Best Panzanella Salad
This Best Panzanella Salad is a delicious Italian dish! It’s an amazing way to enjoy produce from your garden…
Ingredients
- 4 cups rustic Italian bread such as ciabatta (substitute sourdough), cut into 1-inch cubes see Recipe
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil, or as needed and divided tips & tricks
- 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 tips & tricks
- 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 tips & tricks
Directions
- After cubing the bread, transfer to a bowl and let them sit on the counter for 6 to 8 hours.
- Preheat oven to 400ºF and line a baking sheet with foil; set aside.
- Later on, add 2 tbsp. oil; season with salt and pepper. Toss until lightly coated (add a little more oil if needed).
- Drop them on the prepared baking sheet lined with foil and spread them out in a single layer.
- Transfer to the preheated oven and bake for 10 minutes or until crispy. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.
- In the same bowl, place a colander and add the tomatoes; season generously with salt. Allow them to sit for 7 to 8 minutes to extract liquid.
- A few minutes later, set the tomatoes aside.
- To the bowl, add red wine vinegar, garlic, shallots, black pepper and 2 tbsp. olive oil; stir well.
- To assemble the salad…Add tomatoes, bell peppers, cucumber, bocconcini, pickled pepperoncini peppers, capers and black olives to the bowl; mix.
- Add the cooled bread cubes and gently toss the ingredients, making sure they’re coated with the vinaigrette. If slightly on the dry side, add more oil to it.
- Add basil, toss one more time and let it sit for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, before serving.