Tomato Panzanella Salad
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!
Servings: 8 servings
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
per serving (based on 8 servings; doesn’t include optional mozzarella)
297 Calories, 18 gram fat, 6 gram protein, 28 gram total carbohydrate, 2 grams of fiber, 5 grams sugar, 306 mg sodium
Notes
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.
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.