Tomato Panzanella salad is made with crusty bread, juicy ripe tomatoes, fresh basil, and a tangy vinaigrette. This Italian classic bread and tomato salad is fresh and summery, and a perfect way to use up all those in season tomatoes!
Tomato Panzanella Salad
If you’re searching for ways to take advantage of the season’s good quality tomatoes and basil, you’ve got to give this tomato Panzanella salad a try. It’s a mouthwatering salad that highlights the flavor of summer tomatoes and can be paired with any grilled meat or fish (or as a light lunch on its own). This will become your go to salad to serve to your family and friends!
Utilizing Every Last Crumb
Bread has been a staple in Mediterranean cuisine for centuries. Although they didn’t have modern preservatives, people found ways to preserve bread such as drying it out. Their philosophy was waste as little food as possible and to use every last crumb.
This approach led to an innovative way to use stale bread and transform it into an entirely new delicious dish such as bread pudding, pappa al pomodoro, ribollita soup, or this Panzanella salad.
What is Panzanella Salad?
Panzanella is a Tuscan salad that is popular throughout Italy. The tradition dates back to the 1500s when farmers and peasants would soak day old bread in water, squeeze the water out to dry and then mix it with vegetables from their gardens.
Today you will find many variations of this salad, but the one constant should always be good bread and fresh quality ingredients.
What Are The Ingredients to Make This Salad?
- Bread
- Tomatoes
- Olive oil
- Basil
- Red onion
- Mozzarella (optional)
- Red wine vinegar
- Dijon mustard
- Garlic
- Black pepper, salt
Which Kind of Bread is Best
The best bread for this recipe is a hearty loaf with a good crunchy crust and chewy center. Options include ciabatta, a rustic Italian bread, or sourdough bread. You want a bread that will crisp up nicely and not get too soggy or fall apart when sitting in the dressing.
You can use stale bread or fresh, but I highly recommend toasting the bread in the oven to get the bread even more crisp. I prefer the bread slightly crispy, so I serve the salad after it has sat in the dressing for only 20-30 minutes. The longer the bread sits in the dressing, the softer it will get. I don’t let it sit for hours like a lot of recipes because I like when the bread absorbs all the flavor but still retains some crunch. That being said, this salad is still delicious leftover the next day, even when the bread softens.
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Tips and Variations
You can enjoy this tomato Panzanella salad by just combining the bread, tomatoes, basil, and vinaigrette. However, I think the onion and mozzarella really take the flavor up a notch. You can be as creative as you want and add any fresh ingredient or pantry item like cucumbers, olives, capers, chickpeas, roasted red peppers, and more.
Looking for more great summer recipes, here are some of my favorites!
- Peach Caprese Salad
- Pesto Pasta Salad
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Nice Cream
- Black Bean Corn Salad
- Peaches & Cream Popsicles
- Summer Nectarine Salad
- Roasted Tomato Salsa
Tomato Panzanella Salad
Ingredients
- 7-8 full cups rustic Italian bread, ciabatta, or sourdough , cut into ½- inch cubes
- 2 Tablespoons light olive oil
- Kosher salt to taste
- 4 heaping cups cherry tomatoes halved
Dressing
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup red wine vinegar
- 1 garlic clove grated
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- Ground black pepper to taste
- ¼ medium red onion thinly sliced then cut in half
- ½ cup fresh basil thinly sliced
- ½ cup fresh mozzarella balls optional (more to your liking)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a large bowl, toss bread cubes with 2 Tablespoons olive oil. Transfer the bread to the prepared baking sheet, spreading into an even layer. Bake in the oven for 12-15 minutes, until crisp but not too browned (keep an eye on it because every oven is different). Remove from the oven and let cool.
- While the bread is cooking place a large colander over a bowl. Place the sliced tomatoes in the colander and sprinkle with kosher salt. Stir gently with a spoon and set aside to allow the tomatoes to release some of their juices into the bowl.
- Prepare the dressing: In a small bowl add the ingredients for the dressing (olive oil-> black pepper). Whisk well to combine. Next add the red onion to the dressing bowl to decrease the pungent raw onion taste.
- After 10-15 minutes of the tomatoes resting in the colander, add whatever tomato juices dripped into the bowl into the dressing and stir well.
- Assemble the salad. In a large mixing bowl, add the toasted bread, tomatoes, basil, mozzarella (if using), and dressing. Stir well to combine.
- Allow the salad to sit 20-30 minutes before serving. Taste and add more salt/pepper to your liking. Enjoy!
Nutrition Facts
If you don’t use cherry tomatoes just cut the tomatoes to bite size pieces, similar to size of bread If you think it needs more of any ingredient, prepare it to your liking. Also, omit or add any additional ingredients you like. For example, cucumbers, roasted red peppers, chickpeas, capers, olives, etc… I prefer the bread slightly crispy, so I serve the salad after it has sat in the dressing for 20-30 minutes. The longer the bread sits in the dressing, the softer it will get. I don’t let it sit for hours like a lot of recipes because I like when the bread absorbs all the flavor but still retains some crunch. That being said, this salad is still delicious leftover the next day.
What’s your favorite recipe to use up the abundance of summer tomatoes? Share in the comments below. I love to try out your recommendations, and maybe other readers will love your ideas, too! Also, be sure to stay in touch and follow me on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest
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