This classic panzanella salad has hearty vegetables, crusty bread, and fresh herbs. This is my go-to recipe from when I lived in Italy, with a slight twist to make it even more delicious. It is quick and easy and ready in 10 minutes, making it the perfect side salad or lunch.
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💭 Why you’ll love this recipe
- Healthy and hearty. This salad is full of healthy ingredients like zucchini, avocado, tomatoes, and fresh herbs! You’ll surely have a nutrient-packed meal when you make panzanella salad.
- Versatile ingredients. While this recipe uses seasonal ingredients, there’s no need to fret when you run out of avocados. This easy panzanella salad is versatile and the vegetables are easy to change up.
- Perfect for summer. This salad is fresh, vibrant, and uses seasonal summer ingredients. Use freshly-harvested tomatoes, zucchini, avocados, and basil for the best summer flavors.
📋 Ingredients and notes
To make this Italian tomato and bread salad, you’ll need cubed crusty bread, medium ripe tomatoes, a red onion, zucchini, fresh basil, avocado, salt, and pepper.
To make red wine vinaigrette, you’ll need red wine vinegar, olive oil, Dijon mustard, a garlic clove, salt, and pepper.
Variations & Substitutions
- Crusty bread. The best bread to use for panzanella bread is a crusty loaf with a dense and chewy center, like ciabatta or Tuscan bread, since they can absorb the flavors of the salad while maintaining the texture. Panzanella salad was traditionally made with stale bread, but you can also use fresh bread and toast it in the oven for a better flavor and texture. Use whole wheat and gluten-free bread if preferred.
- Tomatoes. Use plump ripe tomatoes that are in season, preferably heirloom tomatoes or vine ripe tomatoes. Choose firm tomatoes without blemishes to get the best flavor. If using cherry tomatoes or grape tomatoes, make sure to slice them in half to get all the juices of the tomatoes.
- Vegetables. Traditionally, panzanella salad is made with tomatoes, cucumbers, and red onions, but in this recipe, I added zucchini and avocados (because I am allergic to cucumbers, and wanted something more filling!) But you can use other vegetables in season like bell peppers, capers, artichoke hearts, kalamata olives, radishes, fennel, and asparagus.
- Garlic cloves. When making the red wine vinaigrette, you can opt to use fresh garlic cloves or substitute with half a teaspoon of garlic powder.
📖 How to make panzanella salad
Make panzanella salad
Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Spread the cubed bread out on a baking sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes, or until crispy and golden brown.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the chopped tomatoes, thinly sliced red onion, diced zucchinis, avocado and fresh basil leaves.
Add the crispy bread cubes to the mixing bowl and toss to combine.
Season with salt and black pepper to taste.
Make red wine vinaigrette
In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the red wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, and minced garlic (if using).
Drizzle in the olive oil while whisking the mixture continuously until the vinaigrette is emulsified and well combined.
Season with salt and black pepper to taste. Serve or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
👩🏽🍳 Tips for the best panzanella salad
⭐ Use oven-dry bread for a crispy texture. Using fresh bread and drying it in the oven produces a better texture than using stale bread or a day-old bread.
Salt and drain tomatoes in a colander before adding to the salad to produce more flavorful tomato chunks.
Add tomato juice to the dressing. Tomato juice adds a combination of tangy and sweet and enhances the overall flavor of your dressing.
Let the salad sit for 30 before serving to allow the flavors to meld and the bread to soak in the dressing. Serve chilled or at room temperature.
Garnish with cheese. Add crumbled feta or shaved Parmesan just before serving to add a savory and creamy taste.
👩🏽🍳 Troubleshooting FAQs
Originating from the countryside of Tuscany, the term is “panzanella” is derived from the Italian words “pane,” which means bread, and “zanella” which means deep plate or bowl.
Panzanella salad is best mixed together right before serving, to prevent the bread from being too soggy. You can prep the crusty bread a few hours ahead of time and the dressing up to four days in advance.
The best bread for panzanella salad recipe are rustic Italian or Tuscan bread, ciabatta, or sourdough bread. The important thing to consider is choosing a bread with a sturdy texture that can absorb the tomato juice and dressing without becoming too soggy.
🥗 How to serve panzanella salad
Serve this panzanella recipe with red wine vinaigrette as a side dish or as a light meal on its own. It’s best paired with tomato-based pastas (like this penne pomodoro or rigatoni arabbiatta), pesto pastas, and grilled vegetables like eggplant or zucchini.
🫙 Storage and reheating suggestions
Panzanella salad is best served the day it’s made as the crusty bread will become soggy overtime. You can make the crusty bread and red wine vinaigrette dressing ahead of time.
Wrap the bread in a paper towel at room temperature and use the next day, or place it in an airtight container to store in the freezer for up to two weeks.
To store the dressing, place it in an airtight jar and place in the refrigerator and use within four days.
🍴 More delicious salad recipes
If you like this recipe, check out these other hearty salad recipes:
- Caprese salad
- Vegan Nicoise salad
- Vegan Caesar salad
- Roasted vegetable salad
- Healthy veggie taco salad
… and more vegetarian/vegan salad recipes.
If you tried this recipe, don’t forget to comment and rate! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Panzanella Salad
Ingredients
Panzanella salad
- 3 cups bread, cubed, crusty
- 2 tomatoes, ripe, save tomato juice for dressing
- 1 red onion, sliced
- ½ cup zucchini, diced
- 1 avocado, diced
- ¼ cup fresh basil
- ½ teaspoon salt, adjust to taste
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper, adjust to taste
Red wine vinaigrette
- ¼ cup red wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- ½ cup olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon salt, adjust to taste
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper, adjust to taste
Instructions
To make panzanella salad
- Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).
- Spread the cubed bread out on a baking sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes or until crispy and golden.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the chopped tomatoes, thinly sliced red onion, diced zucchini, avocado, and fresh basil leaves. Add a pinch of salt and pepper.
To make red wine vinaigrette
- In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the red wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, and minced garlic (if using).
- Drizzle in the olive oil while whisking the mixture continuously until the vinaigrette is emulsified and well combined. Season with salt and black pepper to taste.
- Add bread cubes, and red wine vinaigrette to the mixing bowl and toss to combine well. Serve fresh or chilled.
Notes
- Crispy bread: Skip stale, go oven-dried for texture! I’ve found that oven-dried bread just has better texture.
- Salt & drain for tangy, juicy chunks. Use the juice in the vinaigrette to enhance the flavors.
- Chilled or room temp: Serve your way, both are delish!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
