Panzanella salad combines crusty bread with tangy dressing and plenty of veggies. Don’t forget your favorite protein to hit those protein goals! Easily customize with whatever’s in your fridge for a fresh family favorite.
There’s nothing like a bowl full of veggies fresh from the garden in the summertime, but I eat salads year-round.
Delicata Squash Salad with Apples and Cranberries REQUIRES cool weather.
A Wedge Salad is one of my favorites in the winter.
But my current any-time-of-year salad BFF? Panzanella salad.
After all, the main ingredient in panzanella salad is BREAD. What kind of person doesn’t like bread?!
WHAT IS PANZANELLA SALAD?
Panzanella is traditionally a salad consisting of dried-out bread and tomatoes tossed with a tangy dressing. Hence why it is also called tomato bread salad, tomato salad, or Tuscan bread salad.
If I had my own tomato plants, I would no doubt limit the ingredients to just ripe tomatoes and bread and dress the salad with only balsamic vinegar, extra virgin olive oil, and top with freshly ground salt and pepper. MAYBE a sprinkle of basil or oregano if I’m in the mood.
But seeing as A) I don’t have my own tomato plants right now, B) summer tomatoes aren’t always in season, and C) I don’t have access to heirloom tomatoes straight from Italy, I’m breaking the rules and taking extreme leeway with the ingredient list.
PANZANELLA SALAD RECIPE INGREDIENTS
Here’s what I usually put in my Panzanella, the perfect light dinner!
- Crusty Bread. I like No-Knead Artisan Bread, but a French loaf, ciabatta, baguette, sourdough, or any bread with a solid crust will do.
- Olive Oil. We’ll use olive oil to coat the bread for toasting.
- Salt and Black Pepper + Italian Seasoning. Here’s how to make your own Italian Seasoning.
- Typical Salad Ingredients:
- Romaine Lettuce
- Tomatoes
- Bell Peppers
- Red Onions
- Cucumbers
- Yellow Bell Peppers
- Fresh Herbs (like basil or parsley)
- Cheese (like mozzarella or Parmesan)
- Dressing of Choice: (Italian, Greek, Caesar, Ranch, Vinaigrette, etc.) or a simple mix of red wine vinegar or balsamic vinegar and olive oil.
If you’re going to use salt, make sure it’s a good one like Ava Jane’s Kitchen that doesn’t have microplastics! You can get a free 8oz. bag of sea salt right now (just pay shipping and handling!).
BREAD FOR PANZANELLA
In a classic panzanella salad recipe, you want day-old bread. It’s rustic, crusty, and tastes just a bit aged. You can probably find a loaf of almost stale bread fitting this description at a local bakery, or possibly even the farmer’s market.
However, you can also make something similar yourself and not only save money but also know 100% what is in your bread.
No-Knead Artisan Bread is a great substitute for the rustic sort of bread.
You might think that putting bread into a salad and adding dressing would yield a bowl of soggy bread, but there’s a secret for just the right texture.
By cubing the bread into bite-size pieces (½-inch or 1-inch cubes), tossing it with some olive oil and seasonings, and toasting it in the oven, we’re not only making croutons (yay!), but we’re also making the bread cubes resilient to sogginess.
If you’re the type of cook who likes to taste as they go along, you might want to go ahead and double the croutons. They’re SO crunchy and SO good and SO irresistible that you might accidentally eat more than you intended to and might be left short when it’s time to assemble the salad.
Not that I have any experience or anything…
HOW TO MAKE PANZANELLA SALAD
Panzanella, aka tomato and bread salad, is a great recipe to prep ahead of time for those days you’re busy right up until dinner time.
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 275F. Meanwhile, cut the bread into ½″ cubes and place in a large bowl.
Step 2: Toss the bread with the olive oil so as much of the bread as possible is coated. Season generously with salt, pepper, and Italian Seasoning and toss again.
Step 3: Spread the cubed bread onto a rimmed baking sheet and toast for 25-35 minutes, stirring and flipping once or twice. You want the bread to be at least medium golden brown, and definitely crispy. It is better to be too crispy than too soft, but don’t burn it.
It might seem counterintuitive, but drying out stale bread in the oven actually helps revive the flavor, so if you have a less-than-ideal loaf, panzanella is the perfect option because of this toasting step!
Step 4: When the bread is done, remove it from the oven and let it cool.
Step 5: Meanwhile, assemble the rest of your salad ingredients (minus the dressing).
Step 6: About an hour before mealtime, combine your salad with your bread in a very large bowl. Add ½ cup of dressing and toss thoroughly. Add additional dressing if desired, taking care not to over-saturate the salad.
Step 7: Place the salad in the refrigerator until mealtime.
Should we make this a new trend? Filling a bowl with bread (and some veggies), covering it with dressing, and calling it dinner?
I think so.
ITALIAN PANZANELLA RECIPE TIPS
You can get all the Italian bread salad ingredients prepped ahead of time so that all that is left is assembly for a quick meal.
- Ideally, you assemble this salad about an hour before mealtime so that the dressing just soaks into the bread slightly and the flavors can meld.
- If you need to make this salad a few hours ahead of time, the bread may be slightly softer from the dressing soaking in. I wouldn’t assemble this more than 4 hours ahead of time, though.
- Alternatively, you can assemble your bread salad just before eating for extra crunch.
If you’re doing meal prep, store the toasted bread, salad, and dressing in separate containers to avoid sogginess. If you combine everything and do have leftovers, they’re still tasty the next day, but definitely on the softer side.
PANZANELLA SALAD RECIPE VARIATIONS
For the adventurous folks, no dressing is off-limits for this panzanella salad, and you can add extra toppings to suit the flavor you pick.
| Dressing | Veggies | Toppings | Protein |
| Italian Dressing | Cucumbers, Tomatoes, Olives, Pepperoncini Peppers | Fresh Basil, Fresh Mozzarella Cheese | Ham, Salami, or Pepperoni |
| Greek Dressing | Sun-Dried Tomatoes, Kalamata Olives, Green Bell Peppers, Artichokes | Feta Cheese, Pepitas | Cooked Chicken, Chickpeas or Navy Beans |
| Ranch Dressing | Diced Avocado, Sweet Corn, Red Onions | Shredded Cheddar Cheese | Bacon, Chicken |
| Caesar Salad Dressing | Red Peppers, Grape Tomatoes, or Thinly Sliced Radishes | Shaved Parmesan | Cooked Chicken or Bacon Bits |
With all these drool-worthy flavor combinations, you’ll be making a different version of panzanella every day of the week!
PROTEIN-PACKED PANZANELLA SALAD
You’ll notice in the chart above that I made sure to include ideas for protein for each flavor. That’s because in a meal like bread salad, you need to make sure you’re not only getting carbohydrates from the bread and healthy fats from the dressing and cheese, but also including enough protein to keep you satisfied.
Lean proteins like chicken breast or steak make this a meal that even your heartiest meat-eaters will appreciate. Chop them up and add them directly to the bread salad or serve them alongside. Or choose a fattier meat like bacon or pepperoni, but make sure you stay within your overall fat goals for the day.
This Italian panzanella recipe may not be quite authentic, but its adaptability means you can make it work, whatever your macro goals for the day are!
PANZANELLA SALAD RECIPE FAQS
What do you eat with panzanella?
I think panzanella makes a great meal on its own, but if you’re looking for something a little bit heartier, add some cooked chicken, chickpeas, or extra veggies to help bulk up this panzanella recipe, or serve with a yummy side like seasonal fruit or Crispy Potato Wedges.
Why is it called panzanella?
Panzanella comes from the Italian words for bread and soup bowl, pane and zanella.
What is winter panzanella made of?
Just like with the summer version of panzanella in this post, there are plenty of options for a winter version. Any of the following would be yummy with the bread salad: kale, cubed cooked butternut squash, shaved Brussels sprouts, red onion, pomegranates, and parmesan, along with your choice of dressings.
MORE YUMMY SALAD RECIPES
- Sweet Kale Salad (Costco Copycat)
- Chicken Southwest Salad
- Greek Quinoa Salad
- Kale Salad with Blueberries, Walnuts, and Feta
- Easy Caprese Salad
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Panzanella (Bread Salad)
Ingredients
- 1 loaf No-Knead Artisan Bread or other rustic, crusty bread
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- salt and pepper
- ½ tsp Italian seasoning
- 6 cups Romaine lettuce (282g)
- 1 cup halved cherry tomatoes (135g)
- 1 cup diced yellow peppers (150g)
- ¼ cup freshly shaved Parmesan (28g)
- ½ cup Italian dressing
- Optional (but recommended!) protein: cooked chicken, bacon, ham, or chickpeas
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 275F. Meanwhile, cut the bread into ½″ cubes and place in a large bowl.
- Toss the bread with the olive oil so that as much of the bread as possible is coated. Season generously with salt, pepper, and Italian Seasoning and toss again.
- Spread the cubed bread onto a rimmed baking sheet and toast for 25-35 minutes, stirring and flipping once or twice. You want the bread to be at least medium golden brown, and definitely crispy. It is better to be too crispy than too soft, but don’t burn it.
- When the bread is done, remove it from the oven and let it cool.
- Meanwhile, assemble the rest of your salad ingredients (minus the dressing).
- About an hour before mealtime, combine your salad with your bread in a very large bowl. Add ½ cup of dressing and toss thoroughly. Add additional dressing if desired, taking care not to over-saturate the salad.
- Place the salad in the refrigerator until mealtime.
Notes
- In a meal like bread salad, you need to make sure you’re not only getting carbohydrates from the bread and fats from the dressing and cheese, but also including enough protein to keep you satisfied.
- Lean proteins like chicken breast or steak make this a meal that even your heartiest meat-eaters will appreciate. Or choose a fattier meat like bacon or pepperoni, but make sure you stay within your overall fat goals for the day.
- The nutrition information below is only for the ingredients listed and may vary depending on your choice of toppings and additional protein.
I didn’t think that this would be a satisfying dinner for my husband and teenaged son, but I made it on Thursday, and my husband asked me to make it again this weekend!