Panzanella Salad Recipe
This delicious Italian Panzanella Salad Recipe is loaded with bread, tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, and basil for the perfect side salad.
Ingredients
- ½ loaf Italian-style bread
- 7 tablespoons olive oil
- 6 Roma tomatoes
- ½ large cucumber
- ¼ peeled red onion
- 3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
- 20 fresh basil leaves
- coarse salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste
Instructions
- Start by slicing the bread about 1” thick.
- Next, cut the bread into 1” cubes.
- Pour ¼ cup of olive oil into a large, non-stick skillet over low to medium heat.
- Add the cubed bread and frequently toss it around for 4 to 6 minutes.
- The bread should be slightly toasted and crunchy on the outside but still soft in the middle. Set them aside.
- Prepare the tomatoes by slicing them into quarters.
- Slice the cucumbers into half-moons.
- Thinly slice the red onion.
- Add the bread to the plate and layer on with the sliced tomatoes, cucumbers, and onions.
- Season with salt and pepper, and drizzle on the vinegar and olive oil.
- Finish it with fresh basil leaves and serve.
Notes
Make-Ahead: This salad is meant to be eaten as soon as it is done being made. However, you can prepare everything, including cutting the bread and vegetables, without tossing anything in water, vinegar, or oil up to 2 days before serving.
How To Store: You can cover this and keep it in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. This will not freeze well.
If you do not have access to older stale bread, I recommend making croutons that are slightly underdone while being crunchy on the outside and a little soft on the inside, by baking fresh bread in the oven.
You can add greens to the salad, such as romaine, leaf lettuce, escarole, etc.
It would also be classic to add on some bell peppers.
If you are using stale bread, here are the procedures: Add the bread to a large bowl and slowly pour in 3 tablespoons of cold water while continuing to mix. Pour in the vinegar slowly while continuing to stir. The bread at this stage should not be waterlogged. If it’s days old and slightly stale, then it should still have some chew to it. Set it aside for a few minutes.
Nutrition
Calories: 559kcalCarbohydrates: 35gProtein: 6gFat: 45gSaturated Fat: 14gPolyunsaturated Fat: 6gMonounsaturated Fat: 23gTrans Fat: 0.2gSodium: 217mgPotassium: 415mgFiber: 4gSugar: 21gVitamin A: 907IUVitamin C: 15mgCalcium: 21mgIron: 2mg