Tuscan Panzanella Salad

by Dorothy Reinhold on August 29, 2019


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Meet Tuscan Panzanella Salad, featuring fresh tomatoes, basil, onions, peppers and whatever other vegetables you like (cukes?). It’s a substantial main-dish salad that you’ll add to your regular summer menu after you try it once.

I can’t believe summer is nearly over, but there it is, Labor Day, looming on the calendar like an exclamation point to the passing season.  Summer!  Done! Don’t let it hit you in the behind like a slamming door as you move on to the next quarter…

Before we descend into fall though, and break out the sweaters, let’s have one last hurrah for my favorite time of year. Tomatoes hang heavy on the vines, warmed by the late August sun. Peppers, too, dot the bushes like holiday ornaments, and arugula is still sprouting (perhaps bolting a bit!) in the warmth.  The basil plants — may I just call them bushes and you’ll understand how enthusiastic they are in the garden? — have taken over, and jalapenos hang like green and red earrings from the branch.

How could I have forgotten to plant cucumbers this year? Good thing they are piled high at the farmers market. A quick trip there satisfies any need or craving I have for fresh fruits and vegetables that I haven’t grown myself.

Get ready to celebrate a memorable 3-day Labor Day weekend and put a ring on it. I have a classic recipe for you — Tuscan Panzanella Salad — a doozy that is perfect for all the vegetables you’ll find in your garden or at the market right now.

Say hello to Tuscan Panzanella Salad, if you haven’t shaken hands before. Featuring fresh tomatoes, basil, onions, peppers and whatever other vegetables you like (cukes?), it’s a substantial main-dish salad that you’ll add to your regular summer menu after you try it once.

One of the practicalities of it is stale bread (hurrah for using up leftovers!), added along with vinaigrette, to make it a meal in a bowl. Those Italians…they know what they’re doing.

Its charms are legendary.

Ingredients for Tuscan Panzanella Salad on ShockinglyDelicious.com
It only takes a few ingredients, and you probably have most of them.

This has your name on it, so grab your salad bowl and get to it!

Tuscan Panzanella Salad

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Yield: 4 servings

Ripe summer tomatoes star in this classic bread salad, which also features capers and olives for a salty tang, and onion and peppers.

Ingredients

  • Salad
  • 4 thick slices French or sourdough bread or a rustic Italian bread, cut into cubes
  • 1 cup thinly sliced red onion
  • 4 large heirloom tomatoes, cubed
  • 1 orange, red or yellow bell pepper, stemmed, seeded and chopped
  • 20 flavorful olives, pitted and halved
  • 4 handfuls fresh salad greens
  • Garnish: 1/3 cup fresh basil leaves, torn
  • Garnish: 1/4 cup shaved or grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
  • Dressing
  • 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon drained tiny capers
  • Grated zest from 1 lemon
  • 1 garlic clove, pressed
  • 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • Kosher salt
  • Freshly ground pepper

Directions

  1. Leave bread cubes out for a couple of hours to dry them out a bit.
  2. Add bread, onion, tomatoes, bell pepper and olives to a large salad bowl. Toss to combine.
  3. Make dressing: In a jar, add vinegar, capers, lemon zest, garlic and olive oil. Shake well, add salt and pepper to taste and shake again. Drizzle the dressing over the ingredients in salad bowl. Toss well to coat everything.
  4. Add salad greens to 4 wide, flat bowls. Pile bread salad on top, and garnish with torn basil leaves and sprinkles of Parmesan.
  5. Serves 4.

Notes

Recipe source: Dorothy Reinhold | Shockingly Delicious

https://www.shockinglydelicious.com/tuscan-panzanella-salad/

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Tuscan Panzanella Salad in a white bowl on ShockinglyDelicious.com

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This recipe was originally published Aug. 29, 2015 and has been refreshed and republished today.

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{ 38 comments… read them below or add one }

Kacey @ The Cookie Writer August 31, 2015 at 8:41 am

This is a salad that I have never had before but looks delicious! I have been getting tomatoes and apples off people but for some reason, they have not been as delicious as last year… Hope I can find some good tomatoes (I am very picky when it comes to them.)

Reply

Dorothy Reinhold August 31, 2015 at 8:49 am

Kacey,
Here’s hoping the last of the summer tomatoes makes you happy. It would be sad to have to wait another whole year for them.

Reply

Cookin Canuck August 31, 2015 at 8:30 am

As much as I love fall, I will miss those summertime tomatoes. This salad is a great way to send off summer, especially when paired with a glass of white wine.

Reply

Dorothy Reinhold August 31, 2015 at 8:50 am

Dara/Cookin’ Canuck,
Summer tomatoes are truly one of the best things about this season.

Reply

Stephanie August 31, 2015 at 7:45 am

I can’t believe it’s almost Labor Day already. Time is flying! This is the perfect salad to serve for a party!

Reply

Dorothy Reinhold August 31, 2015 at 8:51 am

Stephanie,
It really does hold up on the buffet table, too, because it’s not like you’re worried the bread will get soggy. It is supposed to get soggy!

Reply

Faith (An Edible Mosaic) August 31, 2015 at 7:37 am

I know, I can’t believe Labor Day is so close! This summer flew by. This is a real beauty of a salad – love the olives in there!

Reply

Dorothy Reinhold August 31, 2015 at 8:52 am

Faith,
I know. What happened to my summer? You could use any kind of olive you like in here.

Reply

Kaitie August 31, 2015 at 6:30 am

this looks amazing! i love all the ingredients for the dressing too! Not just your basic vinaigrette which always (in my mind) makes a dinner salad more then just a basic salad but an actual meal! Love it!

Reply

Dorothy Reinhold August 31, 2015 at 8:53 am

Kaitie,
I like your thinking about the dressing. You’re right…a more complex dressing signals that this can be more than a side salad.

Reply

Christie August 31, 2015 at 5:23 am

Our tomatoes did not do well this year. They would have been spectacular in your gorgeous salad. I am a sucker for bread in a salad.

Reply

Dorothy Reinhold August 31, 2015 at 7:01 am

Christie,
I am a new sucker for bread in the salad, too. Now I want bread in ALL my salads!

Reply

Ali @ Home & Plate August 31, 2015 at 5:22 am

I love a summer salad especially one using fresh from the garden tomatoes. The ingredients are perfect for this hot August weather.

Reply

Dorothy Reinhold August 31, 2015 at 7:00 am

Ali,
We are in a 90+ degree heatwave here, and are having this for dinner every night! Cannot bear to turn an appliance on.

Reply

Dana @ Foodie Goes Healthy August 30, 2015 at 10:48 pm

The colors in this salad are gorgeous. I love how you can tweak it to what you have on hand, like I would love to add avocado. This salad is perfect for Labor Day- thanks.

Reply

Dorothy Reinhold August 31, 2015 at 7:02 am

Dana,
You’re so right. On my second version, I did add avocado, and it was awesome as expected.

Reply

Laura August 30, 2015 at 10:21 pm

This is such a crazy thing to admit, but I have never had panzanella. Not here and not this summer in Italy. Maybe it is partially because it is hard to conceive of leftover tomatoes! 😉 I love the basil and lemon zest in this one–you are inspiring me to think I should give it a try!

Reply

Dorothy Reinhold August 31, 2015 at 7:03 am

Laura,
Oh my. You must remedy that omission in your culinary education, and right now, while summer tomatoes are in your face!

Reply

Debra @ Bowl Me Over August 30, 2015 at 10:08 pm

Perfect summer salad and great for the last blast of summer bbq! Your pictures are beautiful!!

Reply

Dorothy Reinhold August 31, 2015 at 7:04 am

Debra,
Thank you, how sweet of you to say that.

Reply

Marion@LifeTastesGood August 30, 2015 at 9:55 pm

Summer can gladly slam me in the behind and the sooner the better! I’m done with the triple digits, stifling humidity, and crazy storms!! But seeing as it is not going anywhere anytime soon, this salad would be a refreshing treat to enjoy for sure! It is so pretty too!

Reply

Dorothy Reinhold August 31, 2015 at 7:04 am

Marion,
Out here in drought-land, we would give anything for a summer storm! Not to be though.

Reply

Katie @ Recipe for Perfection August 30, 2015 at 5:26 pm

Believe it or not, I just had panzanella for the first time last month! Wow! Can’t wait to try this variation.

Reply

Dorothy Reinhold August 30, 2015 at 8:38 pm

Katie,
I just had it 2 nights in a row, and am contemplating a third, because it is so blasted hot here right now! Tweak it to suit yourself!

Reply

Manila Spoon (Abby) August 30, 2015 at 12:02 pm

Panzanella salad is one of my fave salads. Your version looks appetizingly delightful – bursting with lovely colors and delicious flavors! The perfect way to say goodbye to summer!

Reply

Cindys Recipes and Writings August 30, 2015 at 11:20 am

What an easy salad for a hot Labor Day dinner!

Reply

Dorothy Reinhold August 30, 2015 at 1:48 pm

Cindy,
You’re right…it’s super easy! It would even be good the night AFTER a party, to use up the leftover bread.

Reply

Liz August 30, 2015 at 11:19 am

LOVE a panzanella! And this is the perfect time to enjoy one.

Reply

Dorothy Reinhold August 30, 2015 at 1:48 pm

Liz,
You’re right. It’s all about the ripe summer tomatoes.

Reply

Marlene @Nosh My Way August 30, 2015 at 11:14 am

I remember the first time I had a Panzanella Salad. Yours looks absolutely stunning.

Reply

Dorothy Reinhold August 30, 2015 at 1:49 pm

Thank you Marlene!

Reply

Jennifer @ Peanut Butter and Peppers August 30, 2015 at 10:15 am

I love panzanella salad! Yours looks so light and refreshing!

Reply

Liz Schmitt August 30, 2015 at 9:53 am

We live on panzanella during these hot summer days –

Reply

Dorothy Reinhold August 30, 2015 at 9:58 am

Liz,
We are having such a heat wave, I am tempted to have this 3 nights in a row!

Reply

Wendy (The Weekend Gourmet) August 30, 2015 at 9:51 am

This is one gorgeous salad, Dorothy…perfect for a party!

Reply

Dorothy Reinhold August 30, 2015 at 9:58 am

Thank you Wendy!

Reply

Renee August 30, 2015 at 3:16 am

I adore a panzanella salad. You sure do have nice ingredients in yours and a lovely dressing too. Great to keep it simple and let the flavors of summer shine through.

Reply

Dorothy Reinhold August 30, 2015 at 7:35 am

Thanks, Renee. That was my thought. Keep it super simple. You can always throw other things in, but sometimes you just want it to be clean and clear.

Reply

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