Panzanella Recipe
This Panzanella Recipe is an Italian-inspired bread salad with golden seasoned bread, ripe tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, green olives and basil in a bright lemon and red wine vinaigrette. Rest it for 10 minutes so the bread absorbs the dressing, then finish with optional burrata or mozzarella.
Servings 4 -6 as a side salad
Calories 330kcal
Ingredients
For the bread
- 6 cups cubed bread (about 400g loaf)
- 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- ½ tsp pepper
For the dressing
- 4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice, (from about half a lemon)
- 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
For the salad
- 4 large heirloom or field tomatoes, cut into wedges and sprinkled with a bit of salt
- 8 cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 cucumber, halved lengthwise and chopped into half-moons
- ½ cup thinly sliced red onions
- 1 cup sliced pitted green olives
- 1 ball burrata cheese, optional (or 1 cup small mozzarella balls, drained of their liquid)
- ⅓ cup torn fresh basil leaves
Instructions
- For the bread: Preheat the oven to 400F. Cut bread into cubes and toss on a parchment paper lined sheet pan with 2 tbsp olive oil, ½ tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp salt and ½ tsp pepper. Bake for about 10-12 minutes or until golden. Remove from the oven and set aside.
- For the dressing: Add the olive oil, kosher salt, lemon juice and red wine vinegar in a large bowl and whisk together to combine. Add the heirloom tomato wedges, halved cherry tomatoes, chopped cucumber, thinly sliced red onions, sliced pitted olives and crispy bread and toss to combine. Let sit for 10 minutes in the bowl. Taste and adjust seasonings with salt and pepper if required.
- Scoop the salad onto a platter and tear the burrata over top. Garnish with the torn fresh basil leaves and serve.
Notes
- We love topping this salad with fresh burrata cheese, however, you can omit it if desired OR substitute with small balls of mozzarella cheese instead, about 1 cup.
- Serve with our The Best Chicken Souvlaki for a full meal
Nutrition
Calories: 330kcal | Carbohydrates: 32.6g | Protein: 11.8g | Fat: 18.2g | Saturated Fat: 2.7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2.6g | Monounsaturated Fat: 12.1g | Cholesterol: 3.4mg | Sodium: 1128.2mg | Fiber: 4.4g | Sugar: 7.7g
