Bruschetta Panzanella

Bruschetta Panzanella Salad is a simple side dish recipe idea filled with fresh tomatoes, fresh basil, fresh mozzarella, and lots of french bread! Serve this as a meatless main dish, or a delicious dinner salad throughout the summer!

How to Make Bruschetta Panzanella

Now, let’s chat about each element of this vibrant summer Panzanella salad!

You’ll need a tomato mixture that most people would call the fresh flavors of homemade bruschetta.

But, did you know the word bruschetta is actually referring to the bread? It means to grill in Italian, and while we associate it with the chopped tomato salad that gets added to grilled bread, bruschetta is actually just the bread! The more you know!

To make this Panzanella bruschetta salad you’ll need crusty bread that you’ve either dried out in the oven or toasted in a hot cast iron grill pan.

Then, you’ll make the tomato salad!

In a mixing bowl, you’ll dice up a shallot and add in your red wine vinegar along with a grated clove (or three!) of garlic. Let this sit while you slice up your cherry tomatoes and let them marinate. This helps the shallots lose their strong bite, and in a way, pickles them! Delightful.

Slice your tomatoes. I like using multicolored tomatoes, that is all of the different sizes. I’ll slice them into quarters or in half and toss them into the bowl with the shallots and garlic.

Drizzle in some balsamic vinegar, olive oil, salt, and pepper, and give the whole thing a really good GENTLE toss. I like to add a few sun-dried tomatoes if I have a few on hand, too!

Next, I’ll add small fresh mozzarella balls. The little ones in the plastic container with the water! You could also use slices of mozzarella and layer it like a Caprese salad.

Add in some freshly torn basil leaves, and mix those in too.

This salad is delightful on its own, spooned over french baguettes. Yum!

So, now you’re to the point where you need your bread slices. You can add in homemade croutons, grilled pieces of bread, thick slices of bread that you’ve rubbed with a cut side of garlic, or something of the sort.

You’ll spoon the whole tomato mozzarella salad over the bread cubes, then drizzle the whole thing with a sticky balsamic glaze. Add in the remaining basil on top for a beautiful finish!

While this salad keeps well, and you probably won’t end up with leftovers, if you do, store it in an airtight container.

Other Additions you could add in:

• Hothouse cucumbers
• Yellow Bell Peppers
• Red Peppers
• Parmesan Cheese
• Greens Mixture

Of course, this would all be amazing with the crunch of lettuce, such as nice hearty romaine leaves!

I like to serve this on a shallow enamelware platter. But, you could use a salad bowl, with a spoon.

This hearty summertime salad is perfect with grilled chicken.

If you need a recipe for either try one of these!

Greek Grilled Chicken

Ranch Grilled Chicken

Finally, this salad is the perfect summertime addition to any meal or the meal by itself! You’ve got to make this and tgry it for yourself!

Be sure and save this to your favorite salad board on Pinterest!

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