Balsamic Panzanella Salad is so light and refreshing, the perfect summer side dish recipe to a grilled steak or chicken – or add it on top for a complete meal!
Try this panzanella salad with Dan’s Famous Whiskey Steak or this easy Grilled Steak with Spicy Kale Chimichurri Sauce. It’s the perfect summer meal!
This Is One Of The Best Recipes For Fresh Tomato Cucumber Salad
Fresh vegetables are the big thing during the summer, all the salad recipes, roasted vegetables, fresh soups, you really can’t get enough.
It’s what we wait all winter for. If you’re in an area where you have a warm climate and fresh produce all year round then you’re lucky. But for us, we wait for summer time.
Of course you can find most everything you want at grocery stores these days but it always tastes better when it’s fresh and in season.
All you need is a big loaf of crusty bread and some vegetables. My favorite part is the toasted bread cubes though…it could be a 50/50 mix of bread to vegetables if you ask me.
How To Make Panzanella Salad
Once the bread cubes are toasted, cut up the peppers, tomatoes and cucumbers, slice a little red onion really thin and get it all in a bowl with mozzarella cheese balls.
You can swap out any type of cheese you like but I like the fresh mozzarella for this salad – again, the more the better if you ask me.
And then pour on the dressing.
Are you getting the idea here of my ideal Balsamic Panzanella Salad? Mostly bread cubes and cheese with some vegetables tossed in. I lost out to the wife on the ratios…but I definitely added more bread cubes to my plate!
You’ll Love This Easy Balsamic Vinaigrette Recipe
The dressing for this salad is a simple balsamic vinaigrette, but it’s really what we use on our salads almost every night. My little guy eats a big bowl of salad with this dressing every night for dinner and then he sort of picks at the rest of the meal. Drives me crazy but it’s probably how we all should be eating!
What Other Ingredients Can Be Added To Panzanella Salad?
You can throw some fresh corn in here, marinated artichokes, sun dried tomatoes – it can be a “clean out the fridge” type salad with whatever you have on hand!
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Balsamic Panzanella Salad
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 8 minutes
- Total Time: 18 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
Print Recipe
Pin RecipeBalsamic Panzanella Salad is so light and refreshing, the perfect summer side dish recipe to a grilled steak or chicken – or add it on top for a complete meal!
Ingredients
- Creamy Balsamic Dressing
- 1 large baguette
- Kosher salt, pepper, olive oil (for seasoning the bread)
- 1 1/2 pounds cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered
- 3 bell peppers (any color) chopped
- 1 small red onion, sliced thin
- 2 cucumbers, sliced into thin rounds
- 1 pound small (or pearl) mozzarella balls
- 1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
- Make the creamy balsamic dressing and set aside.
- Cut the baguette into cubes and season with salt, pepper and olive oil. Toss and place on a baking sheet. Bake for 7-8 minutes, tossing halfway in between cooking. Remove from the oven and set aside.
- In a large bowl, add the chopped vegetables, the mozzarella balls, the fresh basil and the toasted bread cubes. Pour the dressing into the bowl, starting with about half and tossing. Add as much dressing as you like and toss again.
- You can serve immediately or let sit at room temperature for about 15 minutes to let the bread absorb some of the dressing, and then toss once more before serving.
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian / American
What s an Italian summer without this? Tomato, fresh mozzarella, kalamata olives, and fresh basil salad.
I couldn’t agree more Darrin!
Grilling some ribs this weekend and this will be the sides…I love how it covers a three food groups too – bread, veggies, dairy! Thanks, Dan!
Thank you Kim for stopping by!
Where are the instructions?
Sorry about that rafael! We’re having some technical difficulties today, they’re on there now!