Panzanella Salad is simple and fresh with vine ripened tomatoes, olives, cucumber, peppers, basil, rustic bread and red wine vinaigrette.
This salad will make you feel like you’re sitting on a patio in Italy. To get the full effect, make sure to use fresh ingredients and enjoy outside on a sunny evening with a martini or a glass of wine.
I like to pair this salad with a grilled thin cut ribeye steak. The combination of grilled steak with fresh tomatoes, basil, cucumbers and olives dressed in olive oil and red wine vinegar is fabulous already. Add rustic bread cubes that are still crusty around the edges but soft and infused with vinaigrette and you have the perfect meal.
Ingredients in Panzanella Salad
- Bread – Rustic day old artesian style bread
- Tomatoes – A variety of vine-ripened cherry or grape tomatoes.
- Olives – Castelvetrano olives or kalamata olives are the best.
- Peppers – Piquillo peppers are my favorite, but roasted red peppers will do.
- Cucumber – English cucumber has less seeds and works well in this salad.
- Shallot – One large shallot.
- Vinegar – Red wine vinegar, preferably Star brand with garlic.
- Olive Oil – Smoked olive oil such as Castillo de Canena adds another layer of flavor.
- Garlic – Fresh grated garlic clove.
- Agave – To sweeten the vinaigrette.
Related Recipes
Try these other Italian inspired salads. Stone Fruit Salad layers fresh, seasonal nectarine, cherry, cucumber, tomato, greens and pine nuts over ricotta with agave lime vinaigrette. It’s one of my favorite summer salads. Orecchiette with Broccoli Rabe is an easy and flavorful dish accented with fresh basil, pine nuts and pecorino romano. Serve as a main dish or along side a protein.
Panzanella Salad
Ingredients
- 1 lb. rustic day old bread cubed
- 1 tbsp. olive oil
- 1/2 English cucumber sliced in quarter pieces
- 1/2 cup Castelvetrano olives pitted
- 1/2 cup Piquillo peppers sliced in strips
- 2 cups mixed cherry and grape tomatoes halved
- 1 large shallot thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup fresh basil torn
Vinaigrette
- 1/2 cup red wine vinegar
- 1/2 cup smoked olive oil
- 2 tbsp. agave nectar
- 1 large garlic clove grated
- salt and pepper
Instructions
Vinaigrette
- Place oil, vinegar, agave, salt and pepper in a small jar. Cover and shake until combined. Mason jars work perfect for this.
Panzanella Salad
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cut day old rustic bread into bite sized cubes. Place on a sheet pan. Drizzle with olive oil. Bake for about 15 minutes until toasted.
- Place cucumber, olives, peppers, tomatoes and shallot in a large bowl. Toss with about 1/2 of the vinaigrette. Fold in toasted bread cubes. Slowly add remaining vinaigrette as needed being careful not to over dress the salad. The vinaigrette will soak into the bread over time. Fold in fresh basil leaves. Let site 30 minutes.Serve with freshly grated parmesan if desired.
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