Giada De Laurentiis' Favorite Appetizer In A Pinch Is Ready In Minutes

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Giada De Laurentiis is a beloved celebrity chef who's very proud of her Italian heritage. Many of the recipes she has shared over the years are a love letter to Italian cuisine. So, it's fitting that her favorite 5-minute appetizer is a classic Italian favorite: easy-to-prep bruschetta. She's not too fussy about the topping, either, and loves white beans, tomatoes, or other seasonal ingredients. 

While fancy breakfast toasts may be all the rage these days, bruschetta is the bite-sized toast and topping that goes much further back than the last decade or so. Bruschetta can be whatever you want it to be depending on the season. Most are basic recipes that use simple pantry and fridge staples like garlic, tomatoes, and olive oil. Bread is the most basic of household staples, and many different types of bread will work as a grilled or toasted bruschetta foundation, from sourdough to baguette or ciabatta. Furthermore, day-old or stale bread is often a boon to toasting because reduced moisture makes for sturdier and crunchier toast. So don't run to the store for fresh ingredients to make these appetizers. Other toppings like white beans come in cans, and a sprinkle or crumble of cheese comes from whatever wheel or block is sitting in your fridge.

Since one of our bruschetta tips advises to never assemble bruschetta ahead of time, this really is a 5-minute appetizer that's so loved by Giada De Laurentiis. Yes, throw it together quickly, but there are plenty of ways to ensure the tastiest results, not to mention easy ingredient upgrades for basic bruschettas. Since it's a simple appetizer, high-quality ingredients are a crucial factor for success. A really good extra virgin olive oil will bring an earthy, fruity complexity that adds depth to a dish as modest as bruschetta. Using the same cast iron skillet you cook the tomatoes and garlic in to toast your bread will infuse the bread with plenty of flavor. Another way to make bruschetta even better is by roasting the tomatoes as we do in this recipe for roasted balsamic bruschetta. Balsamic reduction is an ingredient that will instantly upgrade bruschetta with a mere drizzle.

Slather some whipped ricotta over the toasted bread before layering on the tomatoes as we do in this recipe for all-star tomato bruschetta, which uses a wealth of different types of tomatoes. If ricotta isn't on hand, there's always good old Philadelphia — hey, you can even order Philadelphia cream cheese from Amazon, making things even easier. Bring even more umami richness to the table by adding chopped olives or diced bacon to your tomato mixture. Pancetta or a tinned fish like anchovies really dress up a white bean bruschetta.