Best Panzanella Salad

Name: Best Panzanella Salad
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 10 min
Ingredients: 4 cups rustic Italian bread such as ciabatta (substitute sourdough), cut into 1-inch cubes; 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil, or as needed and divided; 1/2 tbsp. ground Himalayan pink salt, or to taste and divided; 1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper, or to taste and divided (I always use mixed peppercorns); 1 cup cherry tomatoes (substitute heirloom), washed and halved; 1 1/2 tbsp. red wine vinegar; 1 large clove garlic, pressed; 2 tbsp. shallots, finely chopped; 1 cup orange or yellow peppers, cut into 1/2-inch cubes; 1 cup English cucumber, peeled, quartered and sliced; 1 cup mini bocconcini, halved; 4 large pickled pepperoncini peppers, stems removed and sliced; 1 tbsp. capers, rinsed and drained; 1/2 can (1 oz.) sliced black olives, drained; 1/4 cup basil, chiffonade

Author: Francine Lizotte

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Posted on Aug 14th, 2025

by Francine Lizotte

My parents had a garden and so did my husband’s parents. When we started living together, it was a no brainer that we also have a garden 👩‍🌾👨‍🌾. Both being foodies, there’s nothing better than stepping out on the patio to get some herbs and vegetables.

When it comes to fruits, the most obvious one that millions of people grow each year in their gardens is tomatoes 🍅! According to Wikipedia, there are over 10,000 varieties of them worldwide but only a portion of these guys are available for home gardeners like Cherries, Romas, Beefsteaks, Heirlooms, San Marzanos, Vines, etc.

If you have a garden or grow tomatoes on your patio, you’ve probably started harvesting them. You can make Passata, a few Caprese Skewers, put some on the BBQ 🔥 to make Tomates à la Provençale, serve a Tomato Rosemary Focaccia, or try this featured recipe… the Best Panzanella Salad!

With crispy ciabatta bread cubes along with fresh tomatoes and other ingredients plus topped with a lovely tangy vinaigrette, this incredible summer side dish is so tasty! It’s simple and yet so delicious… the perfect use for your tomatoes 😉.

This is the Best Panzanella Salad for a reason…
I take it a few steps further (of course, I do) in the flavor department by adding bell peppers, cucumber 🥒, bocconcini, pickled pepperoncini peppers, capers and sliced black olives. These elevate this classic Italian dish while keeping its identity.

For this recipe, I use Ciabatta which is a rustic Italian white bread with a floury crust. I’d say that is pretty similar to a French Baguette but uses more water 💦 than its counterpart resulting in its distinctive elongated shape.

This bread is ideal for Crostini, Bruschetta, sandwiches 🥪, garlic bread, croutons, for stuffing, or simply dipping in an olive oil-balsamic vinegar mixture. I also like using this type of bread when serving a nice hot tomato soup.

Preferably, stale bread is the way to go. In the video 🎥, I use fresh but by letting the cubes sit on the counter for a few hours, it helps to dry them out. After losing some moisture, I pour on olive oil, season, and then pop the bread cubes in the oven for 10 minutes. Cooking is not always an exact science so you might have to leave them for a couple minutes longer in the oven.

The results we’re looking for is crispy bread cubes 🍞, slightly dried out but not hard as croutons. There’s still some texture to them when pressing down. The reason for doing this step is when mixed with the salad, the cubes won’t get mushy.

When it comes to tomatoes, probably heirlooms are better for this application because they’re are juicier. I generously salt 🧂 them which draws out the liquid. I then use the extracted liquid as a base for my vinaigrette. It was my first time using cherry tomatoes and it was still fine but had to be compensated for by adding more oil so the ingredients were nicely coated.

To season this salad, minced shallots and garlic 🧄 are two key ingredients. Some add Dijon mustard. I don’t as this condiment is French, not Italian. On the other hand, tomatoes are not from Italy either… they’re originally from South America – I’m not kidding you! So, go ahead and add a little mustard if you want!

After all the ingredients are tossed and coated with the vinaigrette, for the finishing touch, some fresh ribbons of basil 🍃 are added by stacking them before rolling tightly and then chopped. This French culinary technique is called chiffonade… it gives a nice elegant presentation.

I let this Best Panzanella Salad rest for about 20 minutes ⏰, tossing occasionally. This fresh classic Italian recipe is a great side dish for chicken, shrimp, halibut, or any grilled meat. If there’s any leftovers, it can be stored in the fridge but keep in mind that the bread cubes will get softer… nonetheless, still yummy!
Bon Appétit! 🍽

Check out these other fabulous salad recipes… 😀
– Salade Niçoise
– Mexican Chicken Salad
– Egyptian Farro Salad
– Greek Tuna Pasta Salad
– Israeli Salad
– Pasta Primavera
– Moroccan Potato Salad
– Pittsburgh Steak Salad
– Cantaloupe Cucumber Salad
and for even more salad recipes 🥗, click on this link… Recipe Category • Salads & Dressings

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