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    Home » Recipes » Salad

    Updated: Feb 7, 2023 by Eva · This post may contain affiliate links · Leave a Comment

    Panzanella Salad

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    panzanella_Salad_Recipe

    Panzanella Salad

    Mix up your salad repertoire with this authentic Tuscan-style Panzanella Salad! The robust flavors of fresh tomato, red onion, garlic, and basil make a bright and vibrant salad that will become a summer staple.

    A Panzanella Salad originated in Tuscany where tomatoes and bread are plentiful.  By combining juicy ripe tomatoes with toasted bread, the homemade croutons become soft, but not mushy from the tomato juices and the vinaigrette.

    The key to this salad is salting the tomatoes to draw out the liquid and incorporate the tomato juice into the dressing.

    My favorite part of a tomato salad is scooping up all the luscious juices left over in the bowl with nice hearty bread.

    Panzanella Ingredients

    Here’s what you’ll need to make this Panzanella recipe:

    Crusty bread

    You’ll only need one-half of a loaf, so this really is the perfect use for stale leftover bread. Use ciabatta, sourdough or French bread. You can also use whole grain if you’d like.

    Tomatoes

    You can’t make a great Panzanella without great tomatoes. I highly recommend using a combination of red vine tomatoes, grape tomatoes and cherry tomatoes to make Panzanella.

    Large tomatoes can be so soft and juicy that they completely break down when sprinkled with salt. We want our salad to be a little juicy, but also substantial, so smaller tomatoes are key.

    Fresh basil

    Basil makes this salad so fresh and green! Don’t skip it.

    Red onion

    Red onion is standard and offers some crisp, pungent heat. You could also use a shallot if you prefer.

    Olive oil, Dijon mustard & red wine vinegar

    We’ll toss the bread in olive oil before baking so it gets extra crisp and golden. Then, we’ll stir together some additional olive oil with the tomato juices, vinegar and Dijon mustard to make a vinaigrette.

    Garlic, salt, pepper

    Complete the salad with proper garlicky flavor and seasonings.

    Ingredients in Panzanella Salad

    • 2 ½ pounds mixed ripe tomatoes, cut into bite-size pieces
    • 2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more for seasoning (use half as much if using table salt)
    • ½ loaf rustic sourdough bread, cut into 1 ½–inch cubes (about 4 cups bread cubes)
    • ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided
    • ½ small red onion, thinly sliced
    • 2 medium cloves garlic, minced
    • ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
    • 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar or red wine vinegar
    • Freshly ground black pepper
    • ½ cup packed basil leaves, roughly chopped

    panzanella_Salad_ingredients

    How to make a Panzanella Salad

    Place chopped tomatoes in a colander set over your servings bowl and season with 2 teaspoons of kosher salt. Toss to coat.

    Set the tomatoes aside at room temperature to drain, tossing occasionally, while you toast the bread. Drain for a minimum of 15 minutes.

    Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350°F and adjust the rack to the center position.

    On a baking sheet, toss bread cubes with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Bake for about 15 minutes, until crisp and firm but not browned. Remove from oven and let cool.

    Remove the colander with tomatoes from the bowl with tomato juice.

    Place colander with tomatoes on a plate.

    Add garlic, mustard, vinegar, salt, and pepper to the bowl with the tomato juice. Whisking constantly, drizzle in the remaining ¼ cup olive oil.

    Add the toasted bread, tomatoes, and red onions. Add basil leaves. Toss everything to coat and season with salt and pepper.

    Let rest 30 minutes before serving, tossing occasionally until the dressing is absorbed by the bread.

    panzanella_Salad

    What to Serve with a Panzanella Salad?

    This basic salad makes a perfect side for grilled chicken, steak, or salmon.  It's also great as a lunch with tomato toast, tuna melt or avocado toast.

    Grilled Mediterranean Salmon

    Greek Chicken Gyros Recipe With Tzatziki Sauce

    Grilled Steak Gyros With Lemon Herb Greek Yogurt Sauce

    Classic Panzanella Salad

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    Course: Salad
    Cuisine: Italian
    Keyword: authentic panzanella salad
    Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 15 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 25 minutes minutes
    Author: Eva

    Ingredients

    • 2 ½ pounds mixed ripe tomatoes cut into bite-size pieces
    • 2 teaspoons kosher salt plus more for seasoning (use half as much if using table salt)
    • ½ loaf Signature SELECT rustic sourdough bread cut into 1 ½–inch cubes (about 4 cups bread cubes)
    • ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil divided
    • ½ small red onion thinly sliced
    • 2 medium cloves garlic minced
    • ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
    • 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar or red wine vinegar
    • Freshly ground black pepper
    • ½ cup packed basil leaves roughly chopped

    Instructions

    • Place chopped tomatoes in a colander set over your servings bowl and season with 2 teaspoons of kosher salt. Toss to coat.
    • Set the tomatoes aside at room temperature to drain, tossing occasionally, while you toast the bread. Drain for a minimum of 15 minutes.
    • Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350°F and adjust the rack to the center position.
    • On a baking sheet, toss bread cubes with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Bake for about 15 minutes, until crisp and firm but not browned. Remove from oven and let cool.
    • Remove colander with tomatoes from the bowl with tomato juice.
    • Place colander with tomatoes on a plate.
    • Add garlic, mustard, vinegar, salt, and pepper to the bowl with the tomato juice. Whisking constantly, drizzle in the remaining ¼ cup olive oil.
    • Add the toasted bread, tomatoes, and red onions. Add basil leaves. Toss everything to coat and season with salt and pepper.
    • Let rest 30 minutes before serving, tossing occasionally until the dressing is absorbed by the bread.

    panzanella_Salad_CLoseup

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    Meet Eva

    Yiasou! Welcome to Mediterranean Savor, a food and lifestyle blog brought to you by Eva Vasilas-Fry, a first-generation Greek-American food journalist and recipe creator.

    My inspiration for this site is to document and share authentic family recipes that my parents and extended Greek family have brought over with them to create a legacy for my own family. Secondarily, my goal is to create and share modern Mediterranean recipes that support a healthy lifestyle and the Mediterranean diet.

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    About Mediterranean Savor Eva Fry

    Hi, I'm Eva! As a daughter of Greek immigrants, I grew up eating authentic Mediterranean foods and now create my own that I would like to share with you.

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