ribbons will be the result. Set aside.
- Then, just before the tomatoes are ready, cut the baguette into 1 inch thick pieces.
- Next, toast the baguette bread (or use Crostini.) You can use a toaster oven (quickest) or place them in a conventional oven on 375F for about ten minutes or until they brown on top.
Assembly
- First, spoon about one tbsp of the cream cheese mixture on top of each piece of bread.
- Next, add about one tbsp of bruschetta on top of the cream cheese mixture.
- Then, place one or two basil ribbons on top of each bruschetta piece.
- Finally, drizzle 1/2 tsp of balsamic glaze on top of each bruschetta piece. Serve immediately.
Notes
Substitutions
- Use grape or cherry tomatoes if possible because they're sweeter. But, this recipe will work with just about any tomato.
- Use crostini if you don't have baguette bread or don't have time to toast it.
- If you have balsamic vinegar and not balsamic glaze, you can make it by boiling the balsamic vinegar until it reduces which, only takes 5-10 minutes.
- You can use marscapone cheese instead of cream cheese.
- If you don't have heavy cream you can use light cream or half and half.
- If you don't have fresh basil, sprinkle with dried basil.
- Save time and don't toast the bread but, I do recommend this if you're bread isn't fresh.
