I've never made a panzella (Tuscan bread and tomato salad) before, but now that I have I can't wait to make it all summer for a nice lunch or light dinner.
July 24, 2014 Update: We enjoyed this Fresh Tomato and Mozzarella Panzanella for dinner again last night, and it was the perfect light dinner on a warm evening in Italy. I did find that the tomatoes, honey, and apple cider vinegar available here are somewhat sweeter than what we have in the U.S., so taste the dressing as you add each ingredient, being sure not to add more honey than is needed. Ours would have benefited from a touch less honey. We both had just enough room leftover for some gelato.
PrintFresh Tomato and Mozzarella Panzanella
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: Serves 4
Ingredients
- 1 ½ tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon honey
- Sea salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 3 cups Parmesan Skillet Croutons
- 2-3 cups fresh mozzarella (I like the small mozzarella balls for this recipe, otherwise you can just cut a larger ball into cubes.)
- 2-3 cups fresh grape tomatoes, cut in half lengthwise
- Handful of fresh basil leaves, torn into pieces
Instructions
To make the dressing:
- Whisk together the olive oil, apple cider vinegar, honey, salt, and pepper together in a deep bowl. Adjust seasonings to taste.
- Add the mozzarella, tomatoes, and basil to the bowl, tossing well to combine. Toss in the croutons 5 minutes before serving. (Letting the salad sit for at least 5 minutes allows the croutons to absorb the flavors, but no more than 15 minutes or they will get too soggy and lose their crunch.)
- Serve and enjoy!
Notes
Note: Measurements for the croutons, tomatoes, and mozzarella do not need to be exact. I prefer to have roughly equal parts of each. Feel free to use however much you would like of each.
Adapted from: Homemade with Love by Jennifer Perillo
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