Italian bread and tomato salad! Capers work great in place of the olives too!
In my opinon, your ingredient choices will make or break this salad from 5 star plus to a 2 or 3 star. I have had this about 6 or 7 times (various recipes). By FAR the best is using stale hard rolls or very-chewy Italian bread. If you don't, the bread just becomes mushy instead of that wonderful, chewy, garlic-bread bites that is so special in this recipe. Alot of the flavor is from your choice garlic and oil, too. I use a high quality EVOO and FRESH only: minced garlic, mozzarella and basil leaves. If you don't use the fresh, it alters the flavor significantly. I think cherry or grape tomato's texture is better suited for this. Capers are a nice added flavor and, as I discovered tonight, so is roasted asparagas. With all that being said...made with our preferences, this goes in the favorite file.
Read Morethis was great compared to others but i added artichokes hearts soo good thnxx, veggie mom
Read More In my opinon, your ingredient choices will make or break this salad from 5 star plus to a 2 or 3 star. I have had this about 6 or 7 times (various recipes). By FAR the best is using stale hard rolls or very-chewy Italian bread. If you don't, the bread just becomes mushy instead of that wonderful, chewy, garlic-bread bites that is so special in this recipe. Alot of the flavor is from your choice garlic and oil, too. I use a high quality EVOO and FRESH only: minced garlic, mozzarella and basil leaves. If you don't use the fresh, it alters the flavor significantly. I think cherry or grape tomato's texture is better suited for this. Capers are a nice added flavor and, as I discovered tonight, so is roasted asparagas. With all that being said...made with our preferences, this goes in the favorite file.
Fabulous salad!!! This is bruschetta in a bowl. I used more tomatoes, kalamata olives, and a lot more fresh basil. Due to the small amount of dressing the bread does not get soggy. The leftovers the next day were still good. Tons of great flavor in this dish!
OMG this is super good! I used white balsamic vinegar, no onions, because they are too overpowering, and no olives, personal choice. The flavors mix wonderfully and it's the perfect summer salad. It was so hot here today that I toasted the bread on the bbq in a pan of course, using the indirect method, they came out perfect and had that smokey flavor. I used smart balance instead of olive oil on the bread too. I will make this again and again! Thanks for a great recipe!
This is a FANTASTIC salad. I used it as a foundation and added some chopped fresh spinach leaves to it. The flavors are wonderful. I used the broiler to toast the bread. Then I made a layer of bread, then put the salad on top of it to serve to my family. Even my 7 year old grandson loved it! Way to go!!
WOW! This is a fantastic dish!!! My family of picky eaters loved it. I didnt have any fresh basil on hand so I substituted dried italian seasoning. I also used black and green olives and added pepperoni because I had some that I needed to use up and it really made the salad delicious. My husband has already asked when we can have this again.
Excellent summer salad. I used Kalamata olives in place of the green (b/c that's what I had.) Everyone raved about this dish! Can't wait to try w/ capers! Thanks for the recipe!
this was great compared to others but i added artichokes hearts soo good thnxx, veggie mom
This was such a huge hit, I had to make it 2 days in a row! We first tried it as the second course of a gourmet meal, and this recipe was really really close to that gourmet panzanella! Excellent!
This is definitely one of my favorite salads. The capers really make it. Thanks for a great recipe!
This is great. I used french bread for the croutons and sea salt instead of ordinary salt in the seasoning. I didn't have olives so had to leave them out but will make again soon with them Very enjoyable. Many thanks.
Wow this was great. I made it for a BBQ and it was the first thing to go. Everyone kept picking at it even when we were done eating. I used a long french stick bread that wasn't a day old, but worked fine. Toasted it in the oven for 13 minutes. I made it early in the day and didn't want it to get too soggy so I put all the other ingredients in a bowl, without the balsamic mix, and put the cooled bread on top. About 45 minutes before serving that's when I added the balsamic, tossed it, and let it sit. It came out perfect. This is definitely a staple for BBQs now. Thanks!
Amazing! Have never had nor made a panzanella salad. As I toasted up some leftover French bread, I went out into the garden and picked grape tomatoes, and some basil. Also used a red onion from the garden. Used capers instead of olives. It was just the right amount of balsamic vinegar w/ the olive oil. We both loved it. With the amount of tomatoes we have right now.... I could make this for 3 meals a day for a month!! In January I will have a memory of all the freshness in this salad.
I made this last night and was disappointed that it seemed dry. However, I will try again, when I have more people to feed besides myself. I cut the recipe down to 2 servings. Others have said when you do that, sometimes the proportions are not correct. Also, I think the marrinated mozzarella balls might improve the taste. I REALLY wanted to like this!
This is soooooooooo good and yummy!!!! I have made this several times and I get rave reviews everytime!!! I sometimes use cherry tomatoes when I can't find the regular ones...
This salad is wonderful! I have brought it to many parties and it is the first to go! I use the marinated mozzarella balls from Costco and kalamata olives instead of green. It really is a great dish. Thanks!!!
Yum.... My family doesn't care for olives so we skipped them, but the recipe was still very good. I would prepare again...
I wish I had paid more attention to the reviews. I would have used very hard/chewy bread rather than just day old Italian, as my bread got soggy. I would have also used more tomatoes, onions and olives. As is, it was OK, but has the potential to be better.
Even though we changed a few ingredients, we loved it! I used 1 T Italian seasoning instead of the basil, black instead of green olives, and snow peas for the green color. We loved the flavor combinations! We'll make it again!
Wow! We loved this and will make it once or twice a week as long as the tomatoes hold out. It is very important to use very chewy bread and best quality ingredients. I followed the recipe exactly except for the cheese, which I skipped, but I'm sure it would also be great with cheese. Thanks for this recipe. note: I have also added chicken to make it a main dish summer supper.
Great! I made this as written, omitting the red onion and adding artichoke hearts. Thanks for the recipe!
This was very, very good. I added some italian seasoning to the bread and also some parmesan cheese. A great way to use leftover bread!
A wonderful recipe!! I added some fresh chopped parsley, a combination of fresh purple and sweet basil, used 25 year old balsamic (if you have never had 25-yr balsamic: it's CREAMY smooth and outstanding) and a squeeze of fresh lemon. It was excellent!!!
This was really good...I couldn't find any Italian bread, so I used rosemary bread. I figured since we eat that a lot at a fav Italian restaurant, it would make a good substitute...it was! The whole salad was quick and easy and went very well with our pesto burgers. Even my son, who wouldn't touch tomatoes growing up, enjoyed it. Thanks! We've made this a couple of times now and I've started leaving out the onion and it's even better!
This recipe is terrific. My wife, who is a very fussy eater just loved it. I did add a little more cheese than called for but other than that followed the recipe exactly. I my wife's words "This is a company salad".
Yummy! This was great! My husband who doesn't much care for tomatoes or olives LOVED this recipe and even ate the leftovers the next day. This would be a great dish to bring to a potluck!
Is this ever delicious!! I made it for a potluck and it got rave reviews. I prepared the bread in advance, then set aside. I mixed the bread in with the rest the ingreients just before walking out the door. The bread stayed nice and chewy - not too soggy. I used Kalamata olives instead of green ones. Will be making this again very soon!
This was sooo good! Every one of my guests loved it! I made it as written.I also added marinated artichoke hearts and kalamata olives.
I followed the recipe, omitted olives because the man at home doens't care for them. I thought it was kind of bland...so I added some crumbled bacon and a splash of rice wine vinegar. My changes improved it, but I do not think I will make this again.
I knew there was a reason i had been saving that half loaf italian bread in the freezer! i thawed it in the microwave, it worked perfectly.i was not exact about proportions, instead i used up the tomatoes, mozzarella, bread onion and olives i had on hand, and cut the basil inmy garden to toss in (hopefully the tomatoes will be growing there soon!) i substituted garlic salt for clove garlics. Only thing i added to the recipe was a little bit of pure vanilla which i have recently discovers goes soooooo smoothky with baksamic and oilve oil. My family loved this and ate every bite, perfect summer salad, thanks!
AMAZING! Veggiemom, I loved this. THANK YOU! We made the recipe as stated with crusty focaccia bread, grape tomatoes and kalamata olives. It was amazing and great the next day too (though softer). I will make this many more times. Who cares if it's not a "healthy salad?" I love it. Thanks!
Deee-Lish!!! I can't believe I waited so long to make this. Added fresh spinach as well. Hubby said I definitely need to keep this one! Thanks!
So good! The bread comes out so yummy. I didn't have olives so I made without, but am sure it would be delicious with them too. Great recipe!
I can't eat enough of this salad! The roasted garlic flavor combined with the tomatoes and mozzarella is wonderful. Try to use fresh garden tomatoes for the best outcome.
I made this for a neighborhood picnic last night, and it was delicious! I followed the directions on everything except I left out the green olives (I forgot to buy them). I used a very high quality 18 year balsamic and I think it made the salad. This is a keeper!
This is fantastic. I didn't add olives or cheese, and used more fresh basil. My daughter loved the garlicky croutons on their own (I did add a bit of dried basil to those before baking).
Fabulous!! We loved this salad! I have already shared it with many others! Thanks!
Yum! I made this as written, except added roasted asparagus to the recipe. It was fantastic.
I have seen this recipe recommended MANY times on the Recipe Exchange and always thought, "Bread?...in salad?...yuck!" This is FANTASTIC! Make it exactly as written!
Yummmm! Anytime I can eat a "salad" made out of bread, I'm in! This was just divine and pretty much a big bowl full of all my favorite ingredients. I just realized that I forgot the onions, but it was still delicious. I used a mix of green onions and kalamata and that was delicious.
Oh my gosh this stuff is good!!! I can't put my fork down! I am gladly taking this for lunch the rest of the week! I only made a couple changes- omitted the onion, used about 3/4 cup grated mozarella, and used black olives instead because I had them on hand. This was a great use for the basil from my garden. I will continue to make this often.
Enjoyable! It's bruchetta as a salad! I used bread salad croutons instead of the cubing bread so that saved me a step. I also recommend using 1/2 of the bread in this recipe. You do not need all that bread and it does not keep well but very good using within an hour. It really can be a meal in itself.
I made this salad exactly as written. While good, it was not my fave. (sorry pixie!) I am a big bread lover, but even I was a bit turned off when the bread got a little mushy. If I were to serve this to guest, I would wait until the last minute to stir in the bread.
Yummy salad. I have made this a few times now and we just love it. Especially with fresh summer tomatoes. Nothing better.
I loved it! I did not have mozarella so I subsitituted feta for it...it was yummy!
I made this salad for a dinner party last night and everyone raved about it. What a nice flavor this salad had. The changes I made per other reviews were: I used ciabatti rolls, used cherry tomatoes cut in half, used black olives instead of green, and used garlic infused canola oil from Pampered Chef for the bread pieces. No leftovers. Will be making again.
Wow! This is probably the best salad that I have ever made. I took it to a family bbq and we polished it off in one sitting. I made the recipe exactly as stated and it turned out beautifully. This recipe is one that I will definitely make over and over again...like tomorrow!
My husband and I really enjoyed this salad. I was gifted a loaf of homemade Italian bread. I didn't want any of it to go to waste so went looking for a recipe to use it up. I agree with another reviewer who said it is important to use the best quality ingredients. It makes all the difference. We will definitely be making this again!
I had no idea what to expect when I made this, but it was really good. Fresh mozzarella and tomatoes and balsamic vinegar are always good together, but this combination is very flavorful, and has an interesting texture. The bread makes it very filling, so it can be a meal in itself, or as a side dish. I often serve it with grilled chicken. Yum!
my husband talked about it for days after our party!! Definitely a make again recipe!!
This was FABULOUS! My husband raved about this and we couldn't stop eating it. The fresh basil and mozzarella are a must! I used Greek kalamata olives instead of the green olives and the fresh mozzarella balls that come marinated in oil and seasonings. I love Italian cooking and this has become one of my favorite side dishes and we have it often. It is so easy and so delicious. I've even used toasted garlic sourdough bread that I cut into bite sized pieces when I didn't have any Italian bread on hand. Thank you so much for this recipe!
Loved the fresh veggies and bright flavors. This was great on day one but scale the recipe because soggy bread isn't great for leftovers.
I used Roma tomatoes and omitted the olives (I just don't like them) and this was DELICIOUS! Such a nice change from the normal green salad.
This was delicious. I used a seeded artisan bread and other than leaving out the green olives and cheese, pretty much followed the recipe. I did add roasted red pepper instead of the olives. Will definitely make again.
I've made this twice in the past week and IT IS PHENOMENAL! For the latest batch, I cut up ciabatta bread yesterday afternoon and let it sit on the counter till lunchtime today. It got good and stale. Definitely go with more garlic. I toasted the bread for 10 minutes. When it was time to eat, I put some fresh, crisp spinach in my salad bowl and topped it with the panzanella & a turn or two of cracked pepper....mmmmmm....Thank you, thank you to Pixie2 for "pushing" this recipe!
I loved this!! The rest of the family liked it, but probably not as much as me. I can eat this as a meal. I will make this again for sure!
Delicious! Followed the instructions exactly and loved it! Will definitely make again.
Such a good and different salad! Even though I used "stale" italian bread, my bread still managed to get mushy fairly quick.
This was an excellent change to the old standby lettuce salad. I omitted the olives (not a big fan) and added another splash of balsalmic vinegar. I'm going to make this for my next potluck!
I have been eating this salad for three days! It's amazing. At first, I didn't think it would have enough flavor without more seasoning. I made it exactly according to the recipe. It was fantastic! I will make this again and again.
This was good, but I'd rather just have a caprese salad with toasted bread on the side. The leftovers we really didn't eat cuz the bread was soggy.
I loved this salad. The ingredients you use will definitely make the difference (good crusty bread, fresh tomatoes, and real mozzarella!). I had been looking for a recipe that was new but not so exotic the BF wouldn't want to try it. He loved this! Fit our tasted perfectly.
This recipe is very good. It is especially good because you crisp the bread in the oven first. I used a very dense, crusty rosemary bread. They were not soggy. I did everything just the way the recipe said and it was very delicious.
I love Panzanella salad but this became absolutely ruined by using Balsamic vinegar. I am aggravated with myself for not seeing that. Wayyyyyyyyyyyy too sweet. Plus with the tomatoes, it becomes sweeter. Think [unlike I did, & use wine or cider vinegar instead]!
Fantastic! This recipe just replaced my old bread salad recipe.I used black olives and capers, WONDERFUL!
I made this for a Labor Day cook out and it was a hit. I used cherry tomatoes that I cut in half and black and kalamata olives. It was very tasty. There were no left overs! I will definately make this again.
This is a household favorite. Even the man, who abhors soggy bread agreed to try it, and asks for it all summer long now when the tomatoes are growing!
I made this salad along with an Italian feast I was having for family and friends. I really didn't expect it to be the absolute hit that it was! I took the advice of other reviews and purchased day old ciabata and super fresh ingredients. I used grape tomatoes that I sliced in half. I was going to leave out the olives as I do not like the black or green variety but, I'm so glad I didn't. They are an absolute must. I chopped them up instead of halving them as the recipe suggests. The way the basil, onion, olive, garlic and vinegrette come together make this salad really special with minimal effort. This definately goes in the "keeper" file.
This was the best thing I have had on my plate in a long time - and that is saying something! I see many people have changed the recipe, but I made it as is and I don;t think I'll be changing it! In-season tomatoes make it. I love tomatoes fresh by themselves and don't think they need anything but salt, but this compliments their freshness! If you are growing tomatoes and basil, this is the recipe for you!
Holy ! This is beyond fantastic! I did add some paprika and oregano to the croutons and extra garlic. They came out awesome, I cut them on the big side which kept them from becoming mushy from the dressing. I actually cut up all the veggies (adding some leftover cucumuber) and the cheese and basil, made the dressing and then marinated it all together for about 2 hours and then mixed in the bread. I also added about a tbsp of capers instead of the olives. My husband just grabbed the bowl and out right out of it and as I was putting away what little leftovers there are I had to have some more. Will definitely make again!! Served this with Balsamic Chicken and Fresh mozzarella and it was one of the best meals we have had in a long time!
Oh my heaven in a bowl!! This was the best salad I have ever had!! Thanks for the recipe!
FANTASTIC!!! An awesome way to use up bread that is old but still good. The only change I made was to add artichoke hearts, will definitely do that again and probably a nice ripe avocado as well mext time. Cubed a full STALE baguette from Panera and used the oiled & toasted cubes in AR's Rich and Simple French Onion Soup as well- AMAZING pairing, HIGHLY recommend it!!! REALLY makes a difference to use good quality bread, balsamic, and evoo here... well, use good quality EVERYTHING if you can obviously, but if not at a minimum good bread... and balsamic... let them eat cake =)
Am I the only one that wasn't crazy about this dish? It was good when the bread was crunchy but as it got mushy... it just wasn't for me. I also followed the recipe exactly.
Out of control good!! I did use green and black olives, also added some capers for tang. Fresh basil is key!! I think the only thing I really did different was to not use the 1/3c of olive oil for the bread cubes. I just sprayed my cubes with evoo Pam spray and sprikled them with garlic powder and fresh cracked pepper. I did make the salad in advance and added the bread cubes before serving....so delicious!
Saw a photo of this salad and wanted to love it but barely liked it. I scaled back to 4 servings and didn't use the olives but chopped grilled chicken breast in it's place. Even with the fresh basil I thought this would have a lot more flavor than it did. I used the french loaf recipe from this site for the bread that was a day old. I may try this again.
I just LOVED this!! It was very good and something different for my taste buds. It is a visually stunning recipe, and totally Delish! I only made one little change( Cring!!), I used smoked Gouda instead of the mozzarella.The fact that I could get a day old loaf of perfectly great bread and turn it into something completely different was worth trying this recipe! Thank you very much.:) Patty
This salad is to die for!!!!! I didn't have the six day old bread so I used focaccia bread. It worked so well because that type of bread does not get soggy. It was fantastic and I highly recommend this salad...
This recipe was just OK. It was mostly starch and very little that represented healthy food values.
It was easy to make, I will agree that garlic buttered croutons will be just fine; no need to make croutons unless you have some stale bread that needs to be used. I might try it with saltier cheese next time; the mozzarella was a bit bland for my taste. Easy to do and I did use six tomatoes, gave more bulk and depth to the salad.
10 Stars!!!! We all loved this salad. I will probably be making it again, as soon as I can get to the store to buy more ingredients to make it. Even my kids couldn't get enough of it. This will be made probably once a week at my house now.
Oh this is tasty!! The 6 cups of bread cubes used in the recipe required just over 3/4 lb. loaf ciabatta bread. Speaking of bread, definitely use a crusty, hearty bread for best results. I got mine on the clearance rack at the supermarket (almost expired). Also, I would not bother making this recipe unless I had extremely fresh, tasty tomatoes. It's all about a few fresh ingredients with this recipe. My guests were raving over this!
What a wonderful way to showcase fresh veggies from your summer garden. We had salad night for dinner, and this was my favorite of the 3 that I made. I did omit the olives, due to our personal tastes. I was worried about the bread getting all soggy, but at the 30 minute mark, it was perfect. Thanks veggiemom, for sharing this delicious salad recipe!
My son says 3 1/2 but I say 4.. hehe.. I put the garlic, oil, salt and pepper in a bowl and let set while I cut everything up. I then coated the bread and baked.. WOW .. This in itself made some great croutons.. I mixed the oil,basil leaves and balsmic in a bowl and let set. It says to put everything together and let set 20min. I put the dressing and veggies together and let set, then the last 10 min I added the bread as I wanted a little more cruch to mine. This was very good. Thank you.
This was surprisingly excellent. I was trying to think of something different to make for a get-together with three old friends. My sister was in Italy recently and mentioned how much she enjoyed the Panzanella salad and said that I should try finding a recipe. I looked on many websites, some recipes were more simple, some more complex. This one fell about in the middle so I went with it. My three friends raved about it and ate 98% of it!!! They couldn't get enough. The only thing I did differently was that I used Kalamata olives which I prefer, otherwise I followed it to a 'T'. I also came close to over-toasting the bread, but it was GREAT and I liked the crouton type texture of the bread. Scrumptious and filling!
Fabulous recipe. I made it exactly as the recipe read, and it was a show stopper.
This is a great salad. I didn't use olives, my wife's not a fan, and I used toasted English muffins.
I've made this a handful of times now and it always hits the spot, we omit the olives based on personal preference, but everything else goes really well together. A great summer dinner!
My husband says this is a KEEPER! This is very good and simple. Would be great with garlic chicken breasts and a green salad. Simple to make, although I did find I needed a bit more oil and vinegar than the recipe called for. Other than that, perfect. The flavors are tangy and summery-- really good!! Thanks.
Love this, I used an entire loaf of italian bread and also used 10 cloves of garlic. Also used 16 oz of fresh mozz, half a red onion diced because the onion will over power the entire dish, didn't use the olives at all, it was perfect!
My husband RAVED about this salad. I used a good Italian bread, but it was really dry, and this salad brought it back, and not only made it usable, but absolutely a TREAT. I did use about 50% more basil than was called for in the recipe. Scrumptious.
This was really good. DH husband loved it. Subed red wine vinegar and sugar (was out of balsamic) also used black olives as that what I had on hand. Delicious and pretty on the plate. Thanks for the great recipe ;))
