Go Back
Print

Panzanella Salad

A wonderfully fresh and crunchy salad full of flavors and textures. Serve this outdoors with a simple grilled fish and you have a great, light summer dinner. 

Course Salad
Cuisine Italian
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes

Ingredients

For the vinaigrette:

  • ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
  • ½ tablespoon minced garlic
  • ½ tsp sea salt
  • ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper

For the croutons:

  • 3 tablespoons finely minced garlic
  • 1/3 cup olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • 4 cups whole grain bread cubed into 1” cubes

For the Panzanella Salad:

  • 4 to matoes cut into medium dice
  • 1 English cucumber cut into medium dice
  • 1/3 cup thinly sliced red onion soaked in ice water with ice cubes for 15 minutes
  • 2 Tbsp chopped fresh basil
  • salt and black pepper
  • 8 ounces fresh mozzarella “pearls” or cubed or feta

Instructions

For the dressing:

  1. In a small bowl, combine all ingredients for dressing and set aside.

For the croutons:

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
  2. In a very large salad bowl, mix the garlic, oil and salt. Toss in the bread cubes mix them until they are evenly coated.
  3. Spread the bread on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes, then stir the bread around. Bake for another 15 minutes or until bread is brown and crisp.

For the Panzanella Salad:

  1. In a large bowl, combine tomatoes, cucumber, onion, and basil. Add croutons and toss with the dressing. If using the mozzarella or feta, toss it in at the end. Set aside for 15 minutes to allow the flavors to blend. Season with salt and black pepper to taste.