Recipe Overview
Why you’ll love it: Simply delicious traditional 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 simple summer salad that is hearty and 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
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, feta. Those are the tastes of summer we long for the other nine months of the year.
Red, white, and green reminds me of caprese and bruschetta. This 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 love my mother-in-law’s roasted tomato and ricotta crostini.
Add Tuscan panzanella salad to your list of must-have summer recipes. It’s a bread salad! Do I have your attention? Everyone loves bread, right? How about chunks of crusty bread, soaked with the the juices of red tomatoes and a tasty vinaigrette, with lots of green basil and red onion. Simple, and simply delicious!
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.
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.
Prep the bread ahead. I’ve been making homemade croutons using slightly stale bread for ages. Once you try them, you won’t ever go back to store bought croutons. The process is the same for panzanella. The bread can be toasted ahead of time or right before you make the salad. 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. The ingredients are simple: white wine vinegar, good olive oil, a bit of garlic, Dijon mustard, salt and pepper.
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 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. That’s all you need for a delightful summer dinner!
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
- Bread options: Some recipes skip toasting the bread. Others like soaking 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.
- Make it for two: You can easily cut the recipe back to two servings. If it’s easier, make a whole batch of the dressing and refrigerate what you don’t use. It’s great on lots of different salads.
- 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.
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. Make the vinaigrette a day ahead and store in the refrigerator. Allow to come to room temp 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
- 6 cups cubed bread (we recommend sourdough or French)
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 large tomatoes, cut into 1-inch cubes (about 1 pound)
- ½ large red onion, sliced thinly (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 leaves
- 2 tablespoons capers, drained
For the 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
Instructions
- Make croutons. Heat oven to 375ºF. Combine the bread cubes with 3 tablespoons olive oil on a large rimmed baking sheet. Bake until golden brown and crispy, about 20 minutes. If you’re using super fresh bread, the croutons will take a little longer to become golden brown. If the bread is stale and dry, the croutons may brown faster, so keep an eye on them. The size of your bread cubes will make a difference in how long it may take for them to crisp up. If you prefer, make air fryer croutons.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; 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, sliced thinly, 1 cucumber, quartered and sliced into ½ -inch chunks, ½ cup torn basil leaves, ¼ cup roughly chopped flat leaf parsley leaves, 2 tablespoons capers, drained
- Serve immediately or let the salad sit for 30 minutes to an hour to let the flavors develop.
Notes
- Soak onions in ice water before adding them to the salad. It’s optional, but it takes the strength of them down a notch and prevents them from being overwhelming.
- If using an English cucumber, there’s no need to peel or remove seeds. If using a regular waxed 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!