By Melissa Clark
Updated Nov. 13, 2023
- Total Time
- 45 minutes
- Rating
- 5(1,964)
- Notes
- Read community notes
At the height of tomato season, for every perfectly ripe, taut and juicy specimen there’s an overripe, oozing counterpart not far away. The Tuscan bread salad called panzanella is the perfect place to use those sad, soft tomatoes that are still rich in flavor. Traditional panzanella is made with stale, dried bread that’s rehydrated with a dressing of sweet tomato juices, vinegar and plenty of olive oil. This version includes mozzarella for richness and cucumber for crunch. It’s an ideal do-ahead dish; the longer the mixture sits (up to 6 or so hours), the better it tastes. Just be sure to dry your bread out thoroughly in the oven so it won’t turn to mush. For a make-ahead summer party, serve alongside crunchy fried chicken and round out the meal with a luscious coconut cake accented with peaches.
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Ingredients
Yield:6 servings
- 4ounces ciabatta or baguette, preferably stale, cut into 1-inch cubes (about 3 cups)
- 6tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, more to taste
- ¾teaspoon kosher sea salt, more to taste
- 2pounds very ripe tomatoes, preferably a mix of varieties and colors
- 6ounces fresh mozzarella, torn or cut into bite-size pieces
- ½cup thinly sliced red onion, about half a small onion
- 2garlic cloves, grated to a paste
- 2tablespoons red wine vinegar, more to taste
- 1tablespoon chopped fresh oregano or thyme (or a combination)
- Large pinch red-pepper flakes (optional)
- ½teaspoon Dijon mustard
- Black pepper, to taste
- ½cup thinly sliced Persian or Kirby cucumber, about 1 small cucumber
- ½cup torn basil leaves
- ¼cup flat-leaf parsley leaves, roughly chopped
- 1tablespoon capers, drained
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)
289 calories; 21 grams fat; 6 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 12 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 18 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams dietary fiber; 5 grams sugars; 10 grams protein; 530 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
Step
1
Heat oven to 425 degrees. Spread the bread cubes on a rimmed baking sheet and toss with 2 tablespoons oil and a pinch of salt. Bake until they are dried out and pale golden brown at the edges, about 7 to 15 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack.
Step
2
Cut tomatoes into bite-size pieces and transfer to a large bowl. Add mozzarella, onions, garlic paste, 1 tablespoon vinegar, oregano or thyme, ¼ teaspoon salt and the red-pepper flakes if using. Toss to coat and set aside.
Step
3
In a medium bowl, combine remaining 1 tablespoon vinegar, the mustard, ¼ teaspoon salt and some black pepper to taste. While whisking constantly, slowly drizzle in the remaining 4 tablespoons olive oil until the mixture is thickened. Stir in cucumbers, basil and parsley.
Step
4
Add bread cubes, cucumber mixture and capers to the tomatoes and toss well. Let sit for at least 30 minutes and up to 4 hours before serving. Toss with a little more olive oil, vinegar and salt if needed just before serving.
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out of 5
1,964
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Cooking Notes
Joel Nydahl
Is there a way to print the notes along with the recipes? Some are very helpful and it would be great to have them attached.
Tami
A very good dish to use up late summer garden bounty. But simplify the directions by chopping all the tomatoes first, tossing with all the salt to bring out their juices, and then add the other ingredients on top. Add the vinaigrette. Mix and let sit.
Oil-cured olives and baby arugula were nice additions to my try.
Theo
I know this is probably sacrilege, but I prefer to un-panzanellize and have warm crusty bread on the side. That having been said, LOVED this salad. Agree that the capers get lost, but I found adding oil-cured olives, sliced in half, gave the salad an extra kick.
Nancy
You don't need all that olive oil either. 1TBSP with the bread cubes will suffice. 2 TBSP for the dressing is more than enough. Shaves off 6.5 grams fat and 60 calories per serving.
Kim
I first made Ina’s take on this salade, (cucs, tomato, Bell peppers, red onion, bread croutons) and have learned that variations on the theme (tuna, capers, mozzarella, garbanzo beans, olives, arugula), make a delicious, light dinner. I have eaten many versions in Italy. Whatever great ingredients are in season/to your taste should be your guide. It’s a composed salad, not rocket science. Lighten up Times readers and enjoy the late summer bounty and Melissa Clark’s brilliance.
Ruth K Meyer
Learned Panzanella in Florence in 1966. Okay cucumbers, okay with thyme, but capers? No way. Mozzarella maybe, but this was supposed to be peasant food, folks. It doesn't need to be so dressed up. Serve with prosciutto and melon.
SundayCook
Too many steps. I start by combining all the "dressing" ingredients from steps 2 &3. Then I pour the dressing over the remaining ingredients of bread, cheese, tomatoes, cucumbers, parsley and basil. Let is rest for 30 minutes and within 5 minutes of serving it is gone. I serve it will grilled chicken and my teenage kids can't get enough.
Sara
The full amount of olive oil results in wonderfully toasted croutons that stand up better to the moisture of the dressing and vegetables - I wouldn't skimp on it. And the oil in the dressing balances the acidity of other ingredients and amplifies the flavor and mouthfeel.
Is there a reason for not just adding each ingredient to one big bowl as its chopped?
Terrence McCarthy
I love this recipe. My one suggestion is to presoak the sliced red onion in several changes of water to sweeten them. I think the sweetness adds balance.
msoliva
I've made a version that included anchovvy paste, and a variety of bell peppers (red, yellow, and green) that packed a tremendous flavor wallop....
Jo
I'd rather put some more in. Olive oil is very healthy. You loose some of the italian taste by saving it.
Charles Michener
If you chop the ripe tomatoes into too small a dice - I recommend nothing smaller than 1" - and you salt them way ahead of time, you will have tomato mush before long. Mix tomatoes, capers, cucumbers ahead of time (no more than two hours, in my opinion), refrigerate, and DON'T add salt until maybe 10 minutes before serving - at room temperature. The capers will have added enough salt beforehand.
Nancy
A very good dish to use up late summer garden bounty. But simplify the directions by chopping all the tomatoes first, tossing with all the salt to bring out their juices, and then add the other ingredients on top. Add the vinaigrette. Mix and let sit.
Oil-cured olives and baby arugula were nice additions to my try.
Kate
This is very good in the height of summer. Used heirloom tomatoes from the farmer's market. I cut the garlic back to one clove and it was plenty. No need for oregano or thyme. The vinaigrette was very good. Added chunks of good quality tuna packed in olive oil for protein (a trattoria close to us served panzanella this way to great effect). De-lish!
cbbergen
Delicious. Add pine nuts (toasted or not) for yet
another texture.
eliane
Best salad ever
Pam G
Made this without the mozz for a vegetarian version and added more basil. Tripled dressing so we'd have it on hand as a basic vinaigrette.
cheese substitute
Added ricotta salata instead of mozzarella and it was fabulous
Mary Beth Lyles
This salad is a home run. Ignore calls to cut the olive oil...delicious as written. I do think olives could be a fun addition. With the mozzarella....or a little extra it can easily be a vegetarian main course. Stale bread is essential...
Tom
I used to make panzanella all the time in the 90’s and I guess it dropped off my radar until now. So glad I found this recipe as it was so delicious we could not stop picking at it. I followed the recipe as is except I tore the bread into rough pieces for more crusty edges. This will be back on my rotation for sure
Cee
Wow, this is delicious. Used tomatoes, cucumbers and herbs from my garden. My tomatoes are very juicy, so only soaked the bread cubes for about 15 minutes, and they were perfect, not hard nor soggy. Four hours seems like you’d just have gross soggy bread cubes.
Tanya
Made this recipe with home grown tomatoes and home baked sourdough. It’s fabulous!
Andreabakes
It’s incredibly delicious! I only had challah (toasted cubes). I only had smoked mozzarella, but it worked very well. Beautiful and delicious.
Patricia
I made it barebones and vegan. No cuke, no cheese, no onion, crumbs from a Tartine recipe homemade sourdough boule, and magnifient home grown heritage tomatoes. Very flexible recipe. Wonderful!
Carol
Great way to use all the summer tomatoes! Very good. Soaked onions in water.
jane
Another perfect recipe from M.C.
cjn
Delicious - but I don't understand adding things at different times. I pretty much added everything but the dressing to a big bowl and then tossed together. Also, I think garlic should go IN the dressing rather than in the bowl, just got a bite of raw garlic at some point. But an excellent summer salad!
Marie
The summer herbs were fantastic. Such a quick way to use up the over abundance of summer tomatoes. Lots of rave reviews from my partner. I keep the croutons separate and served the salad over the croutons while plating. The crunch was great and balanced the pork chops we served them with
Richard
The idea of panzanella is to have the bread soak up the tomato juices. If you add croutons at the end, that doesn't happen.
judys
This was great! I’ve had panzanella that the bread was soggy and didn’t enjoy it. But this turned out perfect after standing for 2-3 hours. I added artichoke hearts which really didn’t add anything, will leave out next time. And I used olives instead of capers so they wouldn’t get lost. Nice with fried chicken, a rare summer guilty pleasure, and a good rose’. What a great way to use ripe garden tomatoes!
Aileen Brown
This was absolutely delicious. We added some roasted chickpeas for some crunch and protein. I also highly recommend adding the olives for some salty goodness.
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