Panzanella Salad with the Best Dressing (VIDEO)

Panzanella Salad with crusty bread, juicy vine-ripened tomatoes, and the best homemade vinaigrette dressing. Try this bread salad once and it will become an instant favorite. Tomato Panzanella is right up there with our popular Cucumber Tomato Avocado Salad.

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Our garden produces so many tomatoes and tons of basil in summer and we love creative and delicious ways to take advantage of them at their peak of freshness before we start freezing batches of Roasted Salsa and Canning Tomatoes. My whole family loves this tomato salad, even my 11-year old son who otherwise doesn’t like tomatoes, but went back for refills.

Panzanella Video Tutorial

Watch how to make this Panzanella recipe (and you’ll even learn how to make homemade croutons). There are so many reasons to love this recipe:

• Leftover bread – this is the best way to use up leftover bread, particularly crusty, hearty bread like sourdough or Ciabatta which is a sad thing to go to waste.
• Ripe Tomatoes – while most salads call for firm tomatoes, Panzanella is marvelous with tomatoes that are a bit overripe and at their peak of sweetness.
• Make-Ahead – you can pre-make the croutons (they will keep up to a week at room temperature).
• The Best Dressing – you’ll love this simple red wine vinegar, garlic, and olive oil vinaigrette. It’s light, vibrant, and adds tons of flavor to this salad. You can also make it ahead.

What is Panzanella?

Panzanella is a Tuscan Salad that is popular throughout Italy. It is a chopped salad with toasted bread, tomatoes, onions, and fresh basil. The salad is soaked in a simple vinaigrette dressing that makes every bite mouthwatering and delicious.

What is the Best Bread for Panzanella?

A sturdy stale bread works best and is less likely to become soggy from the dressing, which makes this a brilliant way to use up leftover bread. These are the best bread varieties for Panzanella:

• Ciabatta Bread – with a thick crust and alveolar holes that keep it from getting soggy
• Baguette – also crusty on the outside, spongy inside, similar to our Wreath Bread.
• Sourdough Bread – this has a different flavor profile that you’ll love
• Focaccia Bread – this makes for some super tasty croutons.

How to Make Panzanella Salad

1. Toast the Bread: slice your stale crusty bread into 1-inch pieces. Drizzle with 2 Tbsp olive oil and a pinch of salt. Scatter on a baking sheet and bake at 400˚F for 9-11 minutes then set aside to cool. Note: Edges should be golden brown and fully dried through so the bread doesn’t get soggy.

2. Make the Dressing: combine vinaigrette dressing ingredients (extra virgin olive oil, red wine vinegar, grated garlic, salt, and pepper) and whisk to combine.

3. Toss Salad: Place remaining Panzanella salad ingredients into the same mixing bowl you used for the bread. Add the cooled bread. Drizzle on the dressing 15-20 minutes before serving and toss gently to combine. Garnish with more basil.

Variations

We love changing up this salad based on what we have on hand. Some of our favorites are:

• Cheese – adding fresh mozzarella or feta cheese adds protein and adds a little salty bite
• Chicken – add diced Rotisserie Chicken to make this a Chicken Panzanella
• Salami – adds that salty bite that we find irresistible, like in our Pasta Salad.
• Colorful Tomatoes – use a variety of heirloom or cherry tomatoes or both. The more colorful, the better!
• Cucumbers are delicious, but they tend to get juicy so consider seeding them.
• Olives – add your favorite olives to turn this into a Greek Panzanella

What to Serve with Panzanella Salad

This salad can be served as a side salad or as a light and satisfying lunch. The addition of toasted bread and mozzarella cheese makes it hearty and satisfying. We love to pair it with these Italian-Inspired Dishes: