Panzanella Salad is a fresh salad filled with tomatoes, cucumbers, onions and small pieces of bread.
I had the best Mother's Day! The day was finished with the perfect dinner...I didn't have to do a thing!!! My daughter made this fabulous salad for Mother's Day! Rod was in charge of making dinner; pork chops, baked potatoes, and salad. Taylor decided she wanted to make something.
Many of her ideas were vetoed simply due to a lack of ingredients on hand. When she suggested this Panzanella Salad it sounded great and we just happened to have everything needed on hand! This salad was a huge hit.
It was so delicious...and I'm not just saying that because I'm her mother!
What is panzanella salad?
Panzanella salad is a fresh veggie salad with a light vinaigrette and crusty bread.
Taylor used some day old French bread that she sliced, brushed with olive oil and threw on the grill just before the pork chops went on. When she got just a hint of brown on the bread she took it off the grill and the bread had the perfectly light smoky taste achieved from a grill.
Taylor loves to cook. You can tell she is of the "Cooking Show" generation. I do love to watch cooking shows and often when she cooks, it's like she's being filmed. There's just a bit of extra flair that I can only assume she has gleaned from watching the great chefs on t.v!
I love that my kids cook. There's only one thing I wish I could have them improve upon...yep...clean up! For some reason they all believe clean-up means pilling everything in the sink! Really??? Who is going to take care of all those dishes in the sink anyway? Well, at least I can enjoy the food they cook and I will keep working on that clean-up part!
What fresh vegetables are used in this salad?
- Tomatoes
- Cucumbers
- Bells Peppers
- Red Onion
- Fresh Basil - Not really a vegetable, but a delicious fresh ingredient!
If you need to make this salad ahead of time, prep all the veggies and store them all together in a large bowl. Mix the vinaigrette and store in a separate container. The bread can be pre-grilled but shouldn't be added to everything ahead of time.
You will want to mix everything together about 10 minutes before serving. You want the vinaigrette to soak into the bread, but not to become too soggy.
Other Great Salads to Try:
- Oriental Chicken Salad
- Pasta and Pea Salad
- Tuna Cobb Salad
- Pear and Blue Cheese Salad
- Couscous Salad
- Thai Pasta Salad
- Tomato Salad
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Panzanella Salad
Ingredients
- ½ loaf French Bread
- 2 cups cherry tomatoes (halved)
- ½ large sliced red onion
- 2 cups chopped bell peppers (red, yellow, or orange)
- 1 cucumber chopped (unpeeled)
- ¼ cup red wine vinegar
- 2 garlic cloves (minced)
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 Tablespoon fresh basil leaves (thinly sliced.)
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- Slice bread and lightly brush with olive oil. Place slices on hot grill just until lightly browned.
- Let bread cool and rough chop into 1 inch pieces.
- Mix all veggies in large bowl.
- In separate bowl, mix vinegar, garlic, olive oil together and mustard. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Pour dressing over veggies and mix together.
- Stir in bread and mix.
- Sprinkle in fresh basil.
- Let sit 10 minutes before serving so bread can absorb the vinaigrette.
Notes
Nutritional Disclaimer:
Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and should only be construed as an estimate rather than a guarantee. To obtain the most precise nutritional information in a provided recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the exact ingredients you are using when preparing the recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.
Nutrition
Recipe Adapted From: Cooking Light, Big Book of Salads
Jessica @ Citrus Blossom Bliss says
I've only ever marveled at the beautiful panzanella salads Mario Batali has made on the food network or the chew - but now I'm pretty sure I need to make this stuff ASAP. It looks INCREDIBLE!!
Kathy says
I'm sure there are several versions of this salad out there....this one is my favorite! 🙂
Michelle @ Vitamin Sunshine says
Sounds like a wonderful Mother's Day! And a great meal. This salad sounds delicious!
Kathy says
It was absolutely perfect!
Jovita @ Yummy Addiction says
One of my most favorite salads ever! Recommend to everyone!
Kathy says
I totally agree!
Derek | Dad With A Pan says
This is a great summer salad! Adding to my list of salads to try this summer!
Kathy says
It's one of our favorites!
Bintu - Recipes From A Pantry says
What an amazing tasty and colourful looking salad. Perfect for the summer
Kathy says
It is a wonderful summer salad!
Agness of Run Agness Run says
This salad recipe is so colorful and finger-licking, Kathy! I could eat it every day!
Kathy says
I'm with you on that! I could eat it everyday too!
Medha @ Whisk & Shout says
Bread salad is the best salad! I love panzanella and this looks great 🙂
Kathy says
Thanks, Medha!
Kimberly @ KimRidge Farm says
This salad just hit my limbic system (It's the part of the brain that brings up childhood memories and other memories associated with smell and taste).
I used to make this very salad when I was a teen and a little beyond the teen's age. My only exception was that I used sour cream instead of oil and vinegar.
Try it some time my way, but don't blame me for those extra pounds 🙂 I was just a kid back then.
My kids just cleaned my dishes on my Mother's day. And you know what? It felt like a swim in an ocean or a breeze of cool, fresh air.
Kimberly
Kathy says
I will have to try it with a sour cream version... sounds like a great idea! Glad you were pampered on your special day!
Kelly - Life Made Sweeter says
So sweet that Taylor made you this salad for Mother's Day! It looks absolutely delicious!
Kathy says
It was very sweet of her and quite the yummy salad!
Ami@NaiveCookCooks says
Love the idea of adding bread in salad!! Filling and so delicious!
Kathy says
It was delicious!
Danielle @So Munch Love says
I'm glad you had a good Mother's Day! It's also awesome that your kids love to cook. I hear you about the cleanup. I was the same way when I was younger. Loved to cook, but lacked in the cleaning area. 🙂 I'm sure they'll catch up. This salad looks so tasty, I wish I had some right now for breakfast! Thanks for sharing!
Kathy says
I never loved to clean up as a kid either...in fact, it's still not my favorite thing! But it's a job that must get done!
Laura says
I love how this salad uses up old bread, or crusty bread! What a great idea and an innovative way to waste less =) And I can really appreciate how Taylor likes to cook, that's awesome! I really hope my 2 girls love cooking because unfortunately, I don't like to cook, isn't that awful? Maybe I can get them to take over and make delicious salads like this for me one day =)
Kathy says
You must teach your girls to cook, simply so they can cook all your wonderful harvests from the garden!
Erin @ Miss Scrambled Egg says
Yum! That's definitely a little out of the ordinary, but it looks delicious.
Kathy says
It was delicious!
Cathleen @ A Taste Of Madness says
This salad looks extraordinary! I just bought a big cucumber and am wanting to use it. This is the perfect solution!
Kathy says
This is the perfect salad for that cucumber!
Rachelle @ Beer Girl Cooks says
That's so sweet that Taylor helped make your Mother's Day special! I'm totally with you on the clean up though. Help me Rhonda...
Kathy says
The cooking is the fun part...clean up...not so fun. Somehow I need to turn that around!