Hey, y'all! We all know that bread is the ultimate food. What if I told you that there was a salad that featured bread as the main ingredient? I'm pleased to introduce y'all to my Panzanella Salad with Vinaigrette today!
I hope you love this recipe as much as I do; it's a wonderful use of day-old bread!
Panzanella Salad With Vinaigrette

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Panzanella Salad With Vinaigrette Ingredients
For the Salad
- Half of a 1 lb. French Bread Loaf, cut into 1-inch cubes
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 cup red bell pepper, diced
- 1 cup orange or yellow bell pepper, diced
- 1 cup cucumber, sliced
- ½ cup red onion, thinly sliced
- ½ cup basil, chopped
- 3 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tsp. salt
- 2 tbs. capers (optional)
Vinaigrette Dressing
- ½ c. extra virgin olive oil
- 3 tbsp. white wine vinegar
- 1 tsp. garlic, minced
- 1 tsp. Dijon mustard
- ½ tsp. salt
- ¼ tsp. pepper


How to Make Panzanella Salad With Vinaigrette
- Preheat oven to 350F.
- Slice French bread loaf and cube into 1-inch pieces (roughly 5-6 cups). Place on large, rimmed cookie sheet.
- Drizzle 3 tbsp. of extra virgin olive oil over bread and toss to coat. Sprinkle a teaspoon of salt over bread cubes, tossing again to coat. Toast bread cubes in oven for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown, stirring a couple times during baking. Remove from oven and cool.
- Prepare vegetables. Halve cherry tomatoes, salt them, and place in small collider to allow excess juice to drain. Chop bell peppers. Cut cucumber in half lengthwise and slice into thin slices. Cut onion into thin slices. Chop or tear basil into about ½ inch pieces.
- To make dressing: in a bowl add garlic, Dijon mustard, and white wine vinegar, whisking until combined. Slowly pour olive oil into vinegar mixture, whisking constantly to make an emulsion. Add salt and pepper and whisk until incorporated.
- In a large bowl, add cooled toasted bread cubes, cut vegetables, chopped basil, and capers, tossing to combine. Pour dressing over salad and toss to coat bread and vegetables.
- Garnish with additional sliced basil if desired. Serve immediately after preparing.



Pro Tips For Making This Recipe
- Panzanella unfortunately does not store well; prolonged storage makes bread cubes chewy.


Frequently Asked Questions
Partially, but not fully. You can toast the bread as directed, cool completely, and store in a gallon Ziploc bag. Vegetables can be cut in advance and stored in a large, covered bowl. If you make the dressing in advance, store it in a mason jar with a tight fitting lid. From there, you can assemble it last minute!
No, it does not. The bread becomes chewy -- this is a recipe you want to enjoy immediately after making!

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Panzanella Salad With Vinaigrette Recipe


Panzanella Salad with Vinaigrette
Ingredients
For the Salad
- Half of a 1 lb. French Bread Loaf cut into 1-inch cubes
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes halved
- 1 cup red bell pepper diced
- 1 cup orange or yellow bell pepper diced
- 1 cup cucumber sliced
- ½ cup red onion thinly sliced
- ½ cup basil chopped
- 3 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tsp. salt
- 2 tbs. capers optional
Vinaigrette Dressing
- ½ c. extra virgin olive oil
- 3 tbsp. white wine vinegar
- 1 tsp. garlic minced
- 1 tsp. Dijon mustard
- ½ tsp. salt
- ¼ tsp. pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F.
- Slice French bread loaf and cube into 1-inch pieces (roughly 5-6 cups). Place on large, rimmed cookie sheet.
- Drizzle 3 tbsp. of extra virgin olive oil over bread and toss to coat. Sprinkle a teaspoon of salt over bread cubes, tossing again to coat. Toast bread cubes in oven for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown, stirring a couple times during baking. Remove from oven and cool.
- Prepare vegetables. Halve cherry tomatoes, salt them, and place in small collider to allow excess juice to drain. Chop bell peppers. Cut cucumber in half lengthwise and slice into thin slices. Cut onion into thin slices. Chop or tear basil into about ½ inch pieces.
- To make dressing: in a bowl add garlic, Dijon mustard, and white wine vinegar, whisking until combined. Slowly pour olive oil into vinegar mixture, whisking constantly to make an emulsion. Add salt and pepper and whisk until incorporated.
- In a large bowl, add cooled toasted bread cubes, cut vegetables, chopped basil, and capers, tossing to combine. Pour dressing over salad and toss to coat bread and vegetables.
- Garnish with additional sliced basil if desired. Serve immediately after preparing.
Notes
-
- Panzanella unfortunately does not store well; prolonged storage makes bread cubes chewy.
Nutrition

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My best,
JC
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