Our Easy Panzanella Salad Recipe makes a colorful and wonderful side dish or a main dish that’s a little on the lighter side. Panzanella, or “Tuscan Bread Salad,” as some people call it, is an Italian salad made from dried or stale bread. The bread is cut into 1-inch cubes or made into croutons. It also features fresh tomatoes and sliced onions tossed in an olive oil vinaigrette dressing.
Alternately, if you don’t have stale bread, Panzanella can feature toasted bread, like in our version. Instead of relying on stale bread, we used a loaf of fresh ciabatta bread and dried it in the oven to make the croutons.
When people think of a traditional Italian salad, a Caprese salad usually comes to mind. However, Panzanella differs from a Caprese salad by swapping out the mozzarella cheese for parmesan and uses leftover bread, that would otherwise go to waste.
If you are looking for the perfect complementary dish, try our Authentic Pasta Fagioli Recipe.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Easy Prep and Clean Up! Yep, it’s true. This recipe uses only one bowl to mix the salad ingredients with the dressing and one sheet pan to toast the bread.
Day-Old Bread! We are always looking for a way to use a loaf of bread we didn’t get around to using. Making a Panzanella salad is a great way to use bread that has been sitting on the counter for a day or two and has naturally dried out.
I love the flavor and seasoning added by oven-toasting the cubes in the olive oil and then adding the butter and Parmesan cheese. However, if you have really stale bread, you can skip the toasting step to make this recipe even quicker.
Fresh Ingredients! This tomato salad is fantastic using the summer’s bumper crop of ripe, juicy summer tomatoes. If you don’t have a green thumb or a garden plot of your own, try your luck at a local farmer’s market or roadside stand. The fresh veggies and herbs are what make this a great side dish.
Equipment Needed
- Large mixing bowl
- Rimmed baking sheet
Ingredient List
- Ripe tomatoes – heirloom tomatoes are our favorites to use for this recipe
- Kosher salt, black pepper
- Garlic
- Red onion
- Red wine vinegar
- Fresh basil
- Fresh parsley
- Dried Bread – Artisan or rustic sourdough or Italian ciabatta bread
- Butter
- Parmesan cheese
*Please scroll down to the recipe card for specific ingredient amounts
Instructions
Step 1. Preheat the oven to 350℉.
Step 2. Cut tomatoes into bite-sized pieces, and place them in a large bowl.
Step 3. Add salt, pepper, garlic, onion slices, vinegar, 4 Tablespoons of olive oil, basil, and parsley. Toss them together and set aside to marinate.
Step 4. On a large, rimmed sheet tray, place bread cubes, and add the additional 2 Tablespoons of olive oil. Then toss with your hands until well coated.
Step 5. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven. Add butter to the pan, and toss with the bread cubes. Sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese. Set aside to cool for a few minutes.
Step 6. Stir tomato mixture to blend ingredients. Then add bread cubes to the bowl with the marinated tomatoes and toss until well coated. Top with shaved Parmesan, if desired.
Pro Tip
Salting the tomatoes and allowing the mixture to marinate first releases the yummiest tomato juices that help create a salad dressing and flavor the crusty bread.
Storage and Freezing
This salad is best eaten the same day it is made. However, if there are any leftovers, refrigerate them in a covered container for the next day.
NOTES/FAQs
- The bread you use is essential in this recipe and will not work with bread that’s too soft, like a Vienna loaf. Stale bread is always a good option. But if you only have fresh bread, toasting it ensures that it is crispy enough to stand up to the dressing.
- Red wine vinegar is the best choice for this salad, but you can use other vinegar.
- You can skip the step of adding butter and parmesan to the croutons after toasting if you wish, but it is good!
Substitutions
Fresh Bread – It’s perfectly fine to use fresh bread instead of stale. The reason we toast the croutons in the oven ensures that the bread is dried sufficiently.
Cherry or Grape Tomatoes – The salad is fabulous when using any tomato.
Easy Panzanella Salad Recipe
Equipment
- Large Mixing Bowl
- Rimmed baking sheet
Ingredients
- 1 pound of ripe mixed tomatoes (different colors and heirloom types are good)
- 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 small red onion sliced
- 2 Tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 6 Tablespoons olive oil divided
- ¼ cup fresh basil torn into pieces
- ¼ cup fresh flat-leaf parsley chopped
- 4 cups Artisan or rustic bread such as ciabatta or sourdough, cut into large 1-inch cubes,
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- Shaved Parmesan for garnish optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350℉.
- Cut tomatoes into bite-sized pieces, and place them in a large bowl.
- Add salt, pepper, garlic, onion slices, vinegar, 4 Tablespoons of olive oil, basil, and parsley. Toss them together and set aside to marinate.
- On a large, rimmed sheet tray, place bread cubes, add the additional 2 Tablespoons of olive oil, then toss with your hands until well coated
- Bake for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven, add butter to the pan, and toss with the bread cubes. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Set aside to cool for a few minutes.
- Stir tomato mixture to blend ingredients. Then add bread cubes to the bowl with the marinated tomatoes and toss until well coated. Top with shaved Parmesan, if desired.
Notes
This salad is best eaten the same day it is made. However, if there are any leftovers, refrigerate them in a covered container for the next day. NOTES/FAQs The bread you use is important in this recipe and will not work with bread that’s too soft, like a Vienna loaf. Stale bread is always a good option. But if you only have fresh bread, toasting it ensures that it is crispy enough to stand up to the dressing.
mamzie26
September 23, 2022 at 4:33 pmBeautiful fall day here in Middle Tennessee…just right for grilling a juicy steak and serving this delightful salad on the side. And toasting your own croutons will make it extra special!