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    You are here: Home » Recipes » Beans and Legumes

    Published: Jun 23, 2012 · Modified: Jan 18, 2020 by Trish · This post may contain affiliate links · This blog generates income via ads ·

    Panzanella: Tomato bread salad

    panzanella: tomato and bread salad

    When I first discovered this salad I made it every week for months. I could not get enough of it. I love the way the bread soaks up the dressing and juice from the tomatoes. The beans and bread can easily make this a meal instead of a side dish.

    You need a good quality crusty bread here and a bit stale is okay, but not essential. It does not need to be Italian bread specifically.  I've used left over french bread sticks and sour dough with great results.  Actually sour dough is so dense you can skip the toasting part if you are short on time.  In any case the bread should be tossed with the beans, tomatoes and dressing just before serving.  To make ahead of time, mix tomatoes, basil, beans and dressing together several hours ahead, and prepare the bread.  At just the last minute, toss the bread into the rest of the salad.

    I used my pickled onions this time, and actually a little bit of their brine in place of half of the vinegar, but plain red onions are just fine here.

    Panzanella

    • 4 thick slices of Italian bread, cut into cubes (about 3 cups of bread cubes)
    • 2 cups of ripe tomatoes, a good sweet variety, cherry tomatoes will do nicely as well, cored and chopped
    • 1 19 oz can of white beans (navy or cannellini), about 1-½ cups, rinsed and drained
    • 1 cup of basil leaves, torn or thinly shredded
    • ½ cup of pickled red onions, or fresh red onions, thinly sliced
    • 4 tablespoons red wine vinegar
    • 1 tablespoon water
    • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
    • 2 small cloves of garlic pressed or very finely chopped
    • pinch of dried red pepper flakes (optional)
    • ¼ teaspoon sea salt
    • fresh black pepper to taste

    Preheat oven to 400.  Spread cubed Italian bread on a baking sheet and lightly spray with  olive oil or Pam.  Toss and spray again.   Bread should be spread out on a single layer. Place in the oven for 8-10 minutes or until lightly toasted. Watch carefully, it doesn't take long for these to burn.  Set aside.

    In a large bowl mix together beans, tomatoes, basil and onions.

    In a small bowl add vinegar, water, olive oil, garlic, red pepper (if using) and salt.  Whisk together and then pour on top of tomato and bean mixture.  Toss well to combine. (At this point you can store this for several hours in the refrigerator, just be sure to take it out about 30 minutes before serving to take the chill out.)

    To serve: Toss bean and tomato mixture with the toasted bread pieces. Sprinkle with fresh black pepper and serve immediately.

    Makes  4 generous servings.

    More Beans and Legumes

    • Mediterranean Eggplant Stew
    • Easy Baked Tofu Recipe
    • How to cook dried chickpeas from scratch
    • Cannellini Bean Salad with Roasted Red Pepper

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    1. Renee Dobbs says

      June 24, 2012 at 7:01 am

      Yum! I'm adding these ingredients to my shopping list. Great salad.

      Reply
    2. Suzi says

      June 24, 2012 at 10:15 am

      One of my favorite salad with the bread added. I haven't added beans but I am going to try that. Delish.

      Reply
    3. Anita at Hungry Couple says

      June 25, 2012 at 1:42 pm

      I love panzanella and also make it a lot, especially in the summer. I've never tried adding beans, though....

      Reply
    4. thedrivencook says

      June 26, 2012 at 10:36 pm

      Love the colors in this dish! So summery!

      Reply
    5. torviewtoronto says

      July 06, 2012 at 3:50 pm

      lovely flavours looks wonderful

      Reply
    6. cravingsofalunatic says

      July 26, 2012 at 5:35 pm

      This makes me wish I could eat tomatoes. I gotta try this one for hubby. Looks fab.

      Reply
      • infinebalance says

        July 27, 2012 at 4:32 pm

        No tomatoes! 🙁 so sad for you

    7. annesturetucker says

      August 15, 2012 at 12:14 pm

      I love this salad - all my favorite things in one 🙂 And now with the summer sun riped delicious tomatoes - yum!!

      Reply
    8. A Tablespoon of Liz says

      August 20, 2012 at 9:36 am

      I love hearty salads like this, especially in the summer or when I'm busy and don't have much time to cook.

      Reply
    9. Allison says

      November 02, 2012 at 6:35 pm

      That looks soooo good. Great idea to add cannellini beans!

      Reply

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    Trish Cowper

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    I'm a curious home cook, just as enthusiastic about healthy ingredients and whole foods as I am about cookies.

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