Home
Healthy Family
Healthy Community
Healthy World
Site Menu
Recipes Meal-o-matic Favorite Foods Blog / Stories
Preschool Adventure Food Adventure Home Edition Classes & Events
Partners About Stay in Touch
My Stuff Log In Shop our Store Donate

Panzanella

SAVE ✓ SAVED ADD TO MEAL PLAN PRINT

This delicious salad was first introduced to us by Dr. Yum herself in one of her very first project newsletters in 2014. It is a traditional panzanella or bread salad, which uses fresh ingredients straight from your summer garden or the farmers market! You can also find these ingredients in the grocery store year-round so you can have a taste of summer anytime. This salad is a perfect side for grilled chicken or fish, but it is also complete enough to be a light meal on its own. It is a very flexible salad, so feel free to add different vegetable ingredients or switch up the flavors by using a different vinegar or another type of cheese, like mozzarella or feta. You could also try different types of crusty bread like ciabatta, cheese bread, or a multigrain loaf.

Ingredients

Food
Amt
Units
Prep
Notes
1 loaf French bread, cut into 1 inch cubes (about 12 cups)
French bread
1
loaf
cut into 1 inch cubes
about 12 cups
⅓ cup olive oil
olive oil
cup
1 teaspoon garlic powder
garlic powder
1
teaspoon
½ teaspoon salt
salt
½
teaspoon
½ teaspoon black pepper
black pepper
½
teaspoon
1 small red onion, sliced
red onion
1
small
sliced
1 pound cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered (all colors)
cherry tomatoes
1
pound
halved or quartered
all colors
2 large cucumbers, cubed
cucumbers
2
large
cubed
3 bell peppers, cut into 1 inch pieces (any color)
bell peppers
3
cut into 1 inch pieces
any color
1 cup fresh basil leaves, cut into ribbons
fresh basil leaves
1
cup
cut into ribbons
8 ounces cheddar cheese, cut into 1/2 inch cubes (block)
cheddar cheese
8
ounces
cut into 1/2 inch cubes
block
¼ cup red wine vinegar
red wine vinegar
¼
cup
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
dijon mustard
1
tablespoon
1 tablespoon maple syrup
maple syrup
1
tablespoon
salt and pepper (to taste)
salt and pepper
to taste
½ cup olive oil
olive oil
½
cup

Method

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Chop bread into 1 inch cubes. In a large bowl, toss bread cubes with 1/3 cup olive oil, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper. Spread bread on a large baking sheet and put in oven for 20-30 minutes, stirring halfway through, until croutons are lightly browned and crispy. Set aside to cool. In a large bowl, combine tomatoes, cucumber, and bell pepper, and red onion, cheese, basil, and cooled bread. Prepare vinaigrette by adding 1/4 cup vinegar, 1 tablespoon Dijon, 1 tablespoon maple syrup, salt and pepper to a mason jar. Screw on lid and shake vigorously. Add 1/2 cup olive oil and shake again. Dress salad to your liking. Any remaining dressing will keep in the refrigerator for up to a week.

Prep time
30 min
Cook time
30 min
Yields/Serves:
12
Contains Dairy, Contains Wheat
Nutrition Information

Yum Ratings

😫😟😐😀😍 “Tastes like summer in a bowl!” —Amy, a grown up
😫😟😐😀😍 “I can't believe I just ate raw tomatoes and onions!” —Bob, a grown up
😫😟😐😀😍 “I like the bread the best, but I also like the peppers!” —Damien, age 10
😫😟😐😀😍 “Cherry tomatoes are my favorite!” —Olivia, age 4