Panzanella salad combines crusty bread with tangy dressing and plenty of veggies. Don\u2019t forget your favorite protein to hit those protein goals! Easily customize with whatever\u2019s in your fridge for a fresh family favorite.<\/p>\n
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\n<\/picture>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\nThere\u2019s nothing like a bowl full of veggies fresh from the garden in the summertime, but I eat salads year-round.<\/p>\n
Delicata Squash Salad with Apples and Cranberries<\/a> REQUIRES cool weather.<\/p>\n A Wedge Salad<\/a> is one of my favorites in the winter.<\/p>\n But my current any-time-of-year salad BFF? Panzanella salad.<\/p>\n After all, the main ingredient in panzanella salad is BREAD. What kind of person doesn\u2019t like bread?!<\/p>\n Panzanella is traditionally a salad consisting of dried-out bread and tomatoes tossed with a tangy dressing. Hence why it is also called tomato bread salad, tomato salad, or Tuscan bread salad.<\/p>\n If I had my own tomato plants, I would no doubt limit the ingredients to just ripe tomatoes and bread and dress the salad with only balsamic vinegar, extra virgin olive oil, and top with freshly ground salt and pepper. MAYBE a sprinkle of basil or oregano if I\u2019m in the mood.<\/p>\n But seeing as A) I don\u2019t have my own tomato plants right now, B) summer tomatoes aren\u2019t always in season, and C) I don\u2019t have access to heirloom tomatoes straight from Italy, I\u2019m breaking the rules and taking extreme leeway with the ingredient list.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s what I usually put in my Panzanella, the perfect light dinner!<\/p>\n If you\u2019re going to use salt, make sure it\u2019s a good one like Ava Jane\u2019s Kitchen<\/a> that doesn\u2019t have microplastics! You can get a free 8oz. bag of sea salt<\/a> right now (just pay shipping and handling!).<\/em><\/p>\n In a classic panzanella salad recipe, you want day-old bread. It\u2019s rustic, crusty, and tastes just a bit aged. You can probably find a loaf of almost stale bread fitting this description at a local bakery, or possibly even the farmer\u2019s market.<\/p>\n However, you can also make something similar yourself and not only save money but also know 100% what is in your bread.<\/p>\n No-Knead Artisan Bread<\/a> is a great substitute for the rustic sort of bread.<\/p>\n You might think that putting bread into a salad and adding dressing would yield a bowl of soggy bread, but there\u2019s a secret for just the right texture.<\/p>\n By cubing the bread into bite-size pieces (\u00bd-inch or 1-inch cubes), tossing it with some olive oil<\/a> and seasonings, and toasting it in the oven, we\u2019re not only making croutons (yay!), but we\u2019re also making the bread cubes resilient to sogginess.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re the type of cook who likes to taste as they go along, you might want to go ahead and double the croutons. They\u2019re SO crunchy and SO good and SO irresistible that you might accidentally eat more than you intended to and might be left short when it\u2019s time to assemble the salad.<\/p>\n Not that I have any experience or anything\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n Panzanella, aka tomato and bread salad, is a great recipe to prep ahead of time for those days you\u2019re busy right up until dinner time.<\/p>\n Step 1: Preheat the oven to 275F.<\/strong> Meanwhile, cut the bread into \u00bd\u2033 cubes and place in a large bowl.<\/p>\n Step 2: Toss the bread with the <\/strong>olive oil<\/strong><\/a> so as much of the bread as possible is coated. Season generously with salt<\/a>, pepper, and Italian Seasoning<\/a> and toss again.<\/p>\n Step 3: Spread the cubed bread onto a <\/strong>rimmed baking sheet<\/strong><\/a> and toast for 25-35 minutes, stirring and flipping once or twice. You want the bread to be at least medium golden brown, and definitely crispy. It is better to be too crispy than too soft, but don\u2019t burn it.<\/p>\n It might seem counterintuitive, but drying out stale bread in the oven actually helps revive the flavor, so if you have a less-than-ideal loaf, panzanella is the perfect option because of this toasting step!<\/em><\/p>\n Step 4: When the bread is done,<\/strong> remove it from the oven and let it cool.<\/p>\n Step 5: Meanwhile, assemble the rest of your salad ingredients<\/strong> (minus the dressing).<\/p>\n Step 6: About an hour before mealtime,<\/strong> combine your salad with your bread in a very large bowl. Add \u00bd cup of dressing and toss thoroughly. Add additional dressing if desired, taking care not to over-saturate the salad.<\/p>\n Step 7: Place the salad in the refrigerator until mealtime.<\/strong><\/p>\n Should we make this a new trend? Filling a bowl with bread (and some veggies), covering it with dressing, and calling it dinner?<\/p>\n I think so.<\/p>\n You can get all the Italian bread salad ingredients prepped ahead of time so that all that is left is assembly for a quick meal.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re doing meal prep, store the toasted bread, salad, and dressing in separate containers<\/a> to avoid sogginess. If you combine everything and do<\/em> have leftovers, they\u2019re still tasty the next day, but definitely on the softer side.<\/p>\n For the adventurous folks, no dressing is off-limits for this panzanella salad, and you can add extra toppings to suit the flavor you pick.<\/p>\nWHAT IS PANZANELLA SALAD?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
PANZANELLA SALAD RECIPE INGREDIENTS<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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BREAD FOR PANZANELLA<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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HOW TO MAKE PANZANELLA SALAD<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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ITALIAN PANZANELLA RECIPE TIPS<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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PANZANELLA SALAD RECIPE VARIATIONS<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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