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Grilled Panzanella Salad
I first fell in love with panzanella, the iconic Italian bread salad, back when I worked as a server in a fine dining Italian restaurant. The version we served had the most mind-bending balance of hearty texture & fresh, vibrant flavor – I've been hooked ever since! This particular grilled panzanella salad recipe was born out of desperation a few years back. Since I don't aways keep bread in my pantry, the dried-out bread signature to the dish isn't something that I typically have on hand when a panzanella craving strikes. Instead, I learned to turn to my grill to help speed up the process. By slicing it into hearty pieces & cooking them on the grill, the bread dries out to the perfect crusty texture for a killer panzanella salad, all while taking on incredibly smoky, charred flavor from the grill. It's so good! While the grill preheats, marinate some tomatoes with EVOO & red wine vinegar to create a built-in panzanella dressing, & from there, toss in whatever you like! I love crunchy-crisp bell peppers & cucumbers, but you can really have fun with this recipe & add whatever you like. Be sure to check out the Recipe Notes, below, for some make ahead & meal prep guidance & the blog post, above, for serving suggestions & easy variations.
Prep
15 min
Cook
5 min
Total
20 min
Serves
4
Instructions
- 01
Add the tomatoes to a large bowl with 1/4 cup of olive oil, the red wine vinegar, red onion, & garlic. Season with 1 teaspoon kosher salt & ground black pepper, as desired. Toss well to combine. Set aside to marinate & meld for 20-25 minutes. This is a great time to preheat the grill (Step 2, below) & prep the remaining panzanella salad ingredients: slice the bread, chop the veggies & herbs, etc.
- 02
Preheat the grill for medium-high direct heat grilling, about 450-500 degrees F. Once preheated, clean the cooking surface by firmly brushing a wire brush over the grates.
- 03
Place the sliced bread on a small baking sheet or large plate. Pour the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a small bowl, & use a pastry brush or silicone brush to brush each slice generously with oil. Season the bread with a good pinch of kosher salt. Place the bread on the preheated grill grates, directly over the heat. Grill 4-6 minutes, flipping the bread halfway through, until crusty & charred as desired. Transfer the grilled bread to the same baking sheet or plate. Once it’s cool enough to handle, dice the bread into 1-inch cubes.
- 04
Add the grilled bread, bell pepper, cucumber, fresh herbs (if using), & shaved asiago (if using) to the large bowl with the marinated tomatoes from Step 1. Toss to combine well. Taste & season with additional kosher salt & ground black pepper as needed. It’s best to let the panzanella sit for 5-10 minutes, allowing the flavors to meld & the bread to soak in some of the dressing. Serve topped with additional shaved cheese or fresh herbs as desired. Enjoy!
Nutrition
per serving
- Calories
- 291
- Protein
- 8.7g
- Carbs
- 35g
- Fat
- 13.4g
- Fiber
- 3.5g
- Sugar
- 5.5g
- Sat. fat
- 2.5g
- Sodium
- 638.1mg
- Cholesterol
- 4.8mg
Variations & swaps
Key Ingredients & Simple Substitutions
- The fun thing about this grilled bread salad recipe is that it’s made with really simple summertime staples. You need less than 10 ingredients, & most of them are probably already in your kitchen during the summer months!
- Note: Full ingredients list & measurements provided in the Recipe Card, below.
- Bread – It’s what this Italian salad is built around! Tuscan bread is the most traditional, but any crusty loaf works well. I’m especially partial to the tangy flavor of sourdough.
- Tomatoes – I like to use cherry tomatoes, but any variety will do. If you don’t have access to fresh summer tomatoes, opt for greenhouse-grown tomatoes.
- Olive oil & red wine vinegar – Together with the juicy sweetness of fresh summer tomatoes create creates a built-in panzanella dressing. So good! As always, use the best EVOO you can for dressings & vinaigrettes. I love DeLallo, which is always 100% extra virgin & 100% Italian.
- Summer veggies – Namely bell pepper, cucumber, red onion, & garlic, which give the panzanella loads of texture & a big punch of flavor.
- Herbs – If you have them on hand, a good handful of finely chopped fresh basil or parsley adds a ton of freshness.
- Cheese – Not necessarily traditional, but I can’t not add cheese. 😉 Shaved asiago is my go-to here, but other hard Italian cheeses like parmesan, pecorino, or grana padano work great too.
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