Panzanella Salad

I mentioned in my previous post that we had my parents and my in-laws over for dinner on Sunday night. We served steaks, baked potatoes on the grill, and my other side was a Panzanella salad.

There is pretty much no way you could go wrong with this salad, anywhere. It's full of bread, yummy veggies, and balsamic vinegar. No matter how you slice it (no pun intended), it's a winner!

This recipe is actually a merging of two recipes that were shared on my local Nest board (one of them being from Stephany). I took some of my favorites from both and made it my own. This is a really great starter or side did for any summer meal.

For us, this recipe was hit as the bowl was emptied at dinner, and it was a big bowl!


Panzanella Salad


1 loaf French bread
1 container of cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
1 seeded and diced cucumber
1 ball, diced fresh mozzarella
1 bag baby arugala
1 for garnish, chopped fresh basil

For dressing:
Olive oil (no measurement, I did this by eye)
Balsamic vinegar (same as above)
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic (you may want to adjust your tastes on this and next 2 depending on how much dressing you like/need)
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/8 teaspoon salt


Cut bread in cubes and dry out in the oven - about 15 minutes at 375

Combine arugala, bread, tomatoes, cucumber, basil, and cheese in large bowl.

Combine olive oil, balsamic vinegar, garlic, pepper, and salt. Pour over contents in bowl and toss to combine.