Garlic Bread Panzanella Salad

Something you should know about me is that I have a serious love affair with garlic. Always have, always will. It’s such a versatile ingredient that is spicy when raw, buttery when roasted, and perfect when pickled…I could go on, but I think you get the jist.

Now, you might be thinking “how is this a salad if it’s basically just bread with some veggies tossed in”? Well my friends, that is the true and utter beauty of Panzanella Salad. It’s basically an excuse (like we need one) to toss a hefty amount of garlic bread cubes into a salad and call it a meal.

It’s also an amazing way to use up day old bread that has passed its sandwich making prime, and more than once, I have even used hot dog/hamburger buns when that is the only form of “bread” that I have on hand.

[*PAUSE FOR REACTION]

And while I would highly suggest using a more crusty type of bread for this, sometimes you just have to work with what you have, and that may just mean hot dog/hamburger buns!

If you’re using day old bread, you may not need to toast it very long, as you’re just looking to get it slightly crisp/golden. If you are using fresh bread, you’ll likely need to toast it closer to the full time listed in the recipe (~15 min).

And your bread should look something like the above…golden, lightly crisp, and just begging to be taste tested.

I may have snuck a piece or two once I rubbed the garlic over the each cube.

No judgment here.

A quintessential summer staple: BASIL. Depending on your taste, you can add more/less. In our apartment, there can never be enough, so we went a bit heavy handed and added a full cup.

What’s so great about this recipe is that it’s light enough to be a perfect summer side dish and hearty enough to add some simple grilled chicken and call it an entree.

And the flavors just get more complex overnight, so it’s ideal for lunch the next day.

Best of all, it takes 30 min start to finish, so it can be an easy weeknight meal.

Take this salad along to all your summer BBQ’s, picnics, and pool parties and let me know how it goes!

Enjoy!

Love,

Peach and the Cobbler

Garlic Bread Panzanella Salad

 

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Prep time

15 mins

Cook time

15 mins

Total time

30 mins

 

Garlic Bread Panzanella Salad! An extremely versatile dish that features bold flavors, and is best when made with fresh, seasonal ingredients. A perfect salad for summer when tomatoes and cucumbers are in abundance and you want to spend as little time in the kitchen as possible! It’s light and filling and can be either a side dish or a main entree when adding simple grilled or sauteed chicken.

Author: Peach and the Cobbler

Recipe type: Entree, Salad, Side Dish

Cuisine: Italian, Dairy Free

Serves: 6

Ingredients

• 1 loaf crusty baguette or italian loaf, cubed
• 1 whole cucumber, halved and sliced
• 2 cups on the vine tomatoes or whatever fresh tomatoes you have on hand, sliced into bite sized pieces
• ¼ cup plus 1-2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 ½ tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• ½-1 cup basil, chiffonade
• 1 large clove of garlic, peeled and kept whole
• Salt, to taste
• Pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Cut bread into 1 in cubes and arrange in one layer on the baking sheet. Drizzle 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil over the bread cubes, and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
3. Bake for 15 minutes, turning halfway through, or until crisp and slightly toasted.
4. Pull the bread out of the oven and let cool slightly for ~5 minutes. Once the bread cubes are cool enough to handle, grab the garlic clove and lightly rub each cube with the garlic clove.
5. Then, slice cucumber into ½ inch slices, and slice the tomatoes into bite sized pieces. If using different tomatoes (e.g. cherry, grape, etc.), slice in half.
6. Combine sliced tomatoes, sliced cucumbers and toasted bread cubes.
7. Make your dressing: whisk together ¼ cup olive oil, 2 ½ tablespoons balsamic vinegar and salt and pepper to taste. Chiffonade your basil; ½-1 cup, add more/less depending on taste.
8. Then, pour salad dressing over ingredients and toss gently. Add basil and toss once more. Let sit at room temp for 15 min - 30 mins to let the flavors meld.
9. Enjoy!

Notes

*If you want to make this a full meal, simply grill or pan saute 1-2 chicken breasts seasoned with salt and pepper. Cook on each side for ~5 minutes, or until done, and let rest for 2-5 minutes. Slice into ½ inch strips and lay over the salad!

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