Rustic Panzanella Salad Recipe

Sure, everybody strives to eat well and does their best to make tasty AND nutritious meals mid-week. But, if you are looking into a poorly stocked pantry, or you have not planned ahead, it sure can be a challenge (and those frozen fish sticks you ate last night look increasingly appealing, again).

When you pair a few fresh ingredients with some awesome pantry staples, delicious and healthy meals are within your reach, mid-week, or anytime really.

This recipe is a fantastic (and surprisingly simple) rustic panzanella salad. When it comes to salads, we like ours bright, fresh, vibrant, and bursting with flavour. And, they don’t always have to be chock-full of lettuce (which we think can be highly over-rated.) This rustic panzanella salad recipe satisfies all of our salad desires. Crusty toasted baguette or bread (that soaks up all the lemony vinaigrette,) fresh juicy cherry tomatoes, crunchy cucumbers and pepper, silky buffalo mozzarella, and fragrant basil leaves, all come together beautifully in this fast and fresh salad.

Our tip? Let it sit in the fridge for 30 minutes before serving to let all the flavours mingle. Perfect served with some grilled fish or chicken.

Rustic Panzanella Salad Recipe:

You’ll Need

1 baguette
1 tbsp olive oil
Pinches of sea salt and cracked black pepper
2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
2 mini cucumbers or 1 large cucumber, chopped
1 yellow pepper, chopped
1 container (about 1 1/2 cups) mini buffalo mozzarella balls, drained and patted dry
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
Handful fresh basil leaves, roughly chopped
1 to 2 tbsp balsamic or red wine vinegar
1/3 cup olive oil
1/2 tsp each sea salt and pepper

Prep and Cook

Preheat oven to 400 F
Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside
Cube bread and transfer to a bowl
Drizzle with olive oil, sea salt, and pepper and toss to coat
Spread in an even layer on baking sheet
Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until bread just starts to become golden around the edges
Remove from oven to let cool
Meanwhile, combine cherry tomatoes, cucumber, pepper, buffalo mozzarella, lemon zest, and basil in a large bowl
When bread cubes are cool, add them and toss to combine well
In a small bowl, whisk together lemon juice, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, sea salt, and pepper
Drizzle over salad and toss well to coat
Serve immediately, or cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes to let allow the flavors to blend together