The best simple panzanella salad with lots of fresh veggies and a delicious balsamic dressing
The other day I was craving a caprese type salad and threw together some tomatoes, some fresh basil, and mozzarella. What started as a very simple salad kept growing and growing with whatever I had out on my counters or in the fridge. A leftover corn on the cob? Yes. Avocados? Always. And then the best part: half of a slightly stale sourdough baguette. BREAD in a salad? YES. This Tomato, Corn, and Avocado Panzanella Salad has quickly become one of our favorites!
So first off, if you’ve never heard of a panzanella salad, it’s a tuscan chopped salad with bread and tomatoes. It usually includes chunks of soaked stale bread, tomatoes, onions, and basil and is often dressed in an olive oil + vinegar dressing. It’s also popular in other parts of central Italy. 
Since throwing together that rather impromptu salad a few weeks ago, we’ve made it countless times and I’m so excited to finally be sharing it with you all. I mean, anytime a SALAD is mostly composed of bread, it really should be made and eaten frequently 🙂
My husband claims it to be his favorite salad ever and I’m not surprised because he’s obsessed with sourdough bread. I grab sourdough bread just about every single time I’m at the grocery store because he and the boys can finish a loaf in record speeds.
On the rare occasion it isn’t eaten as quickly as it usually is, the slightly stale sourdough bread is absolutely perfect for this salad!
Here are a few tips for the best panzanella salad:
- The optimal ratio for a perfect panzanella salad is 1/3 bread and 2/3rds the other good stuff! It’s okay to add some lettuce (I use a few leaves of butter lettuce, but arugula would also be delicious), as long as they are used sparingly. Otherwise you’re just going to end up with a standard leafy lettuce with a few croutons! Add the fresh herbs RIGHT before serving so they don’t get wilted.
- You can use whatever bread you have as long as it’s not a fully or crustless bread (no brioche or challah). You want a crispy bread with a crunchy exterior and soft interior.
- You can cut the bread (I did for these pictures to get a more even appearance for the photos), but the best panzanella is made by tearing the bread into cubes. That way the dressing can get into all the uneven pieces of the bread. When you do cut or tear the bread, make sure the pieces aren’t too big. The should be bite-sized. You can use stale bread OR toast fresh bread in the oven to dry it all out. Another fun idea is to grill the bread: brush oil over both sides of the bread, season with salt and pepper, and then grill it for a couple of minutes on each side. Let it cool completely and then break that into small, 1-inch pieces!
- Texture for this salad is everything! You don’t want a soggy bread salad, but don’t want the bread too hard either. I’ve found 30 minutes is a good amount of time for the bread to soften and the flavors to meld. Don’t let it sit too long or you’ll get a soggy salad without a lot of texture and variety. Speaking of variety: use different sizes or varieties of tomatoes for this salad to have a really great texture.
More Salad Recipes:
Avocado and Orange Quinoa Salad
Avocado, Citrus, and Beet Salad
For more delicious recipes, follow along on Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube 🙂
The best simple panzanella salad with lots of fresh veggies and a delicious balsamic dressing
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- Fine sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper
- 1 sourdough baguette, torn into cubes (~4 cups)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 cup cocktail tomatoes, quartered
- 1 cup mozzarella balls (bocconcini), halved or quartered
- 1 fresh corn on the cob, corn cut off
- 1 large Hass avocado, sliced or chopped into bite sized pieces
- 20 basil leaves, thinly sliced
- Optional: 1 small head of Bibb lettuce, ripped into small pieces
- Optional 1 small lemon
-
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and adjust the rack to center position. If using a baguette, cut into 1-inch slices and then tear those slices into 4-6 pieces. Place on a large sheet pan and drizzle with 2 tablespoons olive oil. Toss. Bake until crisp and firm but not browned, about 15 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool.
-
Meanwhile, for the vinaigrette, whisk all the ingredients together. Add salt and pepper to taste; I add 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and then add more to the salad overall. Place dressing in a mason jar in the fridge to chill while preparing the rest of the ingredients. Shake the dressing well right before pouring over the salad.
-
In a large bowl, mix the halved cherry tomatoes, quartered cocktail tomatoes, halved or quartered mozzarella balls, the raw corn from the cob (cook/grill if desired, we love it raw and crunchy!), and ripped pieces of lettuce if desired. Add the completely cooled bread and the dressing to taste (you don't need to use all of it, add to preference) Toss the salad and let rest for 25-30 minutes, tossing occasionally, until the bread absorbs the dressing.
-
Right before serving, add the sliced or chopped avocado, basil leaves, and any additional dressing. Season salad to taste with salt and pepper. Add a squeeze of fresh lemon if desired.
hey girl- this salad looks amazing!