• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to footer navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

RecipeTin Eats

Fast Prep, Big Flavours

  • My RecipeTin
  • Recipes
  • Recipes By Category
    • Mains
      • Chicken
        • Chicken mince
      • Beef Recipes
        • Ground Beef (Mince)
      • Pork
      • Lamb
      • Turkey
      • Shrimp / Prawns
      • Salmon
      • Fish
      • Salad Meals
    • Quick and Easy
    • Soups
    • One Pot
    • Stews
    • Slow Cooker
    • Sides
      • All
      • Vegetables
      • Show Off Salads
      • Rice
      • Potato
    • Pasta
      • All
      • Pasta bakes
      • Pasta salads
    • Sweet
      • Cake recipes
      • Cupcakes & Muffins
      • Cookies
      • Puddings & Cosy Desserts
      • Bite Size
      • Pies
      • Slices & Bars
      • Frosting & Icing
    • Cuisine
      • Asian
        • All
        • Stir fries
        • Noodles
        • Soups
        • Chinese
        • Japanese
        • Korean
        • Thai
        • Vietnamese
      • French
      • Greek
      • Indian
      • Italian
      • Mediterranean
      • Mexican
      • Middle Eastern
      • South American
    • Dietary
      • Gluten Free
      • Low Calorie
      • Vegetarian
    • Other Categories
      • BBQ
      • Breakfast
      • Burgers
      • Cocktails
      • Party Foods
      • Rice Recipes
      • Roasts
      • Sandwiches & Sliders
  • ✨Special✨
  • Collections
  • About
    • Me
    • RecipeTin Meals
    • Free Recipe Books
    • Contact
    • eBooks
      • The Food Photography Book
      • Chicken Wings Cookbook
    • Food Bloggers Central
    • Nitty Gritty
      • Policy: Use of Recipes & Images
      • Privacy & Disclosure
Home Italian Recipes

Panzanella (Italian tomato & bread salad)

By:Nagi
Published:4 Aug '21Updated:9 Aug '21
44 Comments
Recipe v Dozer v

Panzanella is a classic tomato and bread salad from Tuscany. Bursting with ripe tomatoes, juicy cucumber and fragrant basil, it’s hard to think of a salad that screams “summer” more loudly. Chunks of lightly toasted bread bring delicious texture and some heft to the salad, making it filling enough for lunch or a light meal.

Be warned, this salad demands the very best tomatoes! If you don’t have juicy tomatoes, don’t make this. Make another salad instead!

Drizzling dressing over Panzanella - Italian tomato and bread salad

Panzanella – traditional Italian tomato and bread salad

Panzanella is a classic example of Italian cucina povera (literally “food of the poor”). This historically refers to the simple fare of commoners, meals made from humble and seasonal ingredients but no less delicious than the lavish foods gracing the tables of the rich.

In Tuscany, thrifty repurposing of leftover stale bread with the summertime bounty of tomatoes gave birth to this traditional salad.

At its simplest it’s nothing more than torn chunks of stale bread tossed with juicy, ripe tomatoes, and maybe a little olive oil. The real magic happens when the dressing and tomato juices soak into the bread, softening them and melding flavours with the tomatoes.

After making this salad over the years, we’ve made some tweaks to the strictly traditional recipes. We’ve found toasting the bread yields far better results, and additions like a little cucumber and some garlic in the dressing add interest.

Close up photo of Panzanella Italian tomato and bread salad

Toasting the bread isn’t strictly traditional. But it stops it from turning into white unidentifiable mush within minutes of tossing with dressing. Don’t skip it!

Ingredients in Panzanella

Here’s what goes in the salad:

Ingredients for Panzanella - Italian tomato and bread salad
  • JUICY ripe tomatoes – You need to use the absolute best quality tomatoes you can find. They must be juicy and ripe, so they drop plenty of tomato juices this is used to make the dressing.

    So if you don’t have juicy tomatoes, make another salad instead!

  • Cucumbers – I’ve peeled the cucumbers here, but this is purely decorative, to introduce some colour variation. Telegraph/English cucumber skins can also be a little tough (ie the long cucumbers). But peeling is totally optional.

  • Basil leaves – Always present in a good Panzanella!

  • Stale bread – Best breads (in order of preference):
    – ciabatta
    – pane di casa / artisan loaf
    – open-crumbed sourdough (ie. hole-y, not dense)
    – Turkish bread

    Breads that sit in the middle of the spectrum of denseness work best. We want a bread with an open crumb, but still some heft.

    Don’t use baguettes or dinner rolls. They’re too light and will disintegrate on contact with dressing. Bread that is too dense on the other hand also won’t work right.

    In terms of quantities, breads vary in denseness and thus weight, so go by volume ratios. You want an approximate 1:2 ratio of bread to vegetables.

    DON’T use stale bread without toasting. I did this once, and after only half an hour, the bread was such a soggy, goopy mess that someone asked me what “that white stuff” was in the salad. When I told him it was bread he replied, “Oh, right. I thought it was tofu …” Ouch. I’ve been toasting the bread ever since!

Toasting bread for Panzanella - Italian tomato and bread salad

Panzanella Dressing

Here’s what goes in the Panzanella Dressing:

Ingredients for Panzanella - Italian tomato and bread salad
  • Extra virgin olive oil – Use the best quality you can afford, for the best flavour!

  • White wine vinegar – It’s a little more rounded and better flavoured than ordinary white vinegar. Red wine vinegar can also be used. Other options: cider vinegar, sherry vinegar, champagne vinegar or white balsamic.

  • Dijon mustard – This thickens the dressing so it coats the ingredients nicely, as well as introducing a little extra flavour.

  • Garlic – Not usually present in traditional Panzanella, but it improves the salad two-fold in my book!

Panzanella Italian tomato and bread salad in a bowl, ready to be served

How and what to serve with Panzanella

With the bread in this salad, this is totally meal-worthy (yes, that’s a qualification in my world – see here for all my meal-worthy salads!). It will serve 3 normal adults as a meal (or 2 1/2 people with healthy appetites such as myself!)

Otherwise, serve it as a side dish. Alongside anything Italian would be an obvious choice, though really, it’s going to be right at home alongside anything Western/European. It also makes what I call a nice two-in-one side dish. That is, a starch (bread) and vegetables combined in the one dish which is always handy, as it saves you making two separate side dishes to tick the two boxes.

Let me know if you make this, and what you serve it with! I’m always interested to hear what you’re making! – Nagi x

PS. No video for the 3 simple side salads I’m sharing today! (This Panzanella, a Blood Orange Salad and the Garden Salad). But if you do want a video, just give me a shout out below and I’ll do one for you once summer rolls round and I can get my hands on some ripe tomatoes!

Hungry for more? Subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram for all of the latest updates.

Close up photo of Panzanella - Italian tomato and bread salad

Panzanella (Italian tomato and bread salad)

Author: Nagi
Prep: 10 mins
Cook: 15 mins
Sweating tomato, resting and cooling: 25 mins
Total: 50 mins
Side Salad
Italian
5 from 7 votes
Servings4 – 5 people as a side
Tap or hover to scale
Print
Panzanella is a classic tomato and bread salad from Tuscany. Bursting with ripe tomatoes, cucumber and basil, it's hard to think of a salad that screams "summer" any louder. Chunks of lightly toasted bread meanwhile bring delicious texture and some heft to the salad, making it filling enough for lunch or a light meal.
Be warned, this salad demands the very best tomatoes! If you don't have juicy tomatoes, don't make this. Make another salad instead!
And though some Italians may tell you toasting bread is not the traditional way to make Panzanella, don't skip it. That is, unless you WANT unidentifiable white mush in your bowl within minutes of making this!

Ingredients

  • 4 – 5 cups (loosely packed) stale bread , torn into 2.5cm/1” chunks (~180g/6 oz, depending on bread used)
  • 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 4 medium tomatoes (Note 1)
  • 1 tsp cooking/kosher salt (or 3/4 tsp table salt)
  • 2 Lebanese cucumbers (or 1 long telegraph/English cucumber), peeled (optional) (Note 3)
  • 1 cup basil leaves , loosely packed

Dressing:

  • 2 tbsp red or white wine vinegar (Note 4 for other options)
  • 1 tsp Dijon mustard
  • 8 tbsp extra virgin olive oil , the best you can afford
  • 1 1/2 tsp garlic , finely minced (~1 large or 2 small)
  • 1/4 tsp salt

Instructions

Toast bread:

  • Preheat oven to 180°C /350°F (160°C fan).
  • Toss bread chunks with 1 tbsp olive oil in a bowl.
  • Toast: Spread bread on a a tray and toast for about 15 minutes, until the outside is becoming golden and crunchy but the inside is still a little soft, like toast. Remove and leave to cool.

Salad:

  • Cut tomato into 8 wedges each. Cut some of these wedges into half (I like irregular shapes for this rustic salad).
  • Sweat tomato with salt: Put tomatoes into a colander over a large bowl. Season with the salt, toss and set aside for 10 minutes to draw out the juices. RESERVE the tomato juice in the bowl for the dressing.
  • Cut cucumber into any shaped chunks aroun 2.5cm / 1" pieces. Again, I like to do irregular but even-sized shapes.
  • Toss veg: Place tomato sweating in colander into large bowl. Add cucumber and basil, toss gently.
  • Tomato Dressing: Add Dressing ingredients into bowl holding the tomato juice, whisk well.
  • Dress salad: Add bread to salad, pour over dressing. Give it a light toss.
  • Rest then serve: Leave for 5 minutes to let the juices soak into the bread, tossing once or twice. Toss once more just before serving!

Recipe Notes:

1. Juicy and ripe tomatoes! You need to use the absolute best quality tomatoes you can find. They must be juicy and ripe, so they drop plenty of tomato juices when salted. Use all the tomato juice you catch for the dressing!
2. Bread – You want a 1:2 ratio of bread to vegetables by volume, ie. twice the amount of vegetables as bread.
Breads that sit in the middle of the spectrum of denseness work best. We want a bread with an open crumb, but still some heft. Best breads (in order of preference): ciabatta, pane di casa / artisan loaf, open-crumbed sourdough (ie. hole-y, not dense), Turkish bread.
Toasting bread is not strictly traditional. But unless you toast, it turns into unidentifiable soggy mush within minutes of dressing!
Don’t use baguettes or dinner rolls (too light) nor use bread that’s too dense.
3. Cucumber peeling – Recommended for telegraph/English cucumbers which can have tougher skin. Optional for other softer skin cucumbers – I do it for visual interest.
4. Other vinegar options: cider vinegar, sherry vinegar, champagne vinegar or white balsamic.
5. References – Thanks to Kenji from Serious Eats for the panzanella trick of salting the tomatoes and using the juices as part of the dressing.

Nutrition Information:

Calories: 431cal (22%)Carbohydrates: 32g (11%)Protein: 6g (12%)Fat: 32g (49%)Saturated Fat: 5g (31%)Polyunsaturated Fat: 4gMonounsaturated Fat: 23gSodium: 972mg (42%)Potassium: 539mg (15%)Fiber: 3g (13%)Sugar: 6g (7%)Vitamin A: 1500IU (30%)Vitamin C: 23mg (28%)Calcium: 51mg (5%)Iron: 1mg (6%)
Keywords: bread salad, italian bread salad, italian tomato salad, Panzanella, stale bread recipe
Did you make this recipe?I love hearing how you went with my recipes! Tag me on Instagram at @RecipeTinEats.

Life of Dozer

The warmest spot in the house!

Dozer the golden retriever snoozing on front porch

Previous Post
Blood Orange Salad
Next Post
The Garden Salad

Hi, I'm Nagi!

I believe you can make great food with everyday ingredients even if you’re short on time and cost conscious. You just need to cook clever and get creative!

Read More

Free Recipe eBooks

Join my free email list to receive THREE free cookbooks!

Related Posts

Spaghetti alla Puttanesca ready to be served

Spaghetti alla Puttanesca

Bowl of Malfatti - Italian Spinach Ricotta Dumplings, ready to be eaten

Malfatti (Italian spinach ricotta dumplings)

Dusting icing sugar over Italian Almond Cookies

Italian Almond Cookies (Gluten free biscuits, Ricciarelli)

More Italian Recipes

Reader Interactions

Leave a Comment Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Cooked this? Rate this recipe!




44 Comments

  1. Leslie says

    August 12, 2021 at 7:32 am

    5 stars
    I started out to make a Greek salad so I had my beautiful,, fully ripe, sweet, home grown tomatoes and cucumber already sweating for a good half hour when I brought out the feta and discovered it had turned. What to do – then I remembered your recipe. I had some rustic left over bread, which I cubed and toasted and turned my well sweated tomatoes and cucumbers into a delicious panzanella salad. Next time maybe I’ll add olives and artichokes as several others have mentioned, but honestly, it was perfect as is. Thank you for another fabulous recipe. PS – I love Dozer, he looks just like my late golden! Goldens are the best!

    Reply
  2. Matt says

    August 10, 2021 at 5:32 pm

    Thank you. I add olives, artichokes and pan-seared tuna as well

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      August 11, 2021 at 10:28 am

      Yum! I love this idea! N x

      Reply
  3. Holly says

    August 10, 2021 at 2:42 am

    5 stars
    This looks amazing Nagi and a perfect salad for garden fresh tomatoes (plus the more bread in my life the better 😁)

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      August 11, 2021 at 10:31 am

      YES!!! I hear ya Holly!! N x

      Reply
  4. Ewa says

    August 9, 2021 at 8:39 pm

    The recipe is great, but the vinegar flavor was overpowering… next time, I’ll use lemon juice.

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      August 10, 2021 at 9:33 am

      It really should overpower the salad – what type of vinegar did you use? N x

      Reply
  5. Reem says

    August 9, 2021 at 6:26 pm

    5 stars
    A real winner. So simple to make and surprisingly leftofovers stll tasted good the next day. The biggest challenge was finding really ripe tomatoes but I found a handful of ready to use heirlooms at the local grocer. I used white wine balsamic. Yum.

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      August 11, 2021 at 10:32 am

      There’s nothing like fresh, ripe tomatoes is there Reem! N x

      Reply
  6. Julianne in Brissy says

    August 8, 2021 at 8:53 pm

    5 stars
    Made this today, exactly as per your recipe. It was fantastic! So delicious. I’ve still got some beautiful ripe tomatoes left so I guess I’m just going to have to make another panzanella tomorrow!

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      August 11, 2021 at 10:42 am

      I wouldn’t be upset about that!! I’m so glad you enjoyed it Julianne! N x

      Reply
  7. Jin says

    August 7, 2021 at 11:02 am

    Oh Nagi,
    why are people so small minded, you provide a wonderful service to us all
    recipes evolve like life itself & you give constant inspiration

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      August 11, 2021 at 10:42 am

      Thank you SO much Jin, that’s so kind of you! N x

      Reply
  8. Gina says

    August 6, 2021 at 10:30 am

    My family came from Italy , we always have atomato, cucumber and onion salad drizzled with olive oil and salt! Then dip bread in it. No basil

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      August 11, 2021 at 10:44 am

      YUM! N x

      Reply
  9. Patricia says

    August 6, 2021 at 12:33 am

    Love your recipes and Dozer xx

    Reply
  10. Federica says

    August 5, 2021 at 9:46 pm

    hello Nagi, excellent recipe! I put thinly sliced onion and tuna in the panzanella, and no cucumbers. My brother in law is tuscan, my sister passed the recipe to me. Thanks for your work, and the idea of giving meals to the poor is wonderful!
    Federica, Genova, Italia

    Reply
  11. Jacqui says

    August 5, 2021 at 9:58 am

    Thankyou. I love your yummy recipes. Always innovative and interesting. Did I mention YUMMY.
    Dozer 💋 is lovely.❤

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      August 5, 2021 at 7:09 pm

      Thanks so much Jacqui!!! N x

      Reply
  12. lucie blench says

    August 5, 2021 at 3:45 am

    Love the salads, easy and always work out well!
    Brunch ideas please!
    Hi Dozer, from Remi a wonderful Canadian dog!

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      August 5, 2021 at 7:12 pm

      Brunch ideas, how about savoury muffins, quiche, tea cakes, poached eggs, crumpets… I have SO many ideas! N x

      Reply
    • Holly says

      August 10, 2021 at 3:10 am

      Hi Lucie,

      Just thought I would chime in and tell you that Nagi’s recipe for a breakfast strata is sooo good and would be a great addition for a brunch table. (And great leftovers too imo)

      Cheers,

      Holly 🙂

      Reply
  13. VA says

    August 5, 2021 at 3:10 am

    I tried panzanella last year for the 1st time. Was thinking earlier this a.m. what can I do with all the fresh veges. I’m trying your version this weekend. Thanks for all of your great ideas and recipes. Always enjoy seeing pics of Dozer.

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      August 5, 2021 at 7:12 pm

      You’re so welcome VA – thanks so much for the awesome feedback!!! N x

      Reply
  14. E says

    August 5, 2021 at 12:09 am

    I’m in Virginia in the US, and we’re now at the height of tomato and basil season. My garden is overflowing, so I make a one-person panzanella every single day! I cube and toast a ciabatta roll, cut up a few tomatoes, add basil, thinly sliced vidalia onion, and my secret — fresh mozzarella cubes — a riff on caprese salads. I toss with olive oil and a little balsamic vinegar, some salt and a pinch of sugar. Voila! Lunch!

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      August 5, 2021 at 7:13 pm

      Sounds divine E!!!! YUM! N x

      Reply
  15. Susi V says

    August 4, 2021 at 10:56 pm

    I LOVE Panzanella. The recipe I use (from Patricia Wells’s “Trattoria” which is my Italian food Bible) is very similar but also includes chopped celery, which adds a nice crunch and extra flavour. Some capers or chopped green olives make a nice variation. I find if using the right bread (a good ciabatta) it doesn’t disintegrate or need toasting, but will try the toasted approach next time! But yes, using bread that goes too soggy and disintegrates kills this wonderful summer dish.

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      August 5, 2021 at 7:13 pm

      Love these ideas Susies, I’ll be trying them out! N x

      Reply
  16. AE says

    August 4, 2021 at 9:05 pm

    Argentine food is deeply influenced by Italian food, but I’ve never had this one, so I’ll have to try when summer comes!
    Quick question, would “code” vinegar be cider vinegar?

    Reply
  17. Jilly says

    August 4, 2021 at 8:39 pm

    Could you roast your tomatoes for this salad and then toss them in?

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      August 5, 2021 at 7:15 pm

      If you wanted to you could, I would do them for a short time so they don’t turn to much and become watery. N x

      Reply
  18. Nancy M Long says

    August 4, 2021 at 8:27 pm

    sounds interesting, but too much bread for me

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      August 5, 2021 at 7:14 pm

      You can always reduce the amount! N x

      Reply
  19. Eha says

    August 4, 2021 at 7:10 pm

    5 stars
    This salad methinks will be wondrously popular with our North American friends in the middle of their tomato season . . . so many to whom I have talked have just recently thought along the same lines ! I love it – and yours does have some clever little twists – come our summer guess which recipe I;ll try . . . Agree about the ciabatta !!

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      August 5, 2021 at 7:16 pm

      I know you’ll love it Eha!!! N x

      Reply
  20. Marg says

    August 4, 2021 at 6:41 pm

    Gotta love the panzanella and the fatoush salads.I love how Italians make a gourmet treat from stale bread! I do a vegan pasta topping using an Italian stale bread recipe . I want to make it right now but tomatoes are not at their best in a Melbourne winter.

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      August 5, 2021 at 7:18 pm

      No definitely not great until the warmer weather starts Marg – here’s to the end of lockdown, warm weather and great tomatoes! N x

      Reply
Newer Comments

Primary Sidebar

Hi, I'm Nagi!

I believe you can make great food with everyday ingredients even if you’re short on time and cost conscious. You just need to cook clever and get creative! Read More

Free Recipe eBooks

Join my free email list to receive THREE free cookbooks!

Meet Dozer

Official taste tester of RecipeTin Eats! Meet Dozer
As Featured On

What's for Dinner?

Close up of beef enchiladas in a baking dish, fresh out of the oven

Beef Enchiladas

Butter Chicken served over basmati rice in a bowl, ready to be served

Butter Chicken

Overhead photo of 2 black bowls with Chinese Chicken Salad with Asian Dressing, ready to be eaten

Chinese Chicken Salad

Salisbury Steak recipe in skillet.

Salisbury Steak with Mushroom Gravy

Vietnamese Coconut Caramel Chicken - 7 ingredient magic. The coconut fragrance is heavenly! recipetineats.com

Vietnamese Coconut Caramel Chicken

Fast prep. Big flavours!

Never miss a recipe

Back to Top
  • Related
  • RecipeTin Japan
  • Food Bloggers Center
  • Help
  • Contact Us
  • Image Use
  • Privacy Policy & Terms
Site Credits Maintained by Zao Designed by Melissa Rose Design Developed by Once Coupled © RecipeTin Eats 2022 · All Rights Reserved Back to Top