Recipe: Panzanella Salad

Create a summer salad filled with fresh veggies from your garden or the farmers market. Unlike traditional panzanella salads, this recipe uses day-old bread to make crunchy croutons to top the salad instead of softened pieces included in the mixture. Enjoy this salad as a side dish alongside our roasted pork dish. Or make it a meal by adding grilled salmon, shrimp, chicken, or steak to the salad. You can also add canned beans and whole grains. 

Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 10 minutes
Total time: 20 minutes 
Serves: 8
Serving size: ¾ cup

Ingredients

• 2 cups cubed day-old whole grain bread
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1½ teaspoons Italian seasoning blend
• 3 medium tomatoes
• 1 cucumber
• 1 red bell pepper
• 1 yellow bell pepper
• 1 avocado
• ½ red onion
• 8 ounces part-skim mozzarella 
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar, or more, if desired
• 2 tablespoons fresh slivered basil, plus a few leaves for garnish
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F. Place bread on a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with Italian seasoning, salt, and black pepper. Toss well. Bake for 8–10 minutes or until golden and toasted. Set aside.

Core the tomatoes and cut it into eight equal slices. Cut each of the slices in half. Peel and seed the cucumber, then cut it into ½ inch pieces. Seed the peppers and slice them into ½ inch pieces. Pit the avocado and cut it into cubes. Thinly slice the red onion and cut the mozzarella into ½ inch cubes. 

Add tomatoes, cucumber, red and yellow peppers, avocado, red onion, and mozzarella to a large bowl. Toss gently. Add salt and pepper to taste. Top the mixture with croutons, drizzle with balsamic vinegar and garnish with fresh basil. Drizzle with additional extra virgin olive oil, if desired. 

Serve.

MOBE kitchen tips: 

• To prevent avocado from browning in the salad, squeeze a lime or lemon wedge over the cut avocado and toss gently. 
• Cucumber seeds contain a lot of water and can add too much moisture to the salad. Remove them before adding the cucumbers to the large bowl. 

Recipe notes:

• For a more rustic salad, tear the bread instead of slicing it into cubes. 
• Use an 8-ounce container of small mozzarella balls instead of one larger mozzarella ball cut into cubes, if you prefer.
• To make traditional panzanella, add toasted bread cubes to the salad before drizzling the balsamic vinegar so the croutons soften and soak up some of the liquid from the tomatoes and balsamic. 
• Add a delightful twist to your salad with these delicious homemade dressings. 

Nutrition facts per serving

Calories: 220 / Total Fat: 14g (18% DV) / Saturated Fat: 4.5g (23% DV) / Trans Fat: 0g / Cholesterol: 20mg (7% DV) / Sodium: 310mg (13% DV) / Total Carbohydrate: 16g (6% DV) / Dietary Fiber: 3g (11% DV) / Total Sugars: 3g / Added Sugar: 0g (0% DV) / Protein: 9g / Vitamin D: 0mcg (0% DV) / Calcium: 234mg (20% DV) / Iron: 1mg (6% DV) / Potassium: 335mg (8% DV)

Allergen statement: Contains wheat and milk.

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