During hot days of Summer, there is nothing like a refreshing salad. The Italians have it figured out. In the Tuscan region, where summers tend to get very hot, a simple salad originated: Panzanella. The salad combines multiple fresh vegetables and stale bread with a light vinaigrette, making it the perfect refreshing but filling dinner option on hot summer days. Are you curious to try this delicious salad? Then let’s jump right in with this Panzanella recipe!
Traditional Panzanella Recipe:
Panzanella is a dish with some variations to it. So, there isn’t one single “right” traditional recipe. Still, some ingredients always belong in a Panzanella salad. Rustic stale bread is soaked with water before being combined with vegetables of the season and a simple vinaigrette of olive oil and vinegar. Commonly, onion, tomato, and cucumber are veggies that appear in this salad.
Ingredients for this Panzanella Recipe:
- Stale slices of bread
- Ripe tomatoes
- Cucumber
- Red onion
- Olive oil
- White wine vinegar
- Fresh basil
- Dijon mustard
- Salt & pepper
Choice of Bread for this Panzanella Recipe:
Firstly, let’s talk about the choice of bread to use for this Panzanella recipe. For this salad, stale bread is the way to go. I’d recommend going with a sturdy, crusty wheat bread or ciabatta. If you know upfront that you’d be making Panzanella, you can tear your bread into pieces and leave it out overnight so it dries up nicely. Otherwise, if you are in a rush, you can bake in the oven at 100° Celsius or 225° Fahrenheit for about half an hour until dry.
While traditional recipes call for soaking the bread before making the salad, I like to just briefly soak the bread with dressing so they take all that delicious flavor and keep a bit of texture.
Choice of Tomato for this Panzanella Recipe:
With a simple recipe like this, the taste of the individual ingredients shines through. I’d recommend using sun-ripened, sweet, and flavourful tomatoes of your choice. I’d recommend going with a tomato variety that you enjoy a lot. As long as they are flavourful and you like them, they will be a good choice. Ripe plum tomatoes or heirloom tomatoes are my personal favorites. Today, I am using a tomato variety I discovered on a local Italian market. I’m not sure which variety it is, but they tasted delicious.
Ingredients for the Dressing:
The dressing is a simple vinaigrette, for which I am using a delicious white wine vinegar and flavourful extra virgin olive oil. Furthermore, I am adding salt, pepper, and Dijon mustard for flavor. The mustard addition isn’t traditional, but I enjoy it a lot. If you want to keep it authentic, you can omit it. The salad will taste amazing as well!
Other Ingredients to Include in this Tuscan Salad:
Regarding other vegetables to include in the Panzanella recipe, you can use whatever fresh vegetables are available. I am going with a simple combination of red onion, fresh basil, and cucumber. I like to keep it simple with this recipe.
Easy Panzanella Recipe
Now that we have the ingredients sorted, let’s dive right into this Panzanella recipe. Making this salad doesn’t require too many steps, and it’s quick and straightforward. Let’s get started by preparing our ingredients.
How to make Panzanella:
Preparing the Ingredients
Firstly, peel the onion and wash the vegetables. Next, I like to slice the onion into fine, long strips. You can also use a mandoline for this process. Add the onion slices into a cold water bath and rinse them a few times. Rinsing the onions gets rid of their sharpness, so you have delicious, mild crunchy onion strips in the salad.
Next, get rid of the watery inners from the cucumber and the white parts inside the tomatoes. Then, cut the cucumber and tomatoes into pieces of your preferred size.
If you don’t have stale bread on hand, tear the bread into pieces and toast it until dry.
Salting the Vegetables
Finally, add the tomato cubes and cucumber to a sieve over a little bowl and salt them to draw out excess moisture. Let them rest for about 30 minutes. I like using that vegetable water in making the vinaigrette for the salad. The tomato liquid adds more flavor than simply soaking the bread in water.
Making the Vinaigrette
Next, we can make the dressing for the salad. Combine the tomato liquid, vinegar, mustard, and olive oil into a delicious, creamy emulsion by whisking them together. Check for seasoning and consistency. I like a more acidic vinaigrette for this salad. It pairs so well with the summer flavors of this salad.
Letting the Panzanella Salad Rest
Now, with everything prepared, you only need one last ingredient: A little bit of patience. Combine the ingredients and dress the salad with the dressing. Now, I like to let the salad rest for at least 20 minutes while tossing it now and then. Resting allows the stale bread to soak up all that delicious flavor while keeping a bit of texture. Once the salad has rested, have a final check for seasoning before plating your beautiful salad.
FAQ:
Panzanella is a simple Tuscan salad recipe featuring stale bread, tomatoes, and a simple vinaigrette dressing as core ingredients. Additionally, a variety of seasonal vegetables are included in the salad. It is a deliciously refreshing and simple summer salad.
Panzanella can be eaten on its own, as it is a rather filling salad due to the bread. Otherwise, It can serve as a great starter recipe, which you can follow with a delicious pasta or risotto!
Yes, you can. The Panzanella salad tastes even better when it has rested, as it allows the bread to soak up the delicious dressing and vegetable flavor. Still, it is a fresh salad, so I wouldn’t recommend making it more than a few hours ahead of serving.
Panzanella is a healthy recipe featuring a variety of vegetables full of fiber and micronutrients. Olive oil is a healthy source of fat, and vinegar can be a healthy addition to one’s diet. While it is not rich in protein, this salad can make a healthy addition to a well-balanced diet.
Some more Italian-Inspired Recipe Inspirations:
- Pappa al pomodoro (Bread & tomato soup)
- Penne all’arrabiata
- Spaghetti alla puttanesca
- Fiori di Zucca (Stuffed zucchini flowers)
- Spinach risotto
- Carabaccia (Tuscan onion soup)
- Cherry tomato focaccia
Some more Salads you could like:
- Fattoush
- Radicchio salad with blood orange
- Roasted fig couscous salad with almonds
- Blood orange salad with Belgian endive
- Beet salad with grapes and walnut
A few Refreshing Drinks for Hot Summer Days:
Print Easy Panzanella Recipe (Tuscan Bread & Tomato Salad)
Panzanella is the perfect summer day salad. This simple recipe combines fresh vegetables, stale bread, and a simple vinaigrette into the most refreshing salad.
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 3 servings 1x
Ingredients
3 Ripe, big tomatoes
3/4 Cucumber
1 Red onion
3 Stale slices of bread
1 Bunch of basil
40 ml Olive oil
2 tbsp White wine vinegar
2 tsp Dijon mustard
Salt pepper to season
Instructions
Slice the onion into fine, long strips. Add the onion slices into a cold water bath and rinse them a few times.
Next, get rid of the watery inners from the cucumber and the white parts inside the tomatoes. Then, cut the cucumber and tomatoes into pieces of your preferred size.
If you don’t have stale bread on hand, tear the bread into pieces and toast it until dry.
Add the tomato and cucumber to a sieve over a little bowl and salt them to draw out excess moisture. Let them rest for about 30 minutes. Reserve the resulting liquid for the dressing.
Combine the tomato liquid, vinegar, mustard, and olive oil into a delicious, creamy emulsion by whisking them together. Check for seasoning and consistency.
Let the salad rest for at least 20 minutes while tossing it now and then. Check for seasoning before plating.
Notes
If you want to keep the recipe more traditional, you can omit the mustard. I simply enjoy the flavour it adds.
I like the vinaigrette to be quite acidic. I find it pairs well with the refreshing flavor of the salad.
- Prep Time: 40
- Cook Time: 20
- Category: Salad
- Cuisine: Italian
- Diet: Vegan
Keywords: Panzanella, Panzanella Salad, Panzanella Recipe, Mediterranean Salad, Tuscan Salad