This Summer Panzanella Salad has all the flavors of a BLT for a super tasty, light weeknight meal. It's great for summer picnics & BBQs too!!
If you love Panzanella salads check out this fall Panzanella I created with butternut squash - delicious!
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This is one of my very first food blog posts. It was originally published back in August 2013. I was brand new to blogging when I wrote it and the original version didn't even include photos, so I figured it was time for an update. This beautiful Summer Panzanella salad, with its BLT flavors, definitely deserves a few photos!
Contents:
What is a Panzanella Salad?
Panzanella is a Tuscan salad that was created as a way to use up crusty bread that has become stale, as well as celebrate the bounty of summer tomatoes. The juice from the tomatoes and the dressing brings new life to the slightly stale bread.
Salads are always one of my favorite things to eat in the summer and I love to come up with new variations on things I've made before. This particular salad happened quite by accident due to a head of lettuce that had gone bad!
I had intended to make an Italian-inspired chopped salad for a 4th of July BBQ, however, when I went to pull the ingredients out we realized the lettuce had started to turn. Without the lettuce, I had to improvise, so I cut up a nice loaf of sourdough that I happened to have on hand, toasted it up in the oven and added the toasted bread cubes to the mix. The result turned into the extremely tasty summer BLT Panzanella salad!!
This is the perfect recipe to add to your summer meals recipe collection. Read on to learn more about how to make this Summer BLT Panzanella Salad, or jump straight to the recipe to start cooking!
Ingredients + Substitutions
- Bread: Sourdough bread is my favorite for this recipe but any crusty bread will work. It's best if it's a day or so old as it will toast better.
- Tomatoes: The directions call for grape tomatoes, however, since tomatoes are so abundant in the summer any fresh tomato works. If using larger tomatoes just chop them into bite-sized pieces.
- Chickpeas: I generally use canned beans for salads because it makes the process quick and easy. They provide a good dose of protein in this salad.
- Bacon: I love the coffee-rubbed bacon from Whole Foods. Maple bacon is another good choice. I recommend using thick-cut bacon so the pieces don't get lost among the other ingredients. If you want a vegetarian version, skip the bacon.
- Blue Cheese: If you like you can use pre-crumbled blue cheese however, for the best taste I'd recommend getting a high-quality version from the cheese counter and crumbling it yourself.
Tips for making Panzanella Salad
The process of making a Panzanella salad is really easy and only requires a few simple steps.
- Toast the bread: Start with this step and you can prep everything else while the bread is cooking and cooling.
- Make the dressing: I often use a small mason jar to make salad dressing. You simply add the ingredients and shake to blend. If you are storing any of the dressing for later simply seal the jar with the lid and pop it in the refrigerator.
- Chop the veggies: Chop up all of your veggies and add them to a large mixing bowl as you go.
- Let the flavors meld: Once you've added the bread cubes and the dressing, toss the salad well and then you'll want to let it sit in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes. If you are serving this later in the day wait until about 30 minutes before serving to add the bread. You want it to soften a bit and soak up the dressing and the juice from the tomatoes but you don't want it to get too soggy.
Frequently asked questions
Yes, technically any type of bread will work, however, for best results, I recommend using a crusty bread like sourdough or french bread.
The best way to store extra Panzanella is to keep the bread separate from the other ingredients to prevent it from getting soggy. Ideally, you'd keep any extra bread in a resealable bag and the rest of the salad can go in an airtight container in the refrigerator. If you've already mixed the entire salad, just store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. The bread won't be as crisp, but the salad will still taste great!
Recommended Tools
Large baking sheet – Rimmed baking sheets are an essential kitchen tool. They can be used for all types of baking and cooking, everything from sheet pan meals to baking cookies.
Small Mason Jar – These small jars are the perfect size for making salad dressing or storing small amounts of leftover liquid ingredients.
Large mixing bowl - These bowls from Crate & Barrel are one of my favorite sets. They are dishwasher-safe and have lids to make storing leftovers easy!
Serving Suggestions
This salad makes a great, light meal all on its own but if you want to add a bit more protein, I'd recommend some simple grilled seafood like these Margarita Shimp or this Grilled Salmon with Mustard Sauce.
More summer salad recipes
If you are looking for great salad ideas check out these reader favorites:
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Summer Panzanella Salad
Ingredients
For the salad:
- 6 cups sourdough bread, cut into 1" cubes (this is about ⅔ of a loaf)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 (15 ounce) can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
- 12 - 14 baby carrots, chopped
- 4 ounce fresh mozzarella, cut into 1" cubes
- 1 cup grape tomatoes, cut into half
- ¼ cup crumbled blue cheese
- 3-4 slices cooked bacon, chopped
- 1 avocado, cubed
- 4 green onions, chopped
For the vinaigrette:
- ¾ teaspoon Coleman's or other dried mustard
- 1 ½ teaspoons minced shallot
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon dried basil
- ½ teaspoon dried rosemary
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- ¼ teaspoon dried sage
- ½ teaspoon dried minced garlic
- ¼ teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
- ⅛ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Heat the oven. Preheat oven to 300°F.
- Toast the bread. Place bread cubes on a rimmed baking sheet and drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Stir to coat. Toast for 15 - 20 minutes until lightly golden brown. Remove from the oven and let cool.
- Make the vinaigrette. In a small bowl combine the mustard, shallot, oregano, basil, rosemary, thyme, sage, garlic, pepper, salt and sugar. Mix well. Add the vinegars and stir to combine. Whisk in the olive oil until blended.
- Make the salad. While the cubes are baking combine beans, carrots, mozzarella, tomatoes and blue cheese in a large mixing bowl. Stir to combine and set aside.
- Toss the salad. Once the bread cubes are cool add them to the bowl with the veggies and mix well. Slowly pour the dressing over the salad and toss until everything is well coated. Place the salad in the refrigerator and let sit for at least 30 minutes.
- Add the toppings. Just before serving top with bacon, avocado and green onion.
This recipe post was originally published in August 2013. It was updated in May 2023 with some new images and information. No changes have been made to the original recipe.
Mary // Chattavore
I❤️panzanella! Yours looks wonderful. It was all of my favorite "stuff" in it!
Stephanie@ApplesforCJ
This sounds like the perfect summer meal and such a great Way to use stale bread!
Cynthia | What A Girl Eats
what a fabulous looking salad! Perfect for a summer potluck!
Jagruti
Beautiful recipe, great for summer and what nice way to use up all the left over bread.
Abby @ WinsteadWandering
I love Panzanella! Why did I never think to add BACON do it? That makes it pretty much perfect.
FoodieGirlChicago
Thanks Abby - bacon always makes things better! 🙂
Elaine @ Dishes Delish
Looks both beautiful and yummy! Great recipe!
Jenna
This looks delicious! The perfect salad for summer days that has a little substance.
Caroline @ Pinch Me, I'm Eating!
I keep meaning to try making a panzanella salad! This looks great! I love it when you accidentally make an awesome meal!
DianaD Reid
This salad looks delicious and just the right food for this Summer!