Recipe Overview
Why you’ll love it: Delicious panzanella salad is a summer treat with loads of red ripe tomatoes, chunks of crusty bread, and fresh green basil, dressed in a white wine vinaigrette. Panzanella is a hearty salad that’s easy to make.
How long it takes: 40 minutes (includes time to make the croutons)
Equipment you’ll need: rimmed baking sheet, mixing bowls
Servings: 6
Fresh taste of summer! Red, white, and green, the colors of Italy’s flag, should be the official colors of summer dining: juicy red tomatoes, soft and perfectly ripe; green leafy lettuces, spicy olive oil, and pungent green herbs, freshly plucked from the garden; and fresh white cheese like mozzarella, ricotta, and feta.
A bread salad. Everyone loves bread, right? How about chunks of crusty bread, soaked with the juices of red tomatoes and a tasty vinaigrette, along with lots of green basil and red onion? Simple, and simply delicious! You’ll want to add this Tuscan-style panzanella salad to your list of must-have summer recipes.
(Red, white, and green reminds me of caprese and bruschetta. Caprese pasta salad and caprese couscous stuffed tomatoes are perfect for summer entertaining. Serve hot caprese dip at your next party and everyone will be asking for the recipe. Classic tomato bruschetta is a perfect red, white, and green appetizer, and I also love my mother-in-law’s roasted tomato and ricotta crostini.)
What Is Panzanella?
In Italian, “pane” means bread, and “zanella” means deep plate or bowl. Panzanella is bread in a bowl, along with lots of other yummy things!
In its simplest form, panzanella is made from stale bread that’s been soaked in water and squeezed dry, chopped onions, with a dressing of olive oil and vinegar. Tomatoes, cucumbers, and basil are often added.
Is panzanella a main dish? This salad is hearty and makes a light main dish. It’s often served with grilled meat.
“I made this tonight. It was so amazing! I’ve never made my own croutons before. My husband was a little skeptical but ended up having two servings. Will definitely make again!”
panzanella Tips
Choose the right kind of bread for your salad. This is not the time for sandwich bread. Buy a good loaf of Italian or French bread, sturdy, crusty, and with lots of holes inside. If it feels a little hard, that’s okay. Day old bread is perfect.
Serve immediately or wait 30 minutes. Mix the croutons, tomatoes, cucumber, onion, and fresh herbs in a big bowl and add the dressing, tossing well. You can serve the panzanella immediately while the croutons are still crispy, or wait thirty minutes to let the dressing soak into the bread. Your choice!
Cooking Tip
How to take the bite out of onions: If you feel the flavor of red onions is too strong, try soaking the onions in ice water before adding them to the salad. Even onion-haters will enjoy onions this way. Be sure to drain them well and pat them dry with paper towels before adding them to your salad.
Serving Suggestions
Panzanella salad is a healthy salad that is hearty and satisfying. Since it contains bread and vegetables, all you really need to round out your meal is protein. Try grilled meat like salmon, chicken, shrimp, or steak. I like to serve it with skillet cod piccata, too.
Don’t forget a glass of chardonnay, sauvignon blanc, or a cool dry rosé! For a real taste of Italy, try a refreshing Aperol spritz, with Aperol, prosecco, and club soda. A white wine spritzer or red wine spritzer goes well, too.
Recipe Variations
- Try a different way to prep the bread. Some recipes skip toasting the bread. Others soak the bread in water, or a vinegar/water mixture, and squeezing it dry. If that’s what you prefer, go for it. I like the flavor that toasting adds to the bread.
- Substitute a store-bought vinaigrette. Look for a white wine vinaigrette, red wine vinaigrette, or Italian dressing. I have to say, though, that homemade is really easy and tastes tons better.
- Include more veggies. Almost any fresh garden vegetable can be added. Some recipes include bell peppers. Other good choices are tender zucchini, sliced radishes, and so on.
- Add protein. If you want to make panzanella a main dish, add fresh mozzarella, feta cheese, cubed sharp provolone, or canned cannellini beans (drained and rinsed). You could also add grilled chicken. (Be sure to try my sheet pan chicken panzanella, too!) Another main dish salad you may enjoy is this antipasto-style chopped salad or La Scala chopped salad.
- More bread salad recipes: Asparagus panzanella is great in the spring when ripe tomatoes are still a pleasure to look forward to. Fattoush salad is a bread salad from the Middle East and gazpacho salad has more of a Spanish influence. We also love this chicken Caesar pasta salad that is topped with lots of croutons.
Prep the bread ahead. The bread can be toasted ahead of time or right before you make the salad. I’ve been making homemade croutons using slightly stale bread for ages, and the process is the same for panzanella. Make the croutons, cool them completely, and store them in a tightly covered container for up to a week. (By the way, air fryer croutons are an amazing time-saver and you won’t have to turn the oven on.)
Make the easy vinaigrette dressing. Make the homemade vinaigrette before you get started on the rest of the salad; in fact, you can make it a couple of days ahead of time and refrigerate it. Allow the vinaigrette to come to room temperature before using and shake well.
If there is leftover salad, cover tightly and store in the refrigerator for a day. The bread in the salad will be a little softer, possibly a bit mushy, but the taste will be great.
More Summer Salad Recipes
Panzanella Salad Recipe – perfect summer salad!
Ingredients
For croutons:
- 6 cups cubed bread (see note)
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
For vinaigrette:
- ¼ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup white wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
For salad:
- 2 large tomatoes, cut into 1-inch cubes (about 1 pound)
- ½ large red onion, thinly sliced (see note)
- 1 cucumber, quartered and sliced into ½ -inch chunks (see note)
- ½ cup torn basil leaves
- ¼ cup roughly chopped flat leaf parsley
- 2 tablespoons capers, drained (optional)
Instructions
- Make croutons. Heat oven to 375ºF. Combine the bread pieces with 3 tablespoons olive oil on a large rimmed baking sheet. Bake until golden brown and crispy, about 20 minutes. If you’re using fresh bread, the croutons will take a little longer to become golden brown. If the bread is day-old and dry, the croutons may brown faster, so keep an eye on them. The size of your bread cubes will also make a difference in how long it may take for them to crisp up.6 cups cubed bread, 3 tablespoons olive oil
- In a small bowl, whisk vinaigrette ingredients together: ¼ cup olive oil, vinegar, garlic, mustard, salt, and pepper.¼ cup olive oil, ¼ cup white wine vinegar, 1 teaspoon minced garlic, ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, ¼ teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
- In a large bowl, combine tomatoes, onion, cucumber, basil, parsley, and capers (if using); mix. Add bread cubes and toss with vinaigrette. Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed.2 large tomatoes, cut into 1-inch cubes, ½ large red onion, thinly sliced, 1 cucumber, quartered and sliced into ½ -inch chunks, ½ cup torn basil leaves, ¼ cup roughly chopped flat leaf parsley, 2 tablespoons capers, drained
- You can serve the panzanella salad immediately while the croutons are still crispy, or wait 30 minutes to let the dressing soak into the bread. It's your choice!
Notes
- Bread: Day-old bread works well and will toast up more quickly. Use coarse-grained bakery bread, such as a baguette, French bread, Italian bread, or sour dough. The bread can be cut into cubes or torn into bite-sized pieces for a more rustic appearance. If you don’t want to turn your oven on, make air fryer croutons.
- Onion prep: To take the flavor of the onions down a notch and prevent them from being overwhelming, soak them, sliced or diced, in ice water for 10 minutes or so. Drain well and pat dry with paper towels before adding them to the salad.
- Cucumber note: If using an English cucumber, there’s no need to peel or remove seeds. If using a regular garden cucumber, peel, quarter, and remove seeds.
- Make ahead ideas: Prepare the components of the panzanella ahead of time. Make the croutons and, after cooling thoroughly, store in a tightly covered container for up to a week. Cut the veggies and refrigerate. Make the vinaigrette a day ahead and store in the refrigerator. Allow to come to room temperature before using and shake well.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Did You Make This?Share a comment and rating below! I love hearing what you think!
I made this tonight. It was so amazing! I’ve never made my own croutons before. My husband was a little skeptical but ended up having two servings. Will definitely make again! Thank you for the recipe! I will probably add some type of cheese to it next time.
So glad you enjoyed it! Homemade croutons are truly a game changer. Fresh mozzarella would be so yummy in this if you want to add cheese!
a favorite salad
Same here!