Have an abundance of summer produce in your garden, or on your counter from your latest farmer's market haul? Sick of plain old lettuce salads? Cue the Panzanella! This is a bright, effortless, refreshing way to use up extra veg or bread that's about to go stale and put a little something heartier on the table than a typical greens salad, as either a main or a side. Rebecca and Chad recently dined at Selden Standard in Detroit, and they both absolutely loved the Panzanella on the menu. The addition of sliced peaches was such a surprise, as was the dill! Rebecca immediately did her best to recreate it for a dinner party later that week, although she went with traditional basil over dill, and now she is completely obsessed with all things Panzanella.
| Servings: 8-10 |
Prep: 20 minutes
|
Cook: 15 minutes |
Ingredients
For the salad
- 2 pounds mixed tomatoes of good quality (i.e. heirloom, cherry, sungold), cut into 1-inch cubes
- 1 bell pepper, cut into 1 inch chunks
- 1 English cucumber, unpeeled, seeded, sliced into half-moons or quarters
- 1/2 medium red onion, thinly sliced
- 1 peach, halved and thinly sliced
- 1 cup fresh basil leaves, roughly chopped or torn
- 1 pound crusty bread loaf, cut into 1/2-inch cubes or roughly torn
- 2-3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil and 1 teaspoon salt, for the bread croutons
For the vinaigrette
- 1 garlic clove, finely minced
- 1 teaspoon Dijon or grainy mustard
- 3 Tablespoons Sherry or Champagne Vinegar
- 1/2 Cup good-quality extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon Morton Kosher or 1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal Kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375F. Toss your bread pieces with 2-3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil in a bowl or directly on a half-sheet tray; season with salt and lay out on sheet tray in a single layer. Place in oven for 7-8 minutes, then turn and toast on other side for another 7-8 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly.
- Mix your vinaigrette by vigorously whisking all the ingredients together
- In a large bowl, mix all the salad ingredients together, including your bread croutons. Pour dressing over the salad and toss. Allow salad to rest for at least 30 minutes, and up to 4 hours, before serving.
Rebecca's Notes
- Rebecca's preference is to eat this at room temp, which makes for easy entertaining, but cold leftovers are also great
- You could finish the salad by adding fresh sliced mozzarella or torn burrata over the top just before serving
- The salad holds up well, but after around 4 hours the bread will become very softened - it's a matter of preference whether you like that or not! If serving guests, wait to toss everything together until you're within that 30 minute to 4 hour window
- This is another salad winner where variations are endless! Use what is in your garden, sub or add herbs like parsley or dill. Just make sure there are bread, cukes, tomatoes, and a vin and you have a version of panzanella!
- Vinaigrette recipe courtesy of Ina Garten's Panzanella Vinaigrette recipe