Marinated Vegetable Salads: Panzanella Recipe

I’m a glutton at the farmers market in late summer and early fall. Everything speaks my language. The tomatoes, especially, know my secret siren call.

But K-Pants and Baby Woww aren’t exactly helpful, and making dinner seems like a daily battle.

So I’m relying on a few flavorful marinated salads to ensure that we have fresh side dishes. We’ve been trying to eat more vegetables in general, because everywhere I look the message is MORE VEGETABLES = LONGER, HEALTHIER LIFE.

Okay, okay, I get it!

Here’s the recipe for panzanella, an Italian vegetable and bread salad with a simple dijon dressing that I came to love through the Barefoot Contessa. The next food posts will be

• Marinated broccoli, cucumber, and tomato salad; and
• Marinated corn, tomato, and onion salad with easy chimichurri sauce.

For all my salads I start by mixing up a simple dressing right in the bottom of the glass bowl that I’ll be storing the salad in. 

Panzanella (Italian bread salad)

Ingredients

• VEGETABLES
  • 3 bell peppers, chopped (various colors makes the salad pretty)
  • 3 tomatoes, chopped
  • 3 cucumbers, seeded and chopped
  • 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
• DRESSING
  • 2 tbs. dijon mustard
  • 2-3 cloves garlic, crushed or minced
  • 1 scant tsp salt
  • 1 generous tsp pepper
  • chopped fresh herbs (rosemary, basil, thyme, oregano…if you have them)
  • balsamic or red wine vinegar
  • olive oil
• CROUTONS
  • 1 loaf bread, sliced into 1″ cubes (it helps if your bread is hearty and not pre-sliced–I like Grand Central Bakery’s levain, and any baguette will work)

Now Do This

Make the dressing first.

• Throw garlic, dijon, salt, pepper, and herbs into the bottom of your bowl.
• Add 1/3 cup vinegar and whisk together.
• Whisking briskly, drizzle in 2/3 cup to 1 cup olive oil.

Then prep the veggies and toss.

• Chop all your veggies into about one-inch square pieces. It’s nice to have everything all the same size for forking.
• But the onions! Who wants a giant piece of raw onion to chomp on? Not me. Slice your red onion up real thin.
• Throw everything into the dressing and toss it well.

Now slice and sauté your croutons in oil.

• Cut chunks of bread to 1″ cubes.
• Get about 1/3 cup oil to medium-high heat on the stove in a big sauté pan, and throw in a bread cube to see if the oil is hot enough.
• Loosely cover the bottom of your pan with bread cubes. Using tongs, check and turn them when one side is browned. I only brown two sides, because who has time to turn them more than that? Keep going until you’re done.
• 
• Set them aside to cool.
• Add the croutons to your salad about five minutes before eating. They’ll soak up the dressing and you’ll be in heaven. I keep the extras in a plastic Ziploc to use throughout the week.

Are you in a rush? Do you hate to cook? Just chop the veggies, toss in a cup of store-bought vinaigrette, and add some boxed croutons a few minutes before eating. 

Two other delicious veggie recipes you may enjoy:

• Simple sautéed cabbage
• Roasted red pepper, asparagus, and shrimp pasta