Panzanella Salad

Bright in flavor and full of delicious texture, my panzanella salad is a mouthwatering pick to make use of the fresh tomatoes of the season. Filled with cubes of toasted ciabatta bread, ripe and juicy tomatoes, mozzarella, basil, onions and olives, this panzanella salad recipe is a tasty twist on the traditional Tuscan version!

Panzanella, a Delicious Bread Salad

When I think of a basic panzanella with its cubes of rustic bread, tomatoes, onions, and tangy-salty vinaigrette, it makes my mouth water.

These flavors and textures together are such a unique and delicious treat, and are a great way to make use of the bounty of tomatoes this time of year, not to mention putting to good use any two to three day old stale bread you may have lurking in your bread box.

Panzanella is a Tuscan salad, and typically it includes little else than tomatoes (along with their juices), onions and cubed, stale bread that has been soaked in water and then squeezed out.

And all of this is traditionally dressed simply with olive oil and some salt and pepper, making for a scrumptious “bread salad” that has lots of flavor and body—it's wonderfully filling and flavorful!

But when I recently got a craving for this refreshing, hearty and tasty Tuscan staple, and decided to whip up a big, beautiful bowl of it to have on hand, I decided to make my own slightly updated version that uses toasted cubes of rustic bread instead, plus a few more ingredients to tweak things slightly from the traditional version.

My Recipe for Panzanella Salad

While a more traditional version of panzanella calls for stale bread to be soaked in water, squeezed out and then torn up before being added to a mixture of tomatoes, onions, salt, pepper, and olive oil, I like to jazz mine up just a bit...

For my version of panzanella, I like to use ciabatta (or another rustic Italian bread), and cube it to about 1 inch pieces before I toss it with some olive oil, salt and pepper, and give it a quick toast in the oven just until it is golden.

Then, I allow the cubes to cool before adding them to a combination of ripe, juicy tomatoes, red onion, capers, roasted red peppers and briny olives that I've tossed in a simple vinaigrette that's nice and sharp.

And for added flavor, I tear up some fresh basil leaves to top this panzanella recipe along with some delicious, creamy pearl mozzarella—so scrumptious!

That allows the bread to retain some crisp-crunchy texture when combined with those juicy ingredients and the vinaigrette.

Here's a glance at my panzanella salad recipe: (or just jump to the full recipe...)

1. To get started, I toast my cubed bread.
2. Then, while the cubes cool, I chop up my tomatoes and add them to a large bowl, tossing them with a couple of pinches of salt (helps to release their juices).
3. Next, I add some thinly sliced red onions to the tomatoes, along with some roasted red peppers, capers and olives.
4. Then, I shake up a small batch of a quick red wine vinaigrette, and pour that over my tomato mixture.
5. When I'm ready to assemble the panzanella, I add my cooled, toasted bread cubes to my tomato/vinaigrette mixture, toss everything together gently just to combine, then turn it out onto a platter.
6. I then allow the panzanella to rest in the fridge for at least a half hour to an hour (up to four hours) to allow the flavors to penetrate the bread.
7. Before serving, I top the panzanella salad with torn basil leaves and pieces of fresh mozzarella, and serve with a little extra olive oil on the side.

Recipe

Panzanella Salad

by Ingrid Beer

Print Recipe

This panzanella salad has lots of flavor from the sweet, ripe tomatoes, basil, mozzarella, olives, roasted red peppers and zippy vinaigrette!

Category: Salad
Cuisine: Italian-American

Yield: Serves 6

Nutrition Info: 338 calories (per serving)

Prep Time: 45 minutes (includes chill/rest time in fridge)
Cook time: 12 minutes (for toasting bread)
Total time: 57 minutes

Panzanella Ingredients:

• 6 cups cubed ciabatta bread, or other rustic bread (1 inch cubes)
• ¼ cup olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
• Salt
• Black pepper
• 2 pounds ripe tomatoes cut into bite-size wedges or pieces (I like Campari tomatoes)
• ½ cup thinly sliced red onion
• ¼ cup sliced roasted red pepper (from a jar)
• ¼ cup pitted Kalamata olives, sliced
• 1 tablespoon drained capers
• ½ cup torn basil leaves
• ½ cup fresh pearl mozzarella (or torn up pieces of a larger boule of fresh mozzarella)

Vinaigrette Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 3 cloves garlic, pressed through garlic press
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper
• ¼ cup olive oil

Preparation:

1. Begin by gathering and prepping all of your panzanella salad ingredients according to the ingredient list above to have ready and organized for use.
2. Preheat the oven to 400°, and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
3. Evenly drizzle the bread cubes with the ¼ cup olive oil, and add in a good pinch of salt and pepper, and toss to combine. Turn out onto the baking sheet and toast for about 12 to15 minutes, stirring a couple of times, until golden and crisp. Remove and allow to cool.
4. While the bread cubes are cooling, gather and prep your vinaigrette ingredients according to the ingredient list above to have ready and organized for use.
5. To prepare the vinaigrette, add the ingredients into a mason jar and shaking vigorously. Set aside.
6. Once the cubed bread is cooled, add your tomatoes, your onion, sliced roasted red pepper, olives and capers to a large bowl, and add a pinch or two of salt. Then, drizzle in the vinaigrette and toss gently to combine.
7. Add in the cooled toasted bread and gently fold that in to incorporate it into the tomato/vinaigrette mixture, then turn out onto a platter to rest/chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.
8. When ready to serve, top with torn basil leaves and the pearl mozzarella, and serve with some extra olive oil to drizzle over top.

Tips & Tidbits for my Panzanella Salad recipe:

• Rustic bread is best for this panzanella salad: Use a good ciabatta loaf, a crusty, chewy baguette, or a rustic Italian-style loaf for this recipe, as it keeps its shape in this salad better than something too soft or spongy.
• Toast the bread cube for added texture: While you can certainly use good, stale bread for this recipe (one that has some chew to it), and cube that up to go a more traditional route... I like to cut my bread into cubes, drizzle with a bit of good olive oil and salt, and then toast the cubes in the oven for about 12-15 minutes until golden—it's noticeably crisper and more flavorful, in my opinion.
• Choose ripe, juicy tomatoes: Got some tomatoes that are starting to get soft? Those are perfect for this panzanella recipe! Nice and ripe tomatoes release the most juice (an important aspect to this recipe), so cut them up into chunks and toss 'em in. What you want to avoid is super firm tomatoes that are not quite as juicy and ripe yet.
• Other add-ins for a flavorful panzanella: If you'd like to add in even more tasty ingredients, some other good options are red and/or yellow bell peppers, cucumbers, anchovies, marinated artichokes, and different cheeses.
• Give the panzanella salad time: While it's tempting to tuck in right away, a panzanella salad is best when allowed to rest for about thirty minutes to an hour, covered in the fridge, to allow the juices and flavors to really mingle together and soak into that cubed bread—it isn't totally mandatory, but it sure does taste best that way.

Caving more zippy and zesty salad recipes? Check out my recipe for Mexican Wedge Salad, Italian Chickpea Salad, Ahi Tuna Salad, Crispy Chicken Salad with Raspberry Vinaigrette, or my recipe for Italian Chopped Salad!

Cook's Note: This recipe was originally published in 2018, and has been updated with even more love!