Panzanella Salad
This Panzanella Salad Recipe is the perfect Summer Side Dish! Crusty baguette tossed with grilled vegetables, lots of herbs and a homemade lemon herb vinaigrette! This Grilled Panzanella Salad will be your new go to side dish for Summer!
Pair this perfect summer salad with the Best Grilled Chicken, Grilled Steak Kabobs, or Grilled Chicken Caprese for a perfect warm-weather meal!
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What Is Panzanella Salad?
I love a good Panzanella salad! The traditional rustic tuscan style salad is comprised of crispy bread soaked in an Italian vinaigrette and tossed with mozzarella, tomatoes, and basil. I changed it up a bit and used lots of grilled vegetables from the garden in place of the cheese and tomatoes. It’s the perfect summer meal to use up veggies from the garden AND to fire up the grill!
If you like more of a traditional panzanella feel free to toss in some tomatoes and mozzarella. The more veggies the merrier! You could even grill the tomatoes for even more roasted flavor!
My version of homemade Panzanella salad is made with crusty bread, parmesan cheese, lemon-herb vinaigrette, and grilled vegetables. It’s bursting with flavor in every bite! The juices from the grilled vegetables and the lemon-herb vinaigrette saturate the hearty bread without making it too soggy. To get the full effect of this salad make sure to get vegetables, cheese, and bread in every bite. You’ll be glad you did!
This recipe is very simple to make. While the vegetables are cooking prepare the lemon herb vinaigrette. When the vegetables are ready, cut them into bite-size pieces and toss them with the vinaigrette and bread.
This Grilled Vegetable Panzanella Salad can be served family-style on a platter perfect for a backyard barbecue. You can even make this a meal by adding grilled chicken, fish, or steak.
Ingredients
- Bread: Panzanella salad works best with crispy, day-old bread. If you bought the bread today or did not leave it out the night before, simply place it in the oven and broil until lightly golden brown and crispy. You can even place the bread on the grill along with your vegetables. Just make sure to keep a close eye on it.
- Olive Oil: You’ll need this for the veggies and for the dressing.
- Salt/Pepper: Because everything needs a little salt. If you are not big on spice, you can completely leave out the pepper if you’d like.
- Veggies:Â I chose my favorite veggies to grill for this salad. This recipe really is very versatile, so if there is a veggie you want to leave out or add, feel free to do so. Make it your own!
- Cheese: I love parmesan cheese on this salad, but choose your favorite or what you have on hand! White cheddar, feta, or goat cheese would be delicious.
- Vinegar: Red Wine vinegar is my favorite choice for this dressing.
- Lemon Juice: Freshly squeezed is preferred, but pre-squeezed lemon juice works great too!
- Herbs: Fresh herbs are definitely a win in a dish like panzanella salad. If you don’t have access to fresh herbs, dried herbs add plenty of flavors too. Sometimes you’ll need to add more dried herbs than what is recommended in the recipe, but to be sure you can always taste your dressing while you’re seasoning it.
How to Make Grilled Vegetable Panzanella Salad
1. Season the Veggies and Grill: Toss your vegetables in olive oil and season with salt and pepper.Â
2. Grill veggies: on medium-high heat for 7-10 minutes flipping halfway through.Â
3. Make the Vinaigrette:Â Combine the vinegar, olive oil, and lemon juice with a whisk. Season with parsley, oregano, salt, and pepper.
4. Dice veggies: Into bite size pieces.
Toss, Garnish, and Enjoy! Garnish the salad with extra parsley and lemon. Drizzle with olive oil as desired and serve immediately.
What If I Don’t Have a Grill?
If you do not have a grill at home, I recommend using a cast iron grill pan. You still get the same grill marks as well as the nice smokey flavor. You can also roast them, but they may get mushy.
Best Bread for Panzanella Salad
Any dried bread works great for this salad. I like a crusty wheat baguette, but any day-old bread will work like Italian bread, French Bread, or a sourdough loaf. Even large, unseasoned croutons would work!
Make Ahead Instructions
This is the ideal make-ahead dish! The longer the salad sits, the better it tastes. I like to make it up to 6 hours ahead of time. Just make sure that your bread is completely dry before making it so it doesn’t turn to mush. Best to leave it out the night before. Day-old bread is best!
Serving Suggestions
- Grilled Chicken Caprese
- The Best Grilled Chicken
- Grilled Steak Kabobs
- Black Bean Corn Salsa
- Grilled Sweet Potato Wedges
- Maple Dijon Salmon
Storage Instructions
This salad doesn’t actually keep well in the fridge. However, you can store leftover Panzanella salad in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one day.
More Summertime Side Dish Recipes
- Cucumber Avocado Salad
- The Best Broccoli Salad
- Roasted Garlic Brussel Sprouts
- BLT Pasta Salad
- Creamy Confetti Corn
- Macaroni Salad
- Mexican Pasta Salad
- Berry Spinach Salad with Berry Balsamic Vinaigrette
Grilled Vegetable Panzanella Salad
A perfect summer side dish. Loaded with grilled vegetables, whole wheat baguette, and tossed in a lemon herb vinaigrette.
Ingredients
Panzanella Salad
- 1 crusty baguette cut into 1 to 2 inch chunks
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- salt and freshly ground pepper
- 1 medium zucchini sliced
- 8 ounces mushrooms left whole
- 1/2 of a red pepper quartered
- 1/2 of a yellow pepper quartered
- 1/2 large red onion sliced
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese for serving, if desired
Lemon-Herb Vinaigrette
- 1 ounce red wine vinegar
- 3 ounces extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- To begin, toss your vegetables in the olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
- Preheat grill to medium high heat. Spray the grill with nonstick cooking spray. Place veggies on the grill. The vegetables will take about 7-10 minutes to cook. The bell peppers will take the longest. Flip the vegetables half way through.
- Cut the grilled veggies into bite size pieces.
- To make the vinaigrette whisk together the vinegar, olive oil, lemon juice, parsley and oregano.
- In a large bowl combine the grilled vegetables and baguette. Drizzle with the lemon-herb vinaigrette and toss to combine. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately and garnish with extra parsley, if desired.
Recipe Notes
If your baguette is not crusty enough or you did not use day old bread place bread on a baking sheet under a broiler on high and let cook for about 2-4 minutes. Keep a very close eye on it. Do not walk away.