Panzanella (A Summer Bread Salad)
It’s a quick and delicious way to use up day-old bread, ripe tomatoes, and other summer produce.
- 3 cups bread, cubed ($2.00)
- 1/4 cup olive oil, divided ($0.64)
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes ($3.49)
- 1 nectarine ($0.90)
- 1 cucumber ($0.69)
- 1/2 red onion ($0.40)
- 10 oz. baby spring mix ($3.49)
- 4 oz. mozzarella pearls ($1.75)
- 1 tsp salt ($0.08)
- 1 Tbsp red wine vinegar ($0.10)
- Preheat the oven to 300°F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper. Slice the bread into 2 x 2-inch cubes and place in the sheet pan. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and toss to combine. Bake until toasted, about 20 minutes.
- While the bread toasts, wash all of the produce. Slice cherry tomatoes in half. Cut the cucumber in 1/2 inch thick quarter rounds. Slice the nectarine in 1/2 inch thick slices. Slice the red onion in 1/4 inch thick half moons.
- Once the bread has toasted, pull it from the oven, and allow it to cool.
- Add the toasted bread to a very large bowl and top with salad greens. Top the greens with tomatoes, nectarines, cucumbers, red onions, and mozzarella pearls.
- Add remaining olive oil, vinegar, and salt to a small mason jar or other container with a tight-fitting lid. Close the lid tightly and shake the oil and vinegar until combined. Dress the salad. Toss to coat.
- Let the salad sit for at least an hour to allow the bread to soak up the dressing. Serve and enjoy!
For the ultimate convenience, you can even prep the components ahead of time. It can be made with close to any combination of fruits and veggies, but traditionally, the stars of the show are juicy summer tomatoes and crusty bread that’s had time to absorb the salad’s tangy dressing. Then we just drizzled it with a little olive oil and vinegar that we emulsified in a mason jar. (That’s just chef-speak for shaking the ever-living life out of it until the oil and vinegar transform into a creamy dressing.) How Long Does Panzanella Last?
You’ll need to make it an hour or so before serving to give the bread time to soak up the dressing. Chop and toast the bread, cool it, then store it in an air-tight container with a folded paper towel in it to absorb humidity.
Slice and salt the tomatoes and store them in an airtight container as well. Chop the rest of your elements and in addition store them in your fridge in an airtight container.
Slice the bread into 2 x 2-inch cubes and place in the sheet pan. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and toss to combine. Slice the nectarine in 1/2 inch thick slices.
Slice the red onion in 1/4 inch thick half moons. Once the bread has toasted, pull it from the oven, and allow it to cool. Add the toasted bread to a very large bowl and top with salad greens.
Top the greens with tomatoes, nectarines, cucumbers, red onions, and mozzarella pearls. Let the salad sit for at least an hour to allow the bread to soak up the dressing.
Slice three cups of day-old (or fresh) bread into 2 x 2-inch cubes and place in the sheet pan. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and toss to combine.
Once the bread has toasted, pull it from the oven, and allow it to cool. Add the toasted bread to a very large bowl and top with 10 oz. of salad greens.
Finish with mozzarella pearls (not pictured here.) Add the remaining 3 tablespoons of olive oil, the tablespoon of vinegar. The teaspoon of salt to a small mason jar or another container with a tight-fitting lid. Let the salad sit for at least an hour to allow the bread to soak up the dressing.
