Sourdough Panzanella Salad

Make a Sourdough Panzanella Salad for a delicious summer side dish. Serve this twist on a classic Tuscan bread salad with your grilling favorites.

Try sourdough panzanella salad for a refreshing and hearty summer side dish

Any summer salad made with cherry tomatoes and fresh basil is good for me! Add cubed sourdough bread to that salad and I am definitely excited.

This panzanella recipe is made by mixing toasted cubed sourdough bread with tomatoes, fresh basil and red onion. The bread and veggies are then soaked in a seasoned vinaigrette.

What is panzanella?

Panzanella is a salad made by soaking stale bread in an olive oil and vinegar dressing and tossing with tomatoes and vinegar. The dish originated in Tuscany, but has been changed as it has spread all over the world.

This version of panzanella salad is made with sourdough bread that is toasted to mimic stale bread. The sourdough cubes are then tossed with a seasoned vinaigrette, cherry tomatoes, thinly sliced red onion, and fresh basil.

Kitchen Tools

• Mixing bowls
• Measuring spoons and measuring cups
• Parchment paper and baking sheets
• Sharp knife and cutting board
• Spatula or wooden mixing spoon

Ingredients

• Sourdough bread
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Salt
• Red onion
• Cherry tomatoes
• Fresh basil
• Red wine vinegar
• Dried oregano
• Crushed red pepper

Substitutes for sourdough bread

I love the flavor of sourdough bread in this panzanella salad, but I understand that it is not everyones first choice. You can use any type of bread that has a thick outer crust including baguettes. I do not recommend using sandwich bread for this recipe.

How to make Sourdough Panzanella Salad

Step 1: Toast sourdough bread in oven

To begin, preheat oven to 400F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Cut the sourdough bread into cubes and lay on the parchment lined baking sheet. 

Then, pour 2 tbsp of olive oil over the bread and use your hands to toss and make sure the bread is evenly coated. Sprinkle 1 tsp salt over the bread.

Next, place in the oven to bake for 16-20 minutes. Remove when the bread is golden brown.

Step 2: Prepare other ingredients and vinaigrette

While the bread cubes toast, cut the red onion into thin slices. Cut the cherry tomatoes in half and slice the basil into ribbons.

Then, whisk together red wine vinegar, the other 2 tbsp olive oil, dried oregano and crushed red pepper in a small bowl and set to the side.

Step 3: Toss bread salad ingredients together

Finally, add the toasted bread cubes to a large mixing bowl along with the red onion, tomatoes and basil. Pour the vinaigrette over top and toss until all of the bread and veggies are evenly coated.

I prefer to make this panzanella salad a day in advance so that it has time to sit in the fridge and all of the flavors come together.

Can I make this panzanella recipe ahead of time?

Yes! As this bread salad sits in the fridge, the flavors will intensify and blend together.

I like to prepare it 24 hours prior to serving for the best taste and texture. You can add fresh basil just before serving.

Check out these other summer salad recipes

• Grilled Shrimp and Corn Salad
• Peanut Broccoli Pasta Salad
• Honey Mustard Three Bean Salad
• Easy Italian Chopped Salad

You can find the full recipe below. If you make this recipe, please rate and review it in the comments, or share it with me on Instagram!

Recipe

Sourdough Panzanella Salad

★★★★★ 5 from 5 reviews

Make a sourdough panzanella salad recipe to serve at your next backyard barbecue!

Recipe By: Madeline

Prep: 10 minutesCook: 30 minutesTotal: 40 minutes

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Servings: 6 servings 1x

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Ingredients

• 12oz sourdough bread (about 1/2 a large loaf)
• 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil – separated
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 a red onion
• 12oz cherry tomatoes
• 1/4 cup packed fresh basil leaves
• 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 1/2 tsp dreid oregano
• 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
• Flakey sea salt for topping

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Cut the sourdough bread into cubes and lay on the parchment lined baking sheet. 
2. Pour 2 tbsp of olive oil over the bread and use your hands to toss and make sure the bread is evenly coated. Sprinkle 1 tsp salt over the bread. Place in the oven to bake for 16-20 minutes. Remove when the bread is golden brown.
3. While the bread cubes toast, cut the red onion into thin slices. Cut the cherry tomatoes in half and slice the basil into ribbons. Whisk together red wine vinegar, the other 2 tbsp olive oil, dried oregano and crushed red pepper in a small bowl and set to the side.
4. Add the toasted bread cubes to a large mixing bowl along with the red onion, tomatoes and basil. Pour the vinaigrette over top and toss until all of the bread and veggies are evenly coated.

*** I prefer to make this panzanella salad a day in advance so that it has time to sit in the fridge and all of the flavors come together.

This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.