Panzanella Salad
This Panzanella Salad is a summer favorite! Crisp ciabatta bread, juicy ripe tomatoes, cucumbers, red onion, olives, fresh mozzarella and basil all dressed in a tangy vinaigrette make for an incredibly hearty satisfying salad.
Servings: 8 servings
Ingredients
Vinaigrette Dressing
- 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/3 cup red wine vinegar
- 1 clove garlic, finely minced
- 3 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 tsp. Dijon mustard
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/4 tsp. pepper
Panzanella
- 6 cups 1-inch ciabbata bread cubes
- 3 Tbsp. olive oil
- salt
- 2 large tomatoes, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (about 4 cups)
- 1 Persian cucumber, thinly sliced
- 2/3 cup red onion, thinly sliced
- 1 cup pitted olives, green and Kalamata
- 8 oz. mozzarella pearls
- 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, julienned
Instructions
Vinagrette Dressing
- Combine all vinaigrette ingredients in a small bowl and whisk together. Set aside until you're ready to dress the salad.
Panzanella
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Add the ciabatta cubes to the baking sheet and toss with the olive oil. Sprinkle lightly with salt. Bake, shaking the sheet once or twice, until lightly toasted, about 10-15 minutes. You will remove the bread from the oven and add to a large bowl.
- Add your tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, olives and mozzarella pearls to the bowl with your cubed bread.Drizzle as much of the dressing over the salad as you prefer and toss until everything is well coated. Sprinkle the julienned basil over the salad and toss gently. Serve immediately.
Notes
I used fresh mozzarella pearls. If you can't find them at your market, you can use a ball of fresh mozzarella and just cut it into small cubes.
I love the combination of green and Kalamata olives that I can get at my local market. You can use a combination or just green or just Kalamata.
Ciabatta bread is one of my favorites, but you can use any type of rustic bread, like sourdough, Italian bread or a French baguette.