• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to footer navigation
  • Skip to header navigation
  • Skip to privacy navigation
  • Skip to recipes navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • About
  • My Cookbooks
  • Work With Me
  • Shop
  • Contact

The Flavor Bender

Master the Science of Delicious

  • Recipe Index
    • All Recipes
    • Desserts
      • Cakes & Cupcakes
      • Candy & Bite Sizes
      • Chocolate
      • Cookies, Brownies & Bars
      • Frozen Desserts
      • Fruit Desserts
      • Puddings & Custards
      • Dessert drinks
      • No Bake
      • Pastries & Breads
      • Sweet Syrups & Spreads
      • Tarts & Pies
      • Cheesecakes
      • Healthy sweets
    • Breakfasts
      • Tarts, Quiches, & Pies
      • Waffles, Pancakes & Crepes
      • Quick Breads, Scones & Muffins
      • Breakfast Sandwiches
      • Pastries & Breads
      • Eggs
      • Breakfast & Brunch Drinks
      • Make Ahead Breakfasts
      • Healthy Breakfasts
      • Coffee and Tea drinks
      • Breakfast Smoothies & Juices
      • Breakfast Sides
      • Casseroles
    • Courses
      • Main Meals
        • Bread, Sandwiches & Burgers
        • Curries
        • Salads
        • Roasts & BBQ
        • Soups & Stews
        • Casseroles
      • Bread
      • Lunch
      • Beverages
      • Appetizers & Tapas
      • Sides
      • Dips & Condiments
      • Tea Time & Snacks
      • Desserts
      • Meal Prep
      • Cocktails
    • Cuisines
      • American
      • European
      • Australasian
      • Sri Lankan
      • East Asian
      • Mexican
      • Middle Eastern
      • South Asian
    • Sri Lankan
      • Main Meals
      • Drinks
    • Skill Level
      • Easy
        • Easy Desserts
        • Easy Cooking
        • Easy Breads
        • Easy Breakfasts
        • Easy Dinners
      • Intermediate
        • Intermediate Desserts
        • Intermediate Cooking
        • Intermediate Breads
        • Intermediate Breakfasts
        • Intermediate Dinners
      • Advanced
        • Advanced Desserts
        • Advanced Cooking
  • New? Start Here
  • Measurement Conversions
  • How-To Posts
The Flavor Bender Recipes Courses Main Meals Salads Classic Panzanella Salad

Classic Panzanella Salad

1 hr 30 mins
Easy
Salads
Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
31 shares

Disclaimer: The Flavor Bender is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program. There are links on this site that can be defined as “affiliate links”. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases (at no cost to you) that will help support this website.

Author: Dini K.
Posted: 2/9/2022
Updated: 2/9/2022
Panzanella Pin

Panzanella is a classic salad originating from the Tuscany region of Italy, and popular throughout the country. It’s super simple to make and easy to adapt to what you have at home too. Bread, onion and tomato are all you need, but feel free to make it your own!

This chopped bread and tomato salad is also an incredibly versatile, simple and tasty salad to use up stale bread.

Overhead view of toasted bread cubes with tomatoes, cucumber and herbs, serve in a white bowl with a fork

I was introduced to Panzanella salad when I used to live in Australia, more than a decade ago. I’ve been making it regularly since then, all year round. It may typically be a warm weather salad, but so long as I have dry or stale bread and tomatoes in the house, classic panzanella salad is a no-brainer. It’s such a great way for us to use up stale sourdough bread, and the ends of bread loaves.

What is Panzanella?

Panzanella is an Italian chopped salad, which consists of chopped stale bread, chopped tomatoes, onions and salad dressing. I also always add basil and cucumber to the salad, and sometimes I like to add parsley, peppers, hard-boiled eggs or even bacon too!

This obviously diverges from the simple, classic salad, but as you can see it’s very adaptable and these additions ramp up the flavor several fold! The stale bread absorbs all the flavor from the ingredients. This quintessential summer salad is also known as Panmolle.

Angled view of a cream colored bowl with the panzanella salad, and with napkins in the background on a grey tabletop

Ingredients needed to make classic panzanella salad

Toasted bread

Stale bread is what is traditionally used, but I prefer to use toasted bread instead. Fresh (or stale) bread is cut into cubes and toasted in the oven with oil and garlic. I find that this gives me the BEST results for a delicious panzanella. It’s the same technique that I use for my roasted panzanella salad as well.

I also don’t like to use regular supermarket sandwich bread. A good sourdough loaf, baguettes, or any crusty loaf of bread will work perfectly.

A white paper bags, on a cutting board with bread cubes falling out

Tomatoes

Summer tomatoes are the best for this panzanella salad for obvious reasons. They just taste that much better. But you can use tomatoes in the winter too even if they don’t taste as sweet.

Here, I use heirloom tomatoes. But I also love using cherry tomatoes! Roma tomatoes also work very well. Basically any tomato that tastes good to you will work in this panzanella recipe.

Why do you salt the tomatoes?

The trick to getting tomatoes to taste even better is to salt them. This was something I picked up years ago, although for different reasons. Salt draws out moisture, making the tomato taste just a little sweeter, and also prevents sandwiches from getting soggy by the tomatoes.

But for this recipe, we WANT all that moisture to soak the bread cubes. So salt those tomatoes to draw out the moisture (i.e. more “flavored moisture” to soak the bread), and it makes the tomatoes a little sweeter as well.

Different colored heirloom tomatoes on a black surface with basil in the background

Onions

I like to use red onions, or vidalia onions or shallots. All these onions can be eaten raw, so it’s important to use an onion type that can be enjoyed raw. My personal preference is shallots, because they are sweeter and they have a more subtle sharpness in flavor. Honestly though, I use red onions more often because they are more widely available.

Cucumber

This is usually optional, but I LOVE cucumbers in this salad. It’s the main crunchy factor in this salad too.

Basil

Basil is my herb of choice for this salad. But you can also use a combination of basil and parsley.

Salad dressing

A simple garlic lemon dressing will work wonders in a classic panzanella salad. But I do often like it with a balsamic dressing instead though.

Other optional ingredients

  • Parsley
  • Bell peppers
  • Lettuce
  • Arugula leaves
  • Bacon
  • Boiled eggs

How to make the salad

There are a few additional steps that I take to make this panzanella salad to my liking. You are welcome to skip these, but I do highly recommend following them if you can.

First, cut up the stale bread into 1 inch sized cubes. This doesn’t have to be precise, just roughly the same size. Don’t make them too small because you want the bread to absorb the moisture, but not turn into mush either.

Toast the bread cubes with butter and garlic. You can do this in the oven or in a large pan. I prefer the oven, because it dries out the bread more. The goal is to add flavor to the bread and remove moisture. The bread doesn’t have to be toasted all over – only slightly toasted.

Place the toasted bread cubes in a large bowl.

Cut up the tomatoes into similar-sized cubes. If you’re using cherry tomatoes, cut them in half. Place them in a bowl, and sprinkle some salt over the tomatoes. Mix and let it sit for about 10-15 minutes. The salt will draw out some of the water in the tomatoes and make them a little sweeter as well. Do NOT throw out the water that is drawn out.

Chopped heirloom tomatoes in a pink bowl in the foreground, and toasted bread in a larger bowl in the background

While the tomatoes are sitting in the bowl, get the dressing for the panzanella salad ready. I love balsamic vinegar, so my dressing of choice is a mustard and balsamic dressing. A simple lemon vinaigrette also works beautifully! Whisk all the ingredients for the dressing in a bowl and set aside.

Slice the onions into thin slices. If the onion is big, cut the slices in half to make them shorter. Chop the cucumber into 1/2 inch cubes as well. I prefer the cucumbers to be a little smaller, but you can also cut them into 1 inch cubes if you like, or even slice them. Totally up to you.

Pluck the basil leaves, and roughly slice or chop them.

Balsamic dressing in a pink bowl
Overhead view of pink bowl with chopped tomatoes, cucumber, shallots, capers and basil

Assembling the salad

To the large bowl containing the toasted bread cubes, add the chopped tomatoes, onions, cucumber and basil. Toss to combine.

Finally, drizzle about half of the dressing and toss to combine. You can add more dressing if you like, but I find I only need about 1/2 or 2/3 of the dressing for myself.

Now, you have to allow the panzanella salad to sit for at least 20 minutes before eating.

When you’re ready to eat the salad, you can serve and eat it just as is! Or you can dial up the flavor even more,

  • Add crumbled feta or goat cheese on top.
  • Add shaved parmesan on top.
  • Or top it with a soft boiled or hard boiled egg for extra protein in your salad.
Bread salad served in a white bowl

Variations to the Panzanella salad

This is the recipe for a classic panzanella salad. But feel free to change up the ingredients to make this your own!

I’ve previously shared this roasted panzanella salad on the blog. This version involves bread and tomatoes as well, but the tomatoes are roasted to make them sweeter. Along with the tomatoes, I also roasted sweet potatoes and sausages. The tomatoes and sweet potatoes are served with the bread, along with the sausages and some spinach.

It’s a more warming salad, perfect for colder months.

But you can also make other simple variations.

  • To keep the recipe vegetarian, you can add some pan fried tofu or marinated tofu to the salad.
  • Add leftover roasted chicken (rotisserie chicken).
  • Pan fried salmon (like this brown butter pan fried salmon) is DELICIOUS in panzanella!
  • Add some salad leaves such as kale, spinach or arugula.
  • Give it a bit of a “Mediterranean” touch by adding olives, artichokes, and feta cheese.
  • For an “East Asian” twist, add spring onions instead of red onions, along with kimchi and a soy sauce dressing.

This panzanella salad is a classic for a reason! It’s a simple and comforting salad, brimming with flavor. Plus, you can adapt it to your tastes just as easily with slight ingredient variations.

Overhead close up view of panzanella salad in a white bowl, with flecks of white feta cheese crumbles

Looking for more recipes?Sign up for my free recipe newsletter to get new recipes in your inbox each week! Find me sharing more inspiration on Pinterest and Instagram.

Classic Panzanella SM
5 from 2 votes

Classic Panzanella Salad

Author: Dini K.
Yield: Serves four generously
Cuisine: European, Italian
Learn how to make a classic panzanella salad. An easy and warming salad, brimming with flavor! A few simple tips and tricks will make this simple salad so much more flavorful. A great way to use up stale bread as well.
EASY – This recipe is very easy and versatile. It's a quick recipe too, and with a lot of flavor. Perfect for beginners.
US based cup, teaspoon, tablespoon measurements. Common Measurement Conversions. Weight measurements are recommended for accurate results.
Prep: 40 minutes minutes
Resting time: 30 minutes minutes
Cook: 20 minutes minutes
Total Time: 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes
Difficulty: Easy
Servings: 4 servings
Print Rate

Ingredients:

  • 680 g tomatoes you can use cherry tomatoes, vine tomatoes, heirloom tomatoes, or roma tomatoes
  • ½ tsp sea salt
  • 226 g crusty bread cut into 1 inch cubes (about 4 cups)
  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 4 cloves garlic finely minced
  • 3 shallots or 1 medium red onion, thinly sliced
  • 2 tbsp capers finely chopped
  • 1 english cucumber cut into cubes (½ inch cubes) or halved and sliced
  • 15 basil leaves

Dressing

  • 1 tsp dijon mustard
  • 3 tbsp balsamic vinegar substitute with white or red wine vinegar, or champagne vinegar
  • ½ cup extra virgin olive oil or avocado oil or any neutral oil will also work
  • 1 tbsp honey
  • Salt and pepper to taste

To serve

  • Basil leaves (optional)
  • Feta cheese or parmesan cheese (optional)

Instructions:

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F / 180°C. Line a baking tray with parchment paper and set aside.
  • Cut the tomatoes into 1 inch cubes and place them in a bowl. If you’re using cherry tomatoes, cut those in half.
    680 g tomatoes
  • Sprinkle about 1/2 tsp of sea salt over the tomatoes in the bowl. Mix to combine and set aside for at least 15 minutes. While you wait, you can toast the bread and get everything else ready (see below).
    ½ tsp sea salt
  • In a large bowl, place all the cubed bread. Drizzle the oil and add the garlic. Toss to combine well.
    226 g crusty bread, 3 tbsp olive oil, 4 cloves garlic
  • Place the bread cubes (tossed in oil) on the lined baking tray.
  • Toast the bread cubes in the oven for about 15 – 20 minutes. A little browning is good.
  • Remove the baking tray from the oven, and let the bread cool down. Once cooled, transfer the bread into the large bowl (this is where you will be mixing the salad, so make sure the bowl is large enough).
  • Cut the shallots into thin slices. Cut the cucumbers into cubes or slices and roughly chop the capers. The basil can be rolled up and sliced into thin strips (chiffonade), or torn by hand into rough pieces.
    3 shallots, 2 tbsp capers, 1 english cucumber, 15 basil leaves

Making the dressing

  • Place all the ingredients for the dressing (except for the oil and seasoning) in a bowl. Whisk to combine.
    1 tsp dijon mustard, 3 tbsp balsamic vinegar, 1 tbsp honey
  • Next, whisk while drizzling in the oil to create an emulsified dressing. I add between ⅓ cup – ½ cup oil. Taste and add salt and pepper to your liking.
    ½ cup extra virgin olive oil, Salt and pepper to taste

Assembling the salad

  • Once all the ingredients are prepared, and the tomatoes have been salted for at least 15 minutes, you can make the salad.
  • Add the tomatoes into the large bowl with the bread, followed by the cucumbers, shallots, capers and basil. Toss to combine.
  • Next drizzle the dressing over the bread, and toss to combine.
  • Cover the salad and let it rest for about 20 – 30 minutes before serving. This will allow the dressing and all the other flavors to be absorbed by the bread. To make sure the bread is absorbing the flavor equally, toss the salad a few times during this 20 – 30 minute wait.

To serve

  • Serve with some crumbled feta or shaved parmesan on top, or more freshly sliced basil leaves.
    Basil leaves, Feta cheese or parmesan cheese

Nutrition Information:

Serving: 0.25of the recipeCalories: 583kcal (29%)Carbohydrates: 52g (17%)Protein: 10g (20%)Fat: 39g (60%)Saturated Fat: 6g (38%)Polyunsaturated Fat: 5gMonounsaturated Fat: 28gSodium: 722mg (31%)Potassium: 684mg (20%)Fiber: 5g (21%)Sugar: 15g (17%)Vitamin A: 1581IU (32%)Vitamin C: 28mg (34%)Calcium: 75mg (8%)Iron: 3mg (17%)

“This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.”

Course:Brunch, Dinner, Light Meals, Lunch, Salad
Cuisine:European, Italian
Keyword:Bread salad, Panzanella, Salad recipes, Stale bread, Tomato recipes, Vegan, Vegetarian
Did you make this?Tag me on Instagram!I love seeing what you’ve made! Tag me on Instagram at @TheFlavorBender or leave me a comment & rating below.

More Recipes You'll Love...

  • Roasted Panzanella Salad with a Balsamic Honey Mustard Dressing- with roasted Sausages, Tomatoes, Sweet potatoes, Goat cheese and Herbs is easy to make, and can be eaten warm, or at room temperature! Perfect for winter or any time of the year.
    Roasted Panzanella Salad with Balsamic Honey Mustard dressing
  • Creamy Kiwifruit and Avocado Salad Dressing - Gluten Free and Vegan - Ready in minutes, it's so easy to make and absolutely delicious on salads AND as a dip!
    Creamy Kiwifruit and Avocado Salad Dressing (GF, Vegan)
  • Chicken and Melon Salad with Coconut Sambol - A delicious and fresh Chicken and Melon Salad with a tangy and spicy tamarind dressing and a spicy coconut sambol topping
    Chicken and Melon Salad with Coconut Sambol

Reader Interactions

Leave a Review Cancel reply

I love hearing from you! Submit your question or recipe review here.

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Made this? Rate this recipe:




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

  1. H says

    February 18, 2022 at 10:33

    5 stars
    This was so tasty and so easy and quick to put together, thank you!

    Reply

Primary Sidebar

Hey there!

Hi! I’m Dini, a third culture kid by upbringing and a food-geek by nature. I was born in Sri Lanka, grew up in New Zealand and lived in Australia, and then the US, before moving to Canada in 2019! My food is a reflection of those amazing experiences!

Read More
Secret Layer Cakes Cookbook
The flavor bender
cookbook
Buy now on Amazon!

Recipe Basics

Learn how to make Perfect Choux Pastry (Or Pate a Choux!) - The only recipe guide you will ever need to make choux pastry, with perfect results every time. Plus a troubleshooting guide for your choux pastry recipe.  Fool proof choux pastry to make profiteroles, eclairs, cream puffs and more.  #ChouxPastry #Profiteroles #Eclairs #Pastry #CreamPuffs

How to make Perfect Choux Pastry

Classic Chocolate Eclairs - A foolproof recipe for making perfect eclairs that are crisp and puffy and filled with chocolate or vanilla pastry cream. 

Perfect Classic Chocolate Eclairs (Foolproof Recipe)

How to make Marshmallows - Learn the art of making fluffy, soft homemade marshmallows with or without corn syrup! With tips and information to make the perfect Marshmallows in many flavors. 

How to make Marshmallows (tips and tricks for homemade marshmallows)

How to make the best Homemade White Bread that is soft and delicious. An easy to follow recipe for perfect homemade bread with step by step instructions.

The Best Homemade Bread (White Bread Recipe)

Homemade French Croissants (step by step recipe)

Classic Pound Cake - A complete guide on how to make perfect, delicious and moist Pound Cake even if you're a baking novice! Tips + Tricks and Troubleshooting guide. 

The Best Classic Pound Cake Recipe

Chocolate
Cakes
Bread
Sri Lankan
Breakfast
Drinks
Candy
Pastries
All Recipes
Featured On
taste of the World
Free recipe ebook

Get my curated collection of the Top 10 Flavor Bender recipes!

  • 10 delicious chocolate recipes
  • Creative ways to use chocolate
  • Desserts and savory recipes
Download now!

Reader Faves

How to make Instant Pot Short Ribs - This easy recipe makes delicious, tender and succulent short ribs with classic flavors!

How to make the Best Instant Pot Short Ribs

Buttery Lemon Slow Roasted Salmon with Lemon Butter Sauce - Perfectly cooked, juicy slow roasted Salmon with a buttery tangy sauce! Delicious and versatile for any meal and occasion. 

Slow Roasted Salmon with Lemon Butter Sauce

Unbelievably easy Rough Puff pastry - Quick and easy to make and tasted infinitely better than store bought (30 -45 minutes only)! No long waiting times, to make this amazing pastry and NOONE will know you took a shortcut!

Perfect Quick and Easy Rough Puff Pastry

Spicy Sweet Chilli Sauce Easy to make, absolutely delicious, with an extra kick of spice this is the BEST Sweet chilli sauce you will EVER have!

The Best Spicy Sweet Chili Sauce (Easy Recipe!)

The flavor bender

I love baking, and I love cooking. I experiment with flavors, textures and ingredients, and I love passing on all my tips and tricks to you!

Read More
  • About
    • Meet Dini
    • My Book
    • Work With Me
    • Contact
  • Browse
    • Recipes
    • Measurement Guide
    • Baking How-To’s
    • Shop My Faves
© The Flavor Bender
  • Privacy
  • Disclosure
  • Terms
Site Credits Designed by Melissa Rose Design Developed by Once Coupled

Join the flavor bender tribe!

Join my FREE recipe challenge to receive new recipes and dinner ideas straight to your inbox!
31 shares