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Home > Salads > Panzanella (Italian Bread Salad)

Panzanella (Italian Bread Salad)

Last updated August 25, 2021. Originally posted August 25, 2021 By Jyothi Rajesh Leave a Comment

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Panzanella Italian bread salad in plate with text
Panzanella Italian bread salad in plate with text

Panzanella is Tuscan salad made of chunky of lightly toasted crusty bread, tomatoes, red onions, cucumber, Italian basil all soaked in the simplest salad dressing. If you got ripe tomatoes and day old bread, the best summer Italian bread salad is just few minutes away!

You got to use the best quality, juicy ripe tomatoes for this salad. One can never have too many tomato salads like simple summer tomato salad, marinated tomatoes salad.

Panzanella salad on plate
Jump to:
  • About panzanella salad recipe
  • Ingredients you’ll need
  • How to make panzanella salad
  • FAQS
  • 📋 RECIPE: Panzanella (Italian Bread Salad)

About panzanella salad recipe

1. Panzanella name comes from two words “pane” Italian for bread and “zanella” means a bowl in which it is served!

2. Panzanella salad is traditional Tuscan summer chopped salad of soaked Italian crusty bread, ripe juice tomatoes, onions and often has cucumber, Italian basil. My version varies from the traditional Tuscan version where stale bread in soaked in water and wringing it out. This recipe uses crusty lightly toasted bread (croutons) instead of soft soaked bread.

3. It’s simple and easy to make summer salad.

4. Best way to use bountiful of fresh ripe juicy tomatoes for potluck and picnics.

5. The best way to celebrate summer and fresh summer produce is with this salad.

6. Serves as wonderful side dish with any protein grilled chicken, pork, seafood.

Ingredients you’ll need

Here’s what you’ll need-

  • 1 day old crusty ‘stale’ bread (about 4-5 cups of stale bread broken into 1 inch chunks)
  • 3 ripe juicy tomatoes cut into small wedges or cubes
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 small red onion, sliced thin
  • 2 cucumbers, unpeeled, seeded, cut into ½ inch slices
  • 1 cup basil
Italian bread salad ingredients

For salad dressing-

  • 2 tablespoon white wine vinegar (or red wine vinegar)
  • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • ¾ cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 ½ teaspoon garlic, minced
  • Salt to taste
  • Ground pepper to taste
all ingredients for Italian bread salad dressing

Bread– must use dense crusty bread like sour dough bread or ciabatta or artisan loaf bread. Baguette or dinner rolls aren’t ideal bread to use for making this salad. Softer bread won’t hold it’s shaped and will turn mushy once salad dressing is added to it.

A day old stale bread is best. Remember this recipe was created to make use of the stale bread left over in the kitchen.

Tomatoes– use the best quality juicy ripe tomatoes for this recipe. If you don’t have ripe tomatoes better skip making this salad.

Cucumber– I like to keep the skin on and remove seed. No particular reason why I removed the seeds. I simply like the shape of cucumber this way. You can skip removing seeds off and simply slice into ½ inch slices.

Red onion– did you know Panzanella salad was based on onions and not tomatoes until the 20th century. Use salad onions like red onions.

Fresh basil– Italian sweet basil is what you have to use to make this salad. Do not substitute with any other variety of basil.

White wine vinegar or red wine vinegar can be used to make dressing.

Extra virgin olive oil– use good brand of EVOO.

Additional ingredients

Other ingredients such as anchovies, capers, olives, lettuce, celery, carrot, boiled eggs and bell peppers can be added to panzanella salad.

Panzanella salad on plate

How to make panzanella salad

step by step picture collage of Italian bread salad
  • Pick best quality juicy ripe tomatoes. Slice into thin wedges or cut into small cubes.
  • Salt cut tomatoes with kosher salt. Toss well. Let tomatoes sit in colander with a  bowl under it to collect all the wonderful tomato juice. Allow tomatoes to drain the juices for minimum 15 minutes to maximum an hour.
  • Meanwhile prep other ingredients.
  • Slice red onions.
  • Cut ends of cucumber, peel the seeds using melon baller or spoon. Cut cucumber into ½ inch slices. If you don’t like the skin on cucumber feel free to peel the skin.
  • Cut bread into 1 inch chunks. Toast bread in olive oil until lightly browned on all sides. You can toast bread chunks in oven or air fryer too.
step by step picture collage of Italian bread salad
  • To the tomato juice that was drained add white wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, minced garlic, salt and pepper to taste, extra virgin olive oil.
  • Whisk well.
  • Gather all salad ingredients into a large salad bowl- drained tomatoes, sliced onion, sliced cucumber, toasted bread and fresh basil leaves.
  • Pour the dressing over the salad.
  • Toss well.
  • Let sit for minimum 5 minutes to maximum 1 hour so salad marinates and sucks all the flavors and juices.
  • Enjoy with grilled chicken, BBQ chicken, shrimps.
Italian bread salad in salad bowl

FAQS

What type of bread is best for panzanella salad recipe?

You must use dense crusty bread like sour dough bread or ciabatta or artisan loaf bread. Baguette or dinner rolls aren’t ideal bread to use for making this salad. Softer bread won’t hold it’s shaped and will turn mushy once salad dressing is added to it.
Day old stale bread is best.

Can I use cherry tomatoes to make this salad?

Yes you can. Although traditional recipe calls for ripe Italian tomatoes, cherry tomatoes or ripe juicy roma tomatoes can also be used.
Remember tomatoes should be best quality juicy and ripe.

Is it necessary to sweat tomatoes?

highly recommend you don’t skip this step. Adding salt to tomatoes will make it sweat all it’s juices and release excess moisture. Without removing excess moisture from tomatoes the bread would get too soggy from tomato juice.

What other ingredients can I add to this salad?

Other ingredients such as anchovies, capers, olives, lettuce, celery, carrot, boiled eggs, mozzarella, bell peppers, dried oregano can be added to panzanella saald.

Can I make ahead this salad?

You can make this salad an hour or two ahead. I wouldn’t recommend storing longer than that. The croutons will loose it’s texture and turn mushy if stored longer.

How to store leftovers?

This salad doesn’t hold good to be stored for days. Soon as it’s made, allow the salad to marinate in the dressing for an hour, longer than that croutons will soften and turn mushy.
If you plan on storing longer for few days in refrigerator, reserve the croutons for later.

How to serve panzanella salad?

This salad pairs well with grilled meat, fish and shrimp. It pairs beautifully with BBQ chicken or grilled chicken, mild white fish, grilled steak, pork chops.

close up view Italian bread salad

More salads:

  • Roasted cherry tomatoes
  • 3 Bean Salad
  • Bruschetta chicken pasta
  • Greek pasta salad
  • Greek orzo pasta salad

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Panzanella salad on plate
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📋 RECIPE: Panzanella (Italian Bread Salad)

Jyothi Rajesh
Panzanella is Tuscan salad made of chunky of lightly toasted crusty bread, tomatoes, red onions, cucumber, Italian basil all soaked in the simplest salad dressing. If you got ripe tomatoes and day old bread, the best summer Italian bread salad is just few minutes away!
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Prep Time 10 mins
Cook Time 15 mins
Sweating tomatoes, resting time 25 mins
Course Salad, Side Dish, side salad, Sides
Cuisine Italian
Calories

Ingredients
  

  • 1 day old crusty ‘stale’ bread about 4-5 cups of stale bread broken into 1 inch chunks
  • 3 ripe juicy tomatoes cut into small wedges or cubes
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 small red onion sliced thin
  • 2 cucumbers unpeeled, seeded, cut into ½ inch slices
  • 1 cup basil

For salad dressing-

  • 2 tablespoon white wine vinegar or red wine vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • ¾ cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 ½ teaspoon garlic minced

Instructions
 

  • Pick best quality juicy ripe tomatoes. Slice into thin wedges or cut into small cubes.
  • Salt cut tomatoes with kosher salt. Toss well. Let tomatoes sit in colander with a bowl under it to collect all the wonderful tomato juice. Allow tomatoes to drain the juices for minimum 15 minutes to maximum an hour.
  • Meanwhile prep other ingredients.
  • Slice red onions.
  • Cut ends of cucumber, peel the seeds using melon baller or spoon. Cut cucumber into ½ inch slices. If you don’t like the skin on cucumber feel free to peel the skin.
  • Cut bread into 1 inch chunks. Toast bread in olive oil until lightly browned on all sides. You can toast bread chunks in oven or air fryer too.
  • To the tomato juice that was drained add white wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, minced garlic, salt and pepper to taste, extra virgin olive oil.
  • Whisk well.
  • Gather all salad ingredients into a large salad bowl- drained tomatoes, sliced onion, sliced cucumber, toasted bread and fresh basil leaves.
  • Pour the dressing over the salad.
  • Toss well.
  • Let sit for minimum 5 minutes to maximum 1 hour so salad marinates and sucks all the flavors and juices.
  • Enjoy with grilled chicken, BBQ chicken, shrimps.

Video

Notes

Bread: you must use dense crusty bread like sour dough bread or ciabatta or artisan loaf bread. Baguette or dinner rolls aren’t ideal bread to use for making this salad. Softer bread won’t hold it’s shaped and will turn mushy once salad dressing is added to it. Day old stale bread is best.
Bread to vegetable ratio: Use 1 portion of bread and 2 portion on mixed vegetables in the salad.
Sweating tomatoes: highly recommend you don’t skip this step. Adding salt to tomatoes will make it sweat all it’s juices and release excess moisture. Without removing excess moisture from tomatoes the bread would get too soggy from tomato juice.
Tomatoes: use best quality juicy, ripe tomatoes. You can use Italian tomatoes, cherry tomatoes or roma tomatoes to make the salad.
Cucumber: feel free to peel the skin off cucumber. To keep cucumber from releasing moisture into the salad I recommend you to remove it’s seeds from center.
Vinegar for salad dressing: White wine vinegar or red wine vinegar can be used to make dressing.
 
Nutritional Info – Please keep in mind that nutritional information provided is only a rough estimate and can vary greatly based on products used.
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Jyothi - Author of Curry Trail.

Welcome, I'm Jyothi

My food philosophy is simple, fresh and full of flavors! I love ‘spicy’ food. In fact so much so that I can skip dessert for extra spicy savory food!

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