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Celebrate summer veggies with Panzanella Salad
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Panzanella Salad

Panzanella Salad is a filling and flavorful salad. It is best served at room temperature. It's great for a buffet table or as a main dish for dinner. 
Course Lunch or Dinner
Cuisine Mediterranean
Prep Time 15 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes
Servings 6
Calories 42kcal
Author Deb Clark

Ingredients

  • 1 cucumber seeded and peeled if desired
  • 4-5 tomatoes various sizes, shapes and colors, organic and homegrown if possible!
  • ½ red onion thinly sliced
  • 1 cup kalamata olives sliced in half
  • 1 bunch basil torn or chiffon'd
  • ½ loaf ciabata bread day old works best
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • Salad Vinaigrette

Instructions

  • You really want the bread to be a bit stale so it holds up under the salad dressing. If you purchase a fresh loaf, cut it into bite sized chunks and toast them in the oven until they are crispy.  Simply toss the bread cubes in olive oil, salt & pepper and bake in the oven at 300 degrees until they are crispy; 15-20 minutes, remove and allow to cool.  Add to a large bowl.
  • If desired peel & seed the cucumber. Chop it into bite sized pieces. 
  • Wash the tomatoes well, core and cut them into bite sized pieces also. 
  • Slice the onion and red bell pepper very thinly. Into the bowl they go with the bread.
  • Drain the olives and slice in half. Add them to the salad bowl.
  • Remove the basil leaves from the stems.  Stack them and roll it tightly and slice into ribbons (you can tear them too, but this looks really pretty!) This is called a Chiffonade. Add the basil to the bowl.
  • When you have everything prepared and in the bowl, toss it with the dressing. Add just enough dressing to lightly coat the ingredients. Season the salad with salt & pepper to taste. Serve immediately.

Notes

Take the plunge and make your own homemade dressing! It's not hard to do and with such fresh ingredients it will make it that much better! However, if that's not your thing....I won't tell! Purchase a good store bought vinaigrette, that will be delicious too.
Although you'd think the bread would be soggy, if it's stale or toasted, it can hold its own.

Nutrition

Calories: 42kcal | Carbohydrates: 2g | Fat: 3g | Sodium: 351mg | Potassium: 90mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 195IU | Vitamin C: 2.6mg | Calcium: 23mg | Iron: 0.3mg