Panzanella Salad is a classic Tuscan Salad made with fresh Cherry Tomatoes and Bread. Stale Bread which are crisped up in the oven and served in this salad along with Mozzarella Cheese, juicy Summer Tomatoes, Red Onions, Fresh Basil leaves and a quick dressing dressing made with only 3-ingredients; Olive Oil, crushed Garlic and Red Wine Vinegar.
Its such a super simple and easy salad recipe, a great Summer BBQ Side! And a great way to enjoy fresh, ripe and juicy tomatoes in your meal.
Panzanella with Tomatoes, Mozzarella & Herbs
Panzanella Salad is essentially a Mediterranean salad recipe which is made using Bread and Tomatoes.
However, typically this is indeed a bread and vegetable salad but in the initial days people used to make it with Bread, Tomatoes, and Mozzarella.
I love to stick to the classics because, of course, Bread and Tomato is a match made in heaven just like your classic Bruschetta
Besides Tomatoes and bread, there is Mozzarella Cheese, Fresh Basil and some Red Onions for the crush.
Dried Herbs like Italian Seasoning, Dried Thyme, Rosemary & Basil also makes for a great addition to the Panzanella Salad dressing which is essentially so simple made with just 3-ingredients: Extra Virgin Olive Oil, crushed Garlic and Red Wine Vinegar.
Also its one of those classics which is perfect for a Summer Lunch or Dinner best served beside BBQ Summer Recipes.
A typical Mediterranean Salad
Bread is a very common ingredient in all Mediterranean recipes. Be it for salads or Pita Bread or Meatballs or served with Gazpacho or even dessert puddings. And like every other Mediterranean salad this one too traces its origin back to Tuscany.
The Origin of Panzanella Salad
As many people point out often times that this dish was born out of necessity. Peasants used stale bread along with fresh garden veggies to make this simple yet refreshing salad.
A simple day old saltless bread which is used in the form of a salad.
Now, you must be wondering why saltless bread? Well its because of the rivalry between Florence and Pisa in which Pisa had blocjed the supply of Salt.
As a result the bakers of Florence baked saltless bread. Also the prices or Salt infrared so people didn't use it as often. And today saltless bread has become a major part of Tuscan cooking and goes great with salty Salami or Ham.
Traditionally, its a simple day old bread which is soaked in water for about 15 min, then its cut up and tossed with fresh seasonal veggies.
Did you know that Tomatoes were only supplied to Florence after the 16th century so it was a later addition.
Tomatoes, Mozzarella Balls. and tossed with Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Red Wine Vinegar was later a popularized version of the traditional Panzanella which was just bread and veggies bowl.
Dry and Toast Bread before use
I like to use crusty Ciabatta bread for this recipe of Panzanella Salad. Traditionally Italian Country Side Bread is used to make authentic Panzanella Salad which is coarse and chewy.
Remember to refrigerate the bread overnight before use. Refrigerating bread for a night gets rid of its moisture and it becomes perfect to use be used as croutons.
Next, toss the bread with some really good extra virgin olive oil and salt. Toast it in the oven for 5-10 min or until the breads get crispy.
Wondering why this extra step?
Well, drying an toasting your Bread before tossing it with veggies to make Panzanella Salad will allow your bread to soak in all the delicious juices and flavors of the dressing!
So it will be even more delicious!!
Salt the Tomatoes
I love to use juicy and fresh Cherry or Grape Tomatoes for this recipe. I slice them in half and then toss them with the crispy bread cubes.
Also these are cheap, easily available in abundance during summers and are so easy to use.
A pro tip would be to Salt the Tomatoes. Simply slice and salt your tomatoes for just 5-10 min.
This draws out the excess water from tomatoes and also gets them extra good and tasty.
And wait! the best part is the juices that drip from the salted tomatoes. Save it. It gets super flavorful when you add it to the vinaigrette.
The Vinaigrette
Just like an authentic Panzanella Recipe, I use only leftover tomato juices, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Red Wine Vinegar and Crushed Garlic for the dressing.
You might also use just a tablespoon of Dijon Mustard to the dressing. It intensifies the flavors ten times. You can also add some thyme to this.
Ingredients needed to make Panzanella
- Italian Country Bread - preferably a day old bread which has been refrigerated overnight.
- Cherry Tomatoes - you can use Roma Tomatoes or Heirloom Tomatoes as well.
- Red Onion - thinly sliced Red Onions are a great addition
- Mozzarella - I love the addition of Mozzarella Cheese to this Panzanella Salad.
- Vinaigrette - Red Wine Vinegar, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, leftover Tomato Juices, crushed Garlic, Salt, & Pepper.
See recipe card for quantities. Also watch the video for a quick visual.
How to make Classic Panzanella Salad
Dry and Toast the Bread
- Cut up the bread and spread it in a large baking dish
- Toss with Olive Oil and Salt
- Roast in the oven for 10 min at 400F or until they get crispy.
Salt the Tomatoes
- Slice the Tomatoes in half and place them in a colander with a teaspoon of Kosher Salt
- Gently toss and allow it to sit for 10 min
Make the Vinaigrette
- Combine Extra Virgin Olive Oil, crushed Garlic, Red Wine Vinegar, leftover tomato juices and salt in a mixing jar.
- Whisk until combined
Combine all the ingredients
- Combine the drained Tomatoes, Red Onions, Crispy Bread cubes, freshly chopped Basil leaves, and Mozzarella Cheese in a bowl
- Drizzle the Vinaigrette on top.
- Serve
HINT
Let the salad sit for 30 min prior to serving. Doing this simple thing, will allow the crusty bread to soak in all the tasty juices of the dressing making this salad extra delicious and yumm!
Variations to Traditional Panzanella
- Dijon Mustard - add just a teaspoon of Dijon mustard into making the dressing. It tastes so good
- Herbs of your choice - You can add dried Herbs like Dried Thyme, Rosemary and Basil to the dressing.
- Bell Peppers - Red and Orange Bell Peppers makes for a tasty addition to Traditional Panzanella recipe
- Roma Tomatoes - Use diced Roma Tomatoes or Colorful Heirloom Tomatoes if you can
- Skip Mozzarella - You can skip Mozzarella Cheese if you wish to make this low carb and healthy!
- Balsamic Vinegar - although this is not the exact replacement but in a pinch, Balsamic Vinegar works as a good replacement for Red Wine Vinegar.
Make Ahead
You can toast the bread ahead of time and store it in an airtight container int he refrigerator. And also, you can chop the Tomatoes and Onions and add the dressing over it and keep them in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
REMEMBER To keep the bread separate from the chopped up veggies so that they remain crusty.
Toss the bread with the Veggies, add the Mozzarella Cheese and serve!
What goes well with Panzanella Salad
This super delicious and juicy Panzanella Salad is best served during Summers with BBQ Dishes or Grilling recipes.
Here are some great sides to serve Panzanella with
FAQs
What is Panzanella made of?
Authentic Panzanella features juicy ripe Tomatoes, typically a day old Bread - generally Italian Country Bread, Mozzarella and Basil.
What does Panzanella mean in Italian?
Panzanella means an Italian Bread salad made using stale (day old) bread and veggies.
Why is it called Pazanella?
"Pane" means bread in Italian and "Zanella" means Soup Bowl. It typically is a soup bowl which keeps you refreshed and cool during the hot summers.
More Easy Salad Recipe
- Taco Salad
- Blueberry Spinach Salad
- Keto Broccoli Salad with apple cider vinegar
- Creamy Shrimp Salad
- Shrimp & Avocado Salad with Tomatoes (Keto)
- Cucumber Salad
- Watermelon, Cucumber & Feta Cheese Salad
- Cucumber Red Onion Avocado Salad
- Strawberry Chicken Salad
Panzanella Salad (Tuscan Summer Salad)
INGREDIENTS
- ½ loaf Italian Country Bread cut into 1 inch cubes
- 2 lb Cherry Tomatoes sliced
- 2 medium sized Red Onion or shallots , peeled and thinly sliced
- 4 oz Baby Mozzarella
- ½ cup Fresh Basil leaves roughly chopped
dressing
- 10 tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive oil
- Freshly Ground Black Pepper
- 2 teaspoon Kosher Salt plus more for salting the tomatoes
- 2 medium Garlic cloves crushed or minced
- 2 tablespoon Red Wine Vinegar
INSTRUCTIONS
- Place chopped Tomatoes in a colander set over a bowl. Salt the Tomatoes. Toss to combine. Set aside for 10-15 min. Drain and set aside. Donot discard the Tomato juices.
- Preheat the oven to 350F (180C). Cut the bread into cubes and toss with Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Salt. Transfer to the baking dish. Bake for 10-15 min or until the bread gets crispy.
- Remove the tomatoes from the colander. In the same bowl where you collected the Tomato juices, add the rest of the dressing ingredients and whisk until combined.
- In a salad bowl, add the crisped Bread along with Tomatoes, Mozzarella, Red Onions and Chopped Basil leaves. Pour the dressing over it. Toss to combine. Set aside covered for at least 30 min before you serve.
Video
Notes
- Dijon Mustard - add just a teaspoon of Dijon mustard into making the dressing. It tastes so good
- Herbs of your choice - You can add dried Herbs like Dried Thyme, Rosemary and Basil to the dressing.
- Bell Peppers - Red and Orange Bell Peppers makes for a tasty addition to Traditional Panzanella recipe
- Roma Tomatoes - Use diced Roma Tomatoes or Colorful Heirloom Tomatoes if you can
- Skip Mozzarella - You can skip Mozzarella Cheese if you wish to make this low carb and healthy!
- Balsamic Vinegar - although this is not the exact replacement but in a pinch, Balsamic Vinegar works as a good replacement for Red Wine Vinegar.
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