I’ve fallen in love with panzanella salad – it’s not a traditional sort of salad, it’s an Italian salad made with bread and basil and tomatoes. Try it yourself! It’s great as a meal on it’s own, or paired with pasta.
Panzanella
Definition ::pan·za·nel·la Noun:A type of Tuscan salad made with anchovies**, chopped salad vegetables, and bread soaked in dressing. **No anchovies for me though!
Ingredients:
2 ½ cups Pugliese (or ciabatta) bread cut into 1 inch cubes
1 Tbs. Balsamic Vinegar
2 Tbs. Olive Oil
½ tsp. Kosher Salt
¼ tsp. Black Pepper
½ cup Cucumber, peeled, seeded and chopped
1 ½ cups grape or cherry Tomatoes, halved
½ cup Mozzarella (shredded, diced, however you’d like)
3 Tbs. fresh Basil chopped (I use my kitchen scissors to cut it into small pieces)
1 Tbs. Balsamic Vinegar
2 Tbs. Olive Oil
½ tsp. Kosher Salt
¼ tsp. Black Pepper
½ cup Cucumber, peeled, seeded and chopped
1 ½ cups grape or cherry Tomatoes, halved
½ cup Mozzarella (shredded, diced, however you’d like)
3 Tbs. fresh Basil chopped (I use my kitchen scissors to cut it into small pieces)
Directions:
Cut the bread into one inch cubes and then toast it at a low temp (250-300 degrees), stirring frequently until the bread is very crisp and toasty, but not brown. You have to keep a close eye on it. The time depends on how hard your bread already is. I used soft/fresh bread and it took about 20 minutes.
Mix balsamic vinegar, oil, S&P in a small bowl, blend well. In a large bowl mix together cucumbers, tomatoes, basil & cheese. Then mix in the oil & vinegar mixture and stir until it’s blended. Then add bread and stir to combine all ingredients. Then…enjoy!
Just a note…Panzanella needs to be eaten right away after you make it, because it’s kind of gross (in my opinion) after sitting in the fridge overnight!
Want some more tomato recipes? Check out MY FAVORITE TOMATO RECIPES post!
Panzanella
Ingredients
- Ingredients:
- 2 ½ cups Pugliese (or ciabatta) bread cut into 1 inch cubes
- 1 Tbs. Balsamic Vinegar
- 2 Tbs. Olive Oil
- ½ tsp. Kosher Salt
- ¼ tsp. Black Pepper
- ½ cup Cucumber, peeled, seeded and chopped
- 1 ½ cups grape or cherry Tomatoes, halved
- ½ cup Mozzarella (shredded, diced, however you’d like)
- 3 Tbs. fresh Basil chopped (I use my kitchen scissors to cut it into small pieces)
Instructions
- Directions:
- Cut the bread into one inch cubes and then toast it at a low temp (250-300 degrees), stirring frequently until the bread is very crisp and toasty, but not brown. You have to keep a close eye on it. The time depends on how hard your bread already is. I used soft/fresh bread and it took about 20 minutes.
- Mix balsamic vinegar, oil, S&P in a small bowl, blend well. In a large bowl mix together cucumbers, tomatoes, basil & cheese. Then mix in the oil & vinegar mixture and stir until it’s blended. Then add bread and stir to combine all ingredients. Then…enjoy!
- Just a note...Panzanella needs to be eaten right away after you make it, because it's kind of gross (in my opinion) after sitting in the fridge overnight!
