Panzanella (Tuscan bread salad)
Vibrant and delicious, Panzanella is essential in any summer spread and it’s so easy to make!
Every bite makes me feel like I should be enjoying a glass of wine al fresco on the Italian coast…fancy joining me?
- Vibrant
- Crowd pleaser
- Showstopper
Ingredients (serves 5 as a side):
Dressing: EV olive oil, balsamic
Stale bread, torn into pieces. I recommend ciabatta or sourdough
500-750g good quality tomatoes, roughly chopped
1 red pepper, thinly sliced
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
1 tbsp capers
1 ball buffalo mozzarella
1 bunch of basil
Directions:
Add the tomatoes to a bowl and season with salt & pepper. Add the capers, red onion & pepper.
Dress with lots of olive oil & balsamic (roughly 2:1 ratio) & toss.
Half an hour before serving, add the bread and toss as you want to make sure the bread absorbs some of the juices from the tomatoes and dressing so that it softens slightly.
Taste and add more dressing or seasoning if necessary.
Plate with torn buffalo mozzarella and lots of basil leaves and an extra drizzle of EV olive oil.
Panzanella is the perfect way to use stale bread you have leftover.
Tips:
TOMATOES: great Panzanella needs great tomatoes. I recommend using cherry tomatoes or small vine tomatoes. A mixture of colours and sizes will make the dish really pop.
BREAD: if you don’t have stale bread, you can tear a fresh loaf, drizzle some olive oil, salt & toast in the oven.
EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL: good quality olive oil takes this salad to the next level. I dressed this with some olive oil I got from my trip to the Amalfi Coast last year - I recommend picking up a bottle on all your European travels, even if it’s just from the Duty Free!
DRESSING: this is also great with a vinaigrette made from balsamic, EV olive oil & 1 minced garlic clove.
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