For a hefty side or a light main dish, this Panzanella is fresh and flavorful to accommodate even the pickiest eaters. Made from pre-toasted baguette cubes to prevent water-log, the cubes become softened yet maintain some chew in the fresh tomato juice-based vinaigrette.
As promised last week, I’m sharing a side dish to pair with the Green-Chile Chicken Baguettes/Burgers for your Memorial Day weekend. This Panzanella or Italian bread salad has chunks of leftover baguettes from last week’s Green-Chile Chicken Baguettes and large pieces of tomatoes and cucumbers for added crunch and freshness. I love Mediterranean flavors so I added Kalamata olives and feta too, but they’re completely optional.
The Panzanella is dressed with a fresh tomato juice-based vinaigrette that penetrates all the salad components without overpowering. In fact, I’m not a cucumber person at all (unless you count pickles), but with the vinaigrette, I barely even noticed the cucumbers, just the crispy crunch! This vinaigrette is light, bright, acidic and savory at the same time, and perfect for the upcoming warm weekend.
In order to keep the bread in the Panzanella from getting soggy over time, the cubes get toasted in the oven where they turn into the most magnificent croutons. The pre-toasted cubes soak up just enough of the vinaigrette to soften yet remain chewy. The salad actually requires about a 10 minute soak time in the vinaigrette so that the bread transforms from garnish-like-croutons to actual star of the salad.
I wouldn’t even limit this Panzanella to a Memorial Day side salad. It can be turned into a meal by adding some shredded chicken breast or strips of rotisserie chicken, perfect for a light dinner or a delicious lunch that will have you being the envy of your co-workers.
Make sure to come back later this week for a dessert to complete your Memorial Day menu!
Panzanella (Italian Bread Salad) with Olives & Feta
Yields 4 servings
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Ingredients
30 ounces baguette, Italian, or French bread, cut into 1-inch cubes
6 tablespoons cup olive oil, divided
⅛ teaspoon salt
2 beefsteak tomatoes, seeded and cut into 1-inch cubes
1 cucumber, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1-inch cubes
2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano leaves
1 shallot, finely chopped
2 tablespoons Kalamata olives, quartered (I used this nifty gadget)
3 tablespoons crumbled feta cheese
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Place the bread on a rimmed baking sheet and drizzle on 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Toss to coat. Toast in oven for 10 to 12 minutes, until golden and crispy. Let cool.
- In a large bowl, sprinkle the slat over the tomatoes and let sit for 10 minutes. Transfer to a sieve placed over another large bowl and let drain for 15 minutes. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine the drained tomatoes, cucumber, oregano, shallot, olives, and feta.
- To the drained tomato juice, whisk in the remaining 3 tablespoons of olive oil, and red wine vinegar. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Pour the tomato juice vinaigrette over the salad and stir. Add the toasted bread cubes and toss to coat. Let sit for 10 minutes before serving*.
Notes
*If not serving right away, keep the bread separate until ready to serve. Only add in the bread and toss until 10 minutes before serving.
Adapted and modified from The Complete Cooking for Two Cookbook.
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