Italian Bread Salad Recipes

PANZANELLA (ITALIAN TOMATO AND BREAD SALAD)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 180°C /350°F (160°C fan).
• Toss bread chunks with 1 tbsp olive oil in a bowl.
• Toast: Spread bread on a a tray and toast for about 15 minutes, until the outside is becoming golden and crunchy but the inside is still a little soft, like toast. Remove and leave to cool.
• Cut tomato into 8 wedges each. Cut some of these wedges into half (I like irregular shapes for this rustic salad).
• Sweat tomato with salt: Put tomatoes into a colander over a large bowl. Season with the salt, toss and set aside for 10 minutes to draw out the juices. RESERVE the tomato juice in the bowl for the dressing.
• Cut cucumber into any shaped chunks aroun 2.5cm / 1" pieces. Again, I like to do irregular but even-sized shapes.
• Toss veg: Place tomato sweating in colander into large bowl. Add cucumber and basil, toss gently.
• Tomato Dressing: Add Dressing ingredients into bowl holding the tomato juice, whisk well.
• Dress salad: Add bread to salad, pour over dressing. Give it a light toss.
• Rest then serve: Leave for 5 minutes to let the juices soak into the bread, tossing once or twice. Toss once more just before serving!

EASY ITALIAN BREAD SALAD

Steps:

• Brush both sides of bread with 1 tablespoon oil. Place on a baking sheet. Broil 4 in. from the heat for 1-2 minutes on each side or until lightly browned. Cut into 1-in. cubes. , In a large bowl, toss the bread cubes, tomatoes, cucumber, onions and cheese. Divide among four lettuce-lined salad plates. In a small bowl, whisk the vinegar, garlic, basil and remaining oil. Drizzle over salads. Serve immediately.

ITALIAN BREAD SALAD WITH OLIVES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. Place bread cubes in a large bowl. In another bowl, mix oil, garlic and pepper; drizzle 3 tablespoons over bread and toss to coat. Reserve remaining oil mixture. Spread in a single layer on two 15x10x1-in. baking pans., Bake until crisp and light brown, 12-18 minutes, stirring occasionally., Meanwhile, whisk vinegar and salt into reserved oil mixture. Add tomatoes, olives and herbs; toss to coat., Cool bread cubes slightly. Add to tomato mixture; toss to combine. Sprinkle with cheese; serve immediately.

PANZANELLA (ITALIAN BREAD SALAD)

Steps:

• In a bowl, combine the tomatoes, cucumber, onion, garlic and basil.
• Drizzle with the 1/2 cup olive oil and the 3 tblsps vinegar, season with salt and pepper and toss well.
• Place half of the bread in a wide, shallow bowl.
• Spoon half of the tomato mixture over the bread.
• Layer the remaining bread on top and then the remaining tomato mixture.
• Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.
• Just before serving, toss the salad and adjust the seasonings with salt and pepper.
• If the bread seems dry, add a little oil or vinegar.
• Serve immediately.

ITALIAN PANZANELLA BREAD SALAD

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Toss the bread cubes with the olive oil to evenly coat. Sprinkle with salt, and toss again. Spread the cubed bread evenly over a baking sheet, and bake in the preheated oven until golden brown, about 12 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely.
• Toss together the garbanzo beans, tomatoes, peppers, onion, and kalamata olives in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the pesto, balsamic vinegar, rosemary, and pepper. Toss the tomatoes with the pesto mixture, and let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
• To serve, toss the toasted bread cubes and goat cheese with the tomato mixture. Line a serving platter with a few lettuce leaves. Shred the remaining lettuce, and mound in the center of the platter. Spoon the bread mixture over the lettuce, and sprinkle with toasted pine nuts.

ITALIAN BREAD SALAD (PANZANELLA)

Steps:

• If your bread is very hard, douse it with water first and saw it into a few pieces that will fit into a medium bowl. Cover with the onions. Pour on cold water to cover and let sit for 20 minutes. Lift the onions off the bread and rinse in a strainer. Drain the bread, squeeze out excess water and crumble the bread into a salad bowl.
• Add the tomatoes, basil, and parsley to the bowl. Mix together the vinegar, garlic, salt, pepper, and olive oil, and toss with the bread mixture. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour or longer before serving.

ITALIAN BREAD SALAD

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300°F with rack in middle.
• Spread out bread in a 4-sided sheet pan and toast in oven, stirring occasionally, until pale golden, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool completely.
• While bread cools, halve cucumber lengthwise, then core and thinly slice.
• Toss together bread, cucumber, remaining ingredients, 1/4 tsp salt, and 1/2 tsp pepper and let stand, tossing occasionally, 30 minutes. Season with additional oil, vinegar, salt, and pepper.

ITALIAN BREAD SALAD

Steps:

• In a large bowl, whisk together oil and lemon juice; season with salt and pepper. Add tomatoes, cucumber, fennel, onion, and olives. Toss to combine. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to 4 hours.
• Heat broiler with rack set 4 inches from heat. On a baking sheet, toast bread until light brown on both sides, 1 to 2 minutes a side. Place the bread on a work surface and rub cut side of garlic against bread. Discard garlic. Cut bread into 2-inch pieces.
• To serve: Place bread in four shallow bowls. Top with tomato salad and scatter basil and cheese over top.