Filled with ripe, juicy tomatoes and crusty bread, this panzanella salad is a delicious summer meal. A shower of fresh basil takes it over the top.
This classic panzanella is one of the recipes I make most often throughout the summer. In this Tuscan bread salad, cubes of dry Italian bread mingle with juicy tomatoes, crisp cucumbers, and savory onions. A big handful of basil and a zingy vinaigrette tie it all together.
Panzanella has humble roots. It originated in the Tuscany region of Italy as a way to use up stale bread. But its simple ingredients create a salad that’s so much more than the sum of its parts. The dried-out bread soaks up the tomato juices and tangy dressing, softening and absorbing all that fresh summer flavor.
In July and August, I make this panzanella recipe as often as I can. This tomato bread salad is one of the best ways to celebrate peak tomato season. If you’re new to panzanella, I hope you’ll try it this summer. I think you’ll love it too!
How to Make a Panzanella Salad
You can find the complete panzanella recipe with measurements below, but for now, here’s a quick overview of how it goes:
Start by drying out the bread in the oven.
Traditionally, panzanella is made with stale bread. But I’ve found that I like it best when I start with fresh bread cubes and toast them in the oven before adding them to the salad.
This way, you’re able to control the bread’s texture. It should be crisp around the edges and slightly soft in the middle. Of course, you can start with stale bread too—just adjust the bake time as necessary to reach the right texture!
- Tip: Use good crusty bread. Great bread is essential for making a great panzanella. Make sure to use a good crusty loaf. I like ciabatta or sourdough.
Then, make the dressing.
At the bottom of a large bowl, whisk together olive oil, sherry or red wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, garlic, salt, and pepper to make the homemade dressing.
The dressing will taste sharp on its own, but that’s a good thing! The bread can soak up quite a bit of flavor, so we want the dressing to have a nice punch.
Toss together the salad.
Add the onion, tomatoes, cucumber, and bread to the bowl with the dressing and toss to coat. If you like, you can also add some torn fresh mozzarella cheese for creaminess. Add the basil and gently toss.
- Tip: Use peak-season summer tomatoes. Fresh, ripe tomatoes are essential for a great panzanella. The sweeter and tangier they are, the more flavorful the dressing will be. I like to use a mix of heirloom tomatoes and cherry tomatoes.
Season to taste and serve!
This panzanella is great right after you toss it together. It’s even better when you let it sit for 30 minutes before serving, giving the toasted bread a chance to soak up the flavorful dressing and tomato juices.
But I don’t recommend making it more than a couple of hours in advance. If it sits for too long, the bread will get soggy.
What to Serve with Panzanella
Thanks to the hearty bread and mozzarella, this panzanella salad is a great lunch or light dinner on its own. If you’re looking for something to pair with it, I recommend grilled eggplant or zucchini to round out the meal. It would also go nicely with any protein you like.
Enjoy!
More Favorite Summer Salads
If you love this panzanella recipe, try one of these fresh summer salads next:
- Cucumber Tomato Salad
- Tomato Salad
- Classic Caprese Salad
- Niçoise Salad
- Greek Salad
- Cherry Tomato Couscous Salad
- Burrata with Heirloom Tomatoes
- Or any of these 51 Best Salad Recipes!
Panzanella
Ingredients
- ½ pound ciabatta or sourdough bread, cut into 1-inch cubes
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- ½ cup thinly sliced red onion
- 1½ pounds tomatoes, sliced into wedges or halved
- ½ English cucumber, sliced into half moons
- 6 ounces fresh mozzarella, torn (optional)
- 1 cup fresh basil leaves, torn, plus more for garnish
- Sea salt
For the dressing
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 3 tablespoons sherry vinegar or red wine vinegar
- 3 garlic cloves, grated
- ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
- Heaping ½ teaspoon sea salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the bread on the baking sheet, drizzle with the olive oil, and sprinkle with salt. Toss to coat and spread evenly on the sheet. Bake for 7 to 10 minutes, or until crisp around the edges.
- Make the dressing: In a large bowl, whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, garlic, mustard, salt, and several grinds of pepper.
- Add the onion, tomatoes, cucumber, and bread to the bowl with the dressing and toss to coat. Add the cheese, if using, and the basil and gently toss. Season to taste and serve with more fresh basil on top.
Love this salad! I also added fresh peaches for an additional flavor extravaganza!
I happened to make this just before a power outage and couldn’t have picked a better dish for a hot summer night.
If I were Anne of Green Gables, I would call this salad, “Summer Garden Delight”! From the first bite, my husband said, “This is GREAT! You need to make it again!” I used vegan shredded mozzarella cheese, which dressed up the salad beautifully. How is it that basil always steals the show?! Delicious salad ~ thank you for the recipe!
I’m so glad you enjoyed the salad, Susan! Love the Anne of Green Gables reference 🙂
Made this recently with some company in town and we all enjoyed the fresh flavors and the zing from the dressing. Will definitely be making again!
So glad you loved it, Nicole!
My colleague gave me tomatoes from his garden for this recipe. So tasty and such an easy make. Summer staple
A perfect summer salad! Beautiful to look at and refreshing to eat! I loved it!
This is a lunch favorite for me. It’s quick, fresh, and light. I substituted burrata for the mozzarella and I also used some balsamic vinegar instead of red wine vinegar but it still turned out delicious.
Made the panzanella salad last night. I used homemade rustic Italian bread with tri-colored tomatoes and homegrown meaty basil. It was so delicious-the flavors of the dressing that soaked into the bread. I couldn’t stop eating the bread cubes before dinner.
All the flavors of summer in a bowl! Made this salad for dinner last night with a variety of tomatoes, cucumbers, crusty bread, and fresh herbs. It was delicious and I hope to make it again before tomato season comes to an end.
Oh my goodness, this was so delicious! I own your cookbooks and have tried many of your recipes and this has been one of my faves!!! I used gf sourdough bread and it was sooo good! Loved the combo of cucumber and tomato’s with basil and mozzarella and the tangy dressing. Super quick, flavorful, fresh, and healthy dinner! Thank you! Next up will be the peach and corn panzanella!!
Made this for dinner tonight with fresh cucumbers and basil from my garden. It was so good and fresh for summer! I honestly could have just eaten the croutons by themselves after they came out of the oven, ugh so good! #loveandlemonscookingclub
So glad you loved it, Nicole!
So fresh and delightful! I added some pinto beans and olive to bulk it up a bit!
So glad you enjoyed it, Lindsay!
Can’t get enough of this salad!! Made it twice this week with fresh farmers market tomatoes, basil and bread and I even added a small peach. Thanks for sharing this recipe!
Hi Andrea, I’m so glad you loved the salad! I always support adding peaches to panzanella 🙂
Made this salad recently. It’s s perfect summer recipe! Easy and tastes great. I think I’ll be adding it to my regular rotation.
So glad you enjoyed it, Adrienne!
This is the most delicious and refreshing summer salad! I used homemade sourdough bread, fresh veggies from my garden and added ripe peaches and chickpeas. So bright and really tasty and sure to be on the weekly rotation!
Hi Adrienne, this variation sounds SO GOOD! Love a panzanella with peaches 🙂
Super simple and tasty summer salad. I made it with gf crusty roll for my granddaughter and she loved it too.
I’m so glad you loved it!
Such a great summer salad! I used balsamic and a discount loaf of bread and it was great. Thanks!
#loveandlemonscookingclub
I’m so glad you loved it!
We all loved this salad! I was happy to use my own sourdough and vegetables and herbs from the garden. This will be a go-to for me going forward!
Another great recipe from Love and Lemons!
I’m so glad you loved it!
Made it tonight and we loved it! Those croutons, so good!
Delicious, fun, flavorful, and easy!