Panzanella (Bread and Tomato Salad)

Panzanella (Bread and Tomato Salad)

4.4 of 5 (57)
member ratings
Nutritional Info
  • Servings Per Recipe: 6
  • Amount Per Serving
  • Calories: 224.3
  • Total Fat: 10.2 g
  • Cholesterol: 11.1 mg
  • Sodium: 400.7 mg
  • Total Carbs: 26.5 g
  • Dietary Fiber: 2.6 g
  • Protein: 6.6 g

View full nutritional breakdown of Panzanella (Bread and Tomato Salad) calories by ingredient


Introduction

Panzanella is an Italian salad that can be found on trendy bistro menus in the hot summer months. This salad was invented when times were tough, as a way to use up stale bread.

Panzanella is an Italian salad that can be found on trendy bistro menus in the hot summer months. This salad was invented when times were tough, as a way to use up stale bread.


Number of Servings: 6

Ingredients

    2 cups whole-grain bakery-style bread, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
    1/2 cup red onion, diced
    4-5 tomatoes, diced
    1 cucumber, peeled and diced
    2 garlic cloves, chopped
    1/2 teaspoon black pepper
    1 tablespoon capers, drained and rinsed
    1/4 cup parsley, chopped
    1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped, or 2 tablespoons thyme, fresh
    1/2 head Romaine lettuce (about 3 cups), torn into bite-size pieces,
    1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled
    2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
    2 tablespoons red or rice wine vinegar
    3 tablespoons olive oil

Tips

Essentially, you make a salad--traditionally with plenty of fresh tomatoes--toss it with a vinaigrette, then add cubed stale or toasted bread just before serving.

You can toast up a day-old baguette or fresh bread, depending on what you have in the kitchen.

The bread soaks up all the delicious juice from the tomatoes and the tangy vinaigrette. The rest of the summer-fresh vegetables add crunch and freshness.



NOTE: If you're watching your sodium intake, reduce the amount of feta or omit it.



Rub a garlic clove on the bread after toasting for instant, healthier croutons.


Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Spread the cubed bread on a sheet pan and bake, shaking the pan every 5 minutes until bread turns a golden brown. Remove from the oven to cool.

Combine all the salad ingredients except for the cheese in a large mixing bowl.

Place the mustard and vinegar in a small bowl, then slowly whisk in the oil to emulsify the dressing. Pour the mixture over the salad. Cover and set aside for 10-15 minutes.

About 10 minutes before serving, add the bread and cheese to the salad and toss well to combine.

Makes 6 two-cup servings.

Member Ratings For This Recipe


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    Incredible!
    9 of 9 people found this review helpful
    I love this salad. It's best to use quality whole wheat loaf bread from the deli. The thick bread crunchy bread is delicious in the salad. - 1/11/12


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    Very Good
    8 of 9 people found this review helpful
    Sounds like a Greek salad I make. I would garnish the individual bowls of salad with the bread. That way if you did not eat it all, the bread would not get soggy. You can substitute Wishbone balsamic vinagrette. - 8/4/11


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    6 of 6 people found this review helpful
    I used Ezekial bread and toasted it using Garlic spread. - 1/2/12


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    Incredible!
    5 of 5 people found this review helpful
    I made this last night, it was devoured. Great recipe with fab colours and textures! Thanks for sharing. - 3/27/12


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    Incredible!
    5 of 7 people found this review helpful
    I make this salad a lot in the summer. You can add some cooked chicken breast (meat eatters) or cooked shrimp (non meat eatters) to make a compleat balanced dish for dinner. - 1/24/12


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    Incredible!
    3 of 3 people found this review helpful
    Wonderful! I added a little extra feta to balance out the red wine vinegar and red onions. This was even better after being in the fridge overnight, the bread gets soggy, but it also soaks up all those great flavors! I paired this with whole wheat spaghetti for dinner but had it alone for lunch. - 12/31/11


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    Incredible!
    3 of 3 people found this review helpful
    Delicious! I was a little concerned that my teenager would turn up his nose at bread in his salad, but he ended up having second helpings! - 9/22/11


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    Incredible!
    3 of 3 people found this review helpful
    We love Greek salad @ Italian bread. But the bread had gone stale & I threw it in the freezer. Voila! Delicious way to use up the stale bread! I made 1/2 recipe for DH & I for our lunch. Will keep this recipe and make again! - 9/10/11


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    Incredible!
    3 of 3 people found this review helpful
    Very good! It was a huge hit with my family and I will definitely be making it again! - 8/6/11


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    Incredible!
    2 of 2 people found this review helpful
    My rating *****mouth watering****** ; ) - 8/11/12


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    Incredible!
    2 of 2 people found this review helpful
    I am trying to eat more veggies and it is hard for me. This is a great salad--different than I usually eat. Thanks, Chis - 7/5/12


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    Very Good
    2 of 2 people found this review helpful
    There are only two of us so I tried halving the quantity for a substantial evening meal. Increased the feta and bread a bit - my husband isn't on a diet (!) It was really nice - made tons of food and even with my adjustments only 420 cals. Really enjoyed it, thanks for the recipe! - 8/14/11


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    Very Good
    2 of 2 people found this review helpful
    Very tasty! I made it with a several day old loaf of Tuscan bread. - 10/21/10


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    Incredible!
    1 of 1 people found this review helpful
    Absolutely wonderful! I did add a couple black olives, just for me. And I found it made great leftovers. As someone else said, bread soaks up the dressing and veggie juices. Pretty, bright, colorful, summery, and so tasty. I have tried with with a variety of vinegars to add some different tastes. - 8/11/12


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    Very Good
    1 of 2 people found this review helpful
    Really different and very good! - 12/25/11


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    1 of 1 people found this review helpful
    Panzanella has been a family favorite for years but I never thought of adding Feta - the tang from the cheese added a great dimension to this summery salad - 8/26/11


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    Very Good
    1 of 2 people found this review helpful
    Dressing was good. liked it but wasn't fantastic. Have other salads I like better. - 8/21/11


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    :) - 7/14/21


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    Very Good
    Ok - 7/14/21


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    Incredible!
    A new favorite! - 12/2/20


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    Great - 9/18/20


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    Makes a pretty salad. - 9/9/20


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    thank you - 9/8/20


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    Incredible!
    MANGIARE' - 9/7/20


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    delicious - 9/7/20


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    Incredible!
    This is wholesome and delicious. DH and I loved it and I will make it often. - 9/1/20


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    Very Good
    yum - 6/21/20


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    interesting and yummy... - 8/24/19


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    Incredible!
    Delicious - 8/17/19


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    NICE - 8/14/19


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    looks and sounds yummy - 8/14/19


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    Very Good
    very good - 8/9/19


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    Very Good
    Thanks for sharing - 7/29/19


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    Incredible!
    Boy this was fresh, and light and refreshing. Love this salad. We make it often at home and rather easy to put together. - 7/14/19


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    This sounds like a really different salad from what I usually make. Looking forward to making this. - 6/30/19


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    Nice salad recipe - 6/29/19


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    Incredible!
    Great - 6/29/19


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    Very Good
    Delicious. - 7/22/18


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    Incredible!
    Like it - 7/22/18


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    Yum. I skipped the capers, used garlic toast cubes. - 7/22/18


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    Incredible!
    Great salad - 7/22/18


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    Salads are th best lunch items - 7/12/18


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    Sounds like salad with croutons - 6/17/18


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    YUM - 6/10/18


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    Incredible!
    I've wanted a good recipe for panzanella for a long time This is it! - 5/30/18


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    I made this and added some chicken breast to make a complete meal. Delicious. - 5/5/18


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    This is a good use of leftovers. - 2/2/18


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    add parsley & chives - 8/21/17


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    nice and tasty - 7/16/17


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    Very Good
    great - 7/4/17


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    This salad looks delicious!!!! - 6/6/17


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    Incredible!
    This salad was even better than I thought it would be! And I thought it sounded good. But I could live off this! WOW! Was it ever good! - 8/4/16


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    Very Good
    0 of 1 people found this review helpful
    Had never had this type of salad before. Very tasty. I did like one reviewer's suggestion to just put the bread in the bowl as you serve to avoid sogginess. - 12/19/13


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    This looks yummy - 8/11/13


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    Very Good
    This time we used shredded cheese. it was much begtter it was 50% cheddar ant it was much begtter stgill just afew of the herbs but we are trying. Pat in Maine. - 7/23/13


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    0 of 1 people found this review helpful
    Can't wait to make this! - 5/21/13


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    0 of 1 people found this review helpful
    great idea - 10/24/12


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    Very Good
    great recipe to use up all those extra tomatoes. I left out all the extras and just stuck to the main ingredients. it was perfect. - 9/26/12


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    0 of 1 people found this review helpful
    Look closely ...there are black olives in salad....on top.
    Doggone why are people so picky, just enjoy recipes !!! :)
    - 9/24/12


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    Incredible!
    sounds really great I have all that in the kitchen will try in the morning. I am with the just add bread to each serving of salad. - 8/15/12


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    This is amazing. I made it tonight and I could of ate the whole bowl, As Rachel Ray would say YUM-O - 8/12/12


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    Incredible!
    So many of these ingredients came right out of my garden. Loved it. - 8/11/12


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    Another great way to use tomatoes. - 7/29/12


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    Why are there clearly olives in that photo, when there are no olives in the recipe? It's not that difficult to make the dish inthe recipe and then take a picture of it...People do it all the time these days. - 6/11/12


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    Incredible!
    This is just what I needed! I am so glad the farmers market is back. Can't wait untill my tomatoes ripen. Thanks - 6/3/12


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    Good
    0 of 1 people found this review helpful
    Looks good, but there are black olives in the picture and none in the recipe. Which is correct? - 12/27/11


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    Very Good
    0 of 1 people found this review helpful
    slightly different than any of my usual salads.a very pleasant addition to our menu choices - 12/25/11


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    Good
    0 of 2 people found this review helpful
    Looks yummy... - 12/25/11


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    Sounds really good, but I would have to make it without tomatoes for my family to eat it (although I love fresh tomatoes!!). - 8/4/11


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    I don't have six people to feed and this won't make good leftovers, but it looks like it wouldn't be too hard to halve the recipe. The software will adjust the nutritional data. Will look for tomatoes today at the farmer's market. There haven't been any yet and its August already! - 8/4/11


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    0 of 1 people found this review helpful
    This recipe looks good. Can anyone tell me how you dice and chop all this in under 10 minutes? This will take me at least 30 or more. - 5/31/11


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    This salad has a good amount of protein. Nice! - 11/30/10


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    Incredible!
    1 of 1 people found this review helpful
    Really, really, really liked this - tomatos are growing outside the kitchen window like weeds right now and I'm finding it hard to keep up with them - like Lucille Ball and the chocolate assembly line - if you know what I mean. But I will be using this recipe often...FABULOUS! - 8/7/11


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    Very Good
    1 of 2 people found this review helpful
    This can make a nice meal as written or without the cheese and romaine it is just a nice side...keep it small and only with the freshest of tomatoes. - 12/17/10


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    2 of 2 people found this review helpful
    Yum - 1/9/11