Easy Panzanella (with any produce)
The following recipe can be made with any ingredients, but I included my favorite ingredients as an example. If you use all the example ingredients, you’ll get the panzanella pictured in this recipe card (just don’t add water). Yum!
Ingredients
- 8 oz [225 g] loaf crusty bread (e.g., a baguette)
- Cooking spray or olive oil
- 4 to 6 cups [500 to 800 g] prepared produce (e.g., 1 pint halved cherry tomatoes + 3 sliced nectarines/peaches + 1 ribbed minced jalapeño + corn from 2 grilled ears)
- ½ cup [65 g] crumbled or shredded cheese (optional)
- ½ to 1⅓ cups chopped leafy herbs -or- 2 tsp chopped woody herbs (e.g., ¼ cup cilantro or parsley + ¼ cup basil)
- ⅓ cup [70 g] extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1 Tbsp water (optional)
- 1 garlic clove, crushed through a press or finely minced
- 1 tsp mustard (optional)
- ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper or your favorite spice
- ¼ to ½ tsp salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325°F [165°C].
- Cut the bread into ¾ in [2 cm] cubes and spread out on a baking sheet. Spray lightly with cooking spray or drizzle with a little olive oil and bake for about 15 to 20 minutes, just until dried out and lightly browned. Transfer to a large mixing bowl.
- Set aside anything delicate that will fall apart once mixed in (such as citrus supremes, particularly ripe stone fruit, or very creamy feta). Place the rest of the prepared produce in the bowl with the bread, and top with the cheese and herbs, reserving some herbs for garnish. Set aside.
- Decide whether you should add water to the dressing*: Combine the olive oil, red wine vinegar, water (if using), garlic, mustard (if using), black pepper, and salt in a small mixing bowl. Whisk together until completely combined.
- Pour the dressing over the salad and toss together until evenly coated. Garnish with any delicate produce or any reserved herbs, let it sit for about 5 minutes, and then serve.
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Notes
* If you’re using a lot of high-moisture produce (like tomatoes, nectarines, peaches, cucumbers, etc.), you won’t need to add water; if you’re using a lot of medium-moisture produce, you will need to add it. When in doubt, don’t add it, see if your bread is a bit on the dry-side, and sprinkle on a bit more water as needed. The bread should be chewy and a little crisp, but not soggy.