Panzanella Toscana salad - Italian bread salad

An epicurean adventure to: Italy

Panzanella Toscana is a deliciously filling and rather unique Italian bread salad.

It combines the distinct flavours of tomatoes, cucumbers, onions and basil with cubes of golden, toasted bread. Dress it in a zesty vinaigrette and you have something truly special.

Unlike most other salads, Panzanella is unique because it actually gets better with time. In fact, it's often tastiest after a few hours or even the next day. The flavours have a chance to mingle and the bread soaks up the dressing.

Panzanella Toscana is a traditional Italian salad that originated in the region of Tuscany, central Italy. It is particularly associated with the breathtakingly beautiful city of Florence and the surrounding countryside.

Panzanella Toscana showcases the ingenuity of Italian cooking, transforming humble ingredients into a stunning meal, every time.

For more unique salad recipes, try this healthy sweet potato and kale salad, a curried rice salad, caprese salad with hot honey dressing or this eye-pleasing rainbow salad with Chinese-inspired dressing.

Fast facts - Italy

Key ingredients and substitutions

*Please see the recipe card at the bottom of this post for the full recipe and list of ingredients.

Bread

We use either ciabatta or French baguette for this recipe.

Traditionally, stale, leftover bread is used, but you can also use fresh bread without a huge difference in taste.

What matters most is that the bread has a sturdy texture to hold up well with the other ingredients, especially after soaking up some of the dressing. So, feel free to use what works best for you.

Garlic

Here's our little twist - we add garlic to the olive oil when toasting the bread.

This small addition makes a huge difference and sets it apart from other Panzanella recipes. The bits of toasted garlicky bread might well become your favourite part of the entire salad, we can almost guarantee it!

You'll also need more fresh garlic for the dressing.

Olive oil

Use either virgin olive oil or extra virgin olive oil.

Tomatoes

Use your favourite fresh tomatoes, there is no hard and fast rule here.

We prefer using the small, sweet varieties like Roma tomatoes, cherry tomatoes or plum tomatoes. The riper they are, the better they'll taste in the salad.

Roasted peppers

This recipe calls for roasted peppers from a jar, typically preserved in oil.

We prefer using these peppers because they have a sweet and slightly smoky flavour.

However, if you prefer, you can use fresh bell pepper instead. The choice is yours!

Cucumber

Regular cucumbers are the stalwart of most salads. We recommend removing the soft, fleshy inside part of the cucumber using a melon baller before slicing it into smaller pieces.

This helps to create a crisper texture in the salad. The seeds also tend to be a bit sour.

If you don't have a melon baller, just quarter the cucumber lengthways and slide a knife along the entire length of each quarter to remove the strip of seeds.

Fresh basil leaves

Chopped. You can leave a few leaves intact for garnishing if you like.

Shallots

Shallots are small onions that taste slightly sweeter than brown or red onion. We like how delicate they look in the salad. But, you can use any onions you prefer.

Red wine vinegar

You can also use sherry vinegar, or balsamic vinegar (gives a hint of sweetness). White wine vinegar can also be used but should be your last option.

Sugar

To offset the sour components in the salad.

Optional toppings

Fresh mozzarella, parmesan shavings, rocket leaves, chopped nuts, black pepper.

How to make Panzanella salad - Quick summary

• To make the bread cubes for the Panzanella salad, toss them in olive oil and crushed garlic.
  
  Then, spread them out on a baking sheet and roast them in the oven for approximately 15 minutes.
  
  Keep an eye on them and remove them when they turn a light golden brown and become crispy.

• Slice and salt the tomatoes. Let them sit in a colander for about 30 minutes for some of the excess moisture to drain off.
  
  Salting the tomatoes also intensifies their flavour.

• Assemble the salad in a large salad bowl by combining the tomatoes, bread, sliced cucumber, peppers, shallots and basil.

• Make the salad dressing by mixing together all the ingredients. Drizzle over the salad and lightly toss together.

• Top the salad with creamy mozzarella cheese, shavings of parmesan, more extra-virgin olive oil, rocket, black pepper or sliced nuts.

Notable variations and additions

• Feta cheese.

• Thin slices of roast peaches.

• Avocado.

• Bocconcini (mini mozzarella balls).

• Grilled halloumi.

• Parsley.

• Olives.

• Nuts.

• Anchovies.

• Peppadews.

• Spring onions (green onions)

• Add ½ teaspoon of Dijon mustard to the dressing.

• Squeeze over some lemon juice.

Serve with

• Grilled meats or seafood: Complement grilled chicken, steak, shrimp, or fish beautifully.

• Italian antipasti: Serve alongside a selection of Italian antipasti such as cured meats, cheeses, marinated vegetables and olives.

• Soups: Pairs well with light soups such as tomato soup or vegetable soup.

• Bruschetta or crostini: Serve alongside toasted bread with creamy toppings like cream cheese. It's a great way to continue the theme of bread-based dishes.

• Pasta dishes: Pair the salad with a pasta dish such as spaghetti aglio e olio, Spaghetti Arrabiata, Lemon chicken orzo pasta, Tuna pesto pasta, Pasta alla Sorrentina, creamy Italian pasta salad or even a light pasta primavera.

• Grilled vegetables: Serve alongside grilled vegetables like stuffed courgettes, roasted aubergine, bell peppers, tenderstem broccoli or asparagus.

• Mediterranean mezze platter: Create a Mediterranean-inspired spread with this Tuscan Panzanella salad as one component. Include items like hummus, tzatziki, falafel, stuffed grape leaves and pita bread.

• Roasted chicken or turkey: Pair the salad with roasted chicken or turkey for a complete and hearty meal.

• Summer barbeque: Serve the salad as part of a summer barbecue feast along with other salads like nectarine salad. It complements grilled meats, burgers, hot dogs and other barbecue favourites well.

• Pizza: Serve the Panzanella salad as a side dish alongside a delicious slice of pizza.

Storage

The salad will last for 2-3 days in the fridge if kept in an airtight container. Unlike most salads, Panzanella gets better by the next day and even the day after.

Not suitable for freezing, obviously.