What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Timeless Classics: Italian Bread Salad! Panzanella. Travel with me to Tuscany for a delightful dinner on a gardened terrace. Indulge in a bountiful salad of artisan bread, juicy tomatoes, sweet onions, and green bell peppers. Appreciate the herbs de Provence perfectly blended with garlic wine vinegar whisked in extra-virgin olive oil. It’s enough to make you swoon. The ingredients are very forgiving. Tomatoes a little soft? Has the bread gone stale? No worries. This classic Italian meal was originally meant to be eaten that way. It’s truly amazing!
ITALIAN BREAD SALAD
Ingredients:
1-pound loaf artisan bread
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon Herbs de Provence, crushed
8 Roma tomatoes, sliced
1 medium green bell pepper, cut into strips
1/2 Vidalia onion, chopped
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup red wine garlic vinegar
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 cup fresh basil, thinly sliced
Cracked black pepper to taste
Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 300°. Slice and cube the bread in bite-size pieces, leaving crusts on. Spray a baking sheet with nonstick oil. Form a single layer of bread cubes. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons olive oil and sprinkle with Herbs de Provence. Bake 10 minutes; flip over and bake 10 minutes longer. Cool. For dressing, whisk together olive oil, red wine garlic vinegar, and sea salt. In a large salad bowl, combine bread with tomatoes, green pepper, and onion. Pour vinaigrette over all and toss to coat. Refrigerate for one hour before serving. Stir occasionally to blend flavors. Just before serving, gently toss with fresh basil. Add cracked black pepper to taste.
* Serving suggestion: Italian Bread Salad is best eaten the day it is made.
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So hearty on a chilly day even without being in Italy!
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True. Add a bowl of tomato basil soup. Boom! 🍃🍅
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This sounds delicious! Salads get so boring, but this one is far from boring!
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It gives me permission to eat bread. Bonus! 🥖🍃🍅
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This is what I believe in . . making salads with mucho appeal. This one rates, big time!
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I like making croutons. Sooo worth it. 🥖
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Totally worth it.
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I need to mention how I like the photos you take of all the dishes. This one turned out very tasty again. Great colors!
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I appreciate your wonderful awe-inspiring comments. Blessings, Erika. 🌟✨💫
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My pleasure, Gail. I really think your food photos are fantastic! I know it is not easy to make it look tasty.
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Thank you Gail! Sounds very delicious. Michael
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There’s a lot of flavor in that bowl. 🥗
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Oh yes! 🙂
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Wonderful!! 💕
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Delightfully delish, that’s for sure. 🥗🍃🍅
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Bread salads are the BEST salads!
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You are spot on, Rachel. 👏😍
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I would just add some balsamic vinegar.. 😉
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Works for me. 😍
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I love bread salad! Those Italians know how their way around everything edible, don’t they?
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I would love to visit Italy. ❣️
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My favorite place on Earth.🥰
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I can only imagine. And not just the food. lol 🍃🌸
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