Panzanella Salad

Panzanella is a Tuscan chopped salad of toasted cubed bread, onions, heirloom tomatoes, Persian cucumbers, and basil, all drenched in a flavorful herbal vinaigrette.

If this salad sounds like a lot of work, fret not. This salad is very easy to make – all you need is a hot grill, a cutting board, and a knife.

Toasted bread cubes are the star of this salad; in fact, panzanella salad is often referred to as bread salad. I like to toast the bread on the grill instead of the oven to give it a nice charred flavor and look. I also cook the zucchini on the grill until juicy and tender.

Fresh heirloom tomatoes, red onions, Persian cucumbers, fresh basil, and parsley are mixed with the grilled zucchini and cubed grilled bread, then tossed with a red wine vinaigrette with mixed dried herbs.

Panzanella Salad
Print Recipe
5 from 2 votes

Panzanella Salad

Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time12 minutes
Refrigerate30 minutes
Total Time52 minutes
Course: Salad
Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: panzanella
Servings: 4
Calories: 409kcal

Ingredients

Salad

  • olive oil
  • ½ pound pain rustique bread cut into ½-inch-thick slices
  • 2 zucchini cut into ½-inch-thick coins
  • 1 pound heirloom red grape tomatoes
  • 1 small red onion cut into ½-inch-thick slices
  • 3 Persian cucumbers cut into ¼-inch-thick coins
  • ½ cup basil chopped, loosely packed
  • ½ cup parsley chopped

Herbal Vinaigrette

  • 6 tablespoons olive oil extra virgin
  • 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
  • ¾ teaspoon oregano dried
  • ¼ teaspoon thyme dried
  • salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Make Salad:

  • Preheat grill to medium-low heat.
  • Lightly brush olive oil on the bread slices and zucchini coins. Grill the bread until toasted and slightly charred on both sides, about 4 minutes total. Cut into 1-inch cubes and place in a large salad bowl.
  • Grill the zucchini until tender, about 8 minutes total, and add to the salad bowl. Add the tomatoes, onions, cucumbers, basil, and parsley.

Make Vinaigrette:

  • In a small bowl, whisk together the herbal vinaigrette ingredients. Pour over the salad and toss well. Cover with plastic and let sit in refrigerator 30 minutes before serving.

Nutrition

Calories: 409kcal | Carbohydrates: 42g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 24g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 16g | Sodium: 362mg | Potassium: 752mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 1988IU | Vitamin C: 47mg | Calcium: 92mg | Iron: 4mg