Our Panzanella Salad is everything we love about summer in one big bowl, with juicy tomatoes, crunchy cucumbers, creamy mozzarella cheese, fresh herbs, and homemade croutons all tossed in a tangy balsamic vinaigrette. It’s a simple, no-fuss salad that’s perfect for easy lunches, a laid-back summer dinner, or even as a pass-along potluck dish.
As if the combination of flavors and textures wasn’t enough to make us crave this salad, it all comes together without turning on the stove. Make it once, and we know it will become your go-to salad all summer long.
What is Panzanella Salad?
This classic Italian chopped salad was created as a way to use up stale bread, which puts our homemade croutons to good use. It’s a rustic-style salad featuring chopped veggies like tomatoes, onions, simple dressing, and bread.
Like all traditional recipes, plenty of variations have popped up over the years, and now you’ll often find mozzarella, fresh herbs, and cucumbers in panzanella salad.
No matter what ingredients you use, a true panzanella salad will have bread that’s soaked up enough dressing to soften, while still having a bit of a bite.
How to Make Our Panzanella Salad Recipe
Ingredients
Process
- In a large mixing bowl, combine croutons, tomatoes, and cucumber and toss together.
- Tear fresh mozzarella balls over salad and drizzle with half the vinaigrette. Toss together. Allow salad to sit for about 15 minutes. (this will allow the croutons sometime to absorb the vinaigrette and slightly soften). When ready to serve, drizzle salad with more vinaigrette and top with basil leaves and mint leaves (if using).
Variations for Our Panzanella Salad
There are tons of ways to make this panzanella salad your own, depending on what you like and what you have on hand. Try some of these variations:
- Swap the mozzarella cheese for crumbled feta or goat cheese. You can even add some shaved parmesan.
- Use grilled veggies instead of fresh to add a smoky, warm element. You can even add grilled eggplant, zucchini, or peppers for a nutrient and flavor boost.
- Swap the homemade croutons for store-bought, or go the traditional route and use day-old sourdough, French, or ciabatta bread.
- Add a protein, like grilled chicken or white beans, to make it a filling main course.
- Mix up the herbs by adding a combo of fresh basil, mint, parsley, dill, or chives.
- Swap the balsamic vinaigrette with red wine vinaigrette or basil vinaigrette.
Prep Ahead Instructions
You can easily prep the ingredients for this salad ahead of time, so it comes together quickly when you’re ready to serve and eat it.
Make the croutons up to a week ahead of time and store in an airtight container at room temperature.
The dressing can also be made ahead of time, ideally 1-3 days ahead, and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
The tomatoes and cucumbers can also be chopped up to a day ahead of time and stored in separate containers in the refrigerator.
Can Panzanella Salad be Stored for Leftovers?
The key to perfect panzanella salad is letting it sit long enough for the bread or croutons to soften, but not so long that they become soggy. It’s best eaten within 24 hours; after that, the bread may become too soft and soggy.
Store any leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours. If you plan to eat only part of the salad within the day, prepare the ingredients as noted above and combine just what you think you’ll eat, saving the rest for the next day or two.
What to Serve with Our Panzanella Salad Recipe
This salad is the perfect side dish for any of these summer recipes:
- Grilled peel-and-eat shrimp
- Surf and Turf
- Carne Asada
- Air Fryer Chicken Thighs
- Sweet Corn Gazpacho
- Grilled Chicken Satay
- Lamb Kofta
More Hearty Salad Recipes You Will Love
Panzanella Salad
INGREDIENTS
- 1 homemade crouton recipe
- 8 ounces fresh mozzarella (about 3 balls)
- 8 ounces cherry tomatoes halved
- 1 hothouse cucumber halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
- 1/2 bunch basil leaves
- 1/4 bunch mint leaves optional
- 1/2 balsamic vinaigrette recipe
INSTRUCTIONS
- In a large mixing bowl combine croutons, tomatoes, and cucumber and toss together.
- Tear fresh mozzarella balls over salad and drizzle with half the vinaigrette. Toss together.
- Allow salad to sit for about 15 minutes. (this will allow the croutons sometime to absorb the vinaigrette and slightly soften).
- When ready to serve, drizzle salad with more vinaigrette and top with basil leaves and mint leaves (if using).
- Season with salt and pepper and serve.
Did you make this recipe? We want to see!
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We made this panzanella tonight for dinner and LOVED it! A perfect summer salad- simple, refreshing, and satisfying! Thanks for the awesome recipe!
Made this tonight for company and it was SO GOOD and easy. I made everything ahead of time and just tossed it all together when guests arrived. Perfect summer dinner! This will be in regular rotation through the summer. BTW, this served 5 people as a main dish and I served fruit on the side.
I made a variation of this the other night, based on this recipe, and what I happened to have in the fridge. My boyfriend, our friend, and I gobbled it up for dinner, and I had the leftovers for breakfast!
YUM!!! We have had this a few times now. Delicious!
I totally agree about salad. I’ve been eating it for lunch these past few days and every time I go to eat lunch I get so sad haha. I’ve never tried panzanella salad to be honest but it looks tasty! I love making my own ‘croutons,’ too! One night, I decided to try to make my own version of buca di beppo’s chopped antipasto salad and I must say, “my” version is certainly the ONLY salad that I can eat as a full meal, multiple times over. It’s so tasty even my brother (whose diet consists of taco bell, burgers, and pizza) will eat it.
I adore panzanella. I have a similar recipe (from a Williams Sonoma Tuscan cookbook) that also includes fresh basil and red onion and day old bread that is soaked in water and then squeezed out. It sounds terrible but it’s delicious…the bread is chewy.
This version looks simple and delicious and I’ll definitely try it!
I totally agree with you about salads!
In Tuscany they use stale bread dipped in water and white vinegar.
I like your recipe with croutons!
I’m a salad and bread lover, so I would devour this. Plus tomatoes AND mozzarella? It’s a wrap!
I love salads that have big chunks of bread in them! I am filing this away to make soon!! Love the seasoned croutons you’ve made here too!
I adore panzanella salad — but then again, anything is better with chunks of toasty bread :)
Hi there, just wanted to let you know that I passed on the Versatile Blogger Award to you at http://dinnerfornone.wordpress.com/2012/04/22/hat-trick. I wasn’t able to find out whether you’ve received it before, so I hope you haven’t…
Those tiny mozzarella balls are just gorgeous in that salad. I love all the fresh veggies too.
Wow…. this is going to be lunch! Thank you!!
I am definitely going to make this! ;)
I’ve been intimated by the panzanella salad, but this looks so simple. What a perfect summer salad? Do you serve straight from the fridge, cold?
I usually do, but you can totally keep it out at room temp for about 10 minutes before you serve it!
Sooooo pretty! Vitamins :)
Oh my! This sounds fabulous!
The little balls of mozzarella are where it’s at! Love this non-leafy-green salad.
That salad would hit the spot big time right now! It just looks so fresh and inviting!
what a hearty salad! i love panzanella – the bread makes it :)
Oh wow, this is my kind of salad. I love the idea of making your own croutons.
xoxo,
mon amy
Gorgeous “salad”! I’ve never actually had panzanella before, but I can tell we’d get along just fine :)
I posted the same salad this week! Maybe jumping the gun a bit here in Denver because I usually wait til I can harvest fresh from the garden tomatoes but even with just OK tomatoes it was so good. Thinking those homemade croutons have something to do with it? I’ve never added mozzarella to mine but it’s now on the list of things to try; sounds good.
Oooh, this salad is totally the sandwich of salads! I totally agree with your salad philosophy, and this looks dreamy.
I love the idea of panzanella, but there’s something about the texture/flavor of raw tomatoes and cucumbers that has never settled with me. I’m going to try to whip up a batch subbing zucchini and some other colorful vegetables this weekend — thanks for the inspiration!