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Home » Recipes » Salad Recipes

Grilled Panzanella Salad

Published: Jun 27, 2023 · Modified: Jun 9, 2022 by Samantha Ferraro · This post may contain affiliate links · 9 Comments

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It isn't summer until you grill up this grilled panzanella salad! Sweet charred peppers and grilled onions are tossed with toasted ciabatta, sweet cherry tomatoes and the most delicious slightly sweet and tangy vinaigrette. You'll never want to make panzanella any other way!

Grill summers produce and make this grilled panzanella salad dressed in a tangy vinaigrette, grilled vegetables and charred bread.

During the summer months, I am all about the big salads, or as I like to call it, "no more wimpy salads". Julia Child's Salad Nicoise is a perfect example of that, hearty and full of texture and color.

But this grilled panzanella salad is even easier and is on a constant summer dinner rotation. Between the sweet fresh tomatoes sand the charred peppers and onions, there is nothing better. I mean, look at those stunning colors!

Jump to:
  • 🍅 About This Recipe
  • ⭐️ Recipe Highlights
  • 📋 Ingredients
  • 🍋 Substitutions and Variations
  • ⏲️ Instructions
  • 📍 Recipe Tips
  • 🥗 What to Serve with Grilled Panzanella
  • Recipe FAQs
  • More Great Salads to Try
  • Grilled Panzanella Salad

🍅 About This Recipe

Classic panzanella is a rustic Italian bread salad made with cubes of stale bread that is tossed with juicy tomatoes and other vegetables and drizzled with olive oil.

The moisture from the tomatoes and vegetables gently softens the stale bread, while still keeping it's texture. Use a variety of colorful in season vegetables, such as cucumbers, heirloom or cherry tomatoes and bell peppers.

⭐️ Recipe Highlights

  • Grilled panzanella salad is a "no recipe" recipe, where you don't need exact measurements. Use a variety of vegetables and grilled bread and you're golden!
  • Keep it rustic! A good grilled bread salad has roughly turn pieces of bread with large chunks of vegetables. Don't worry about the perfect size, jus give it a good chop.
  • Grilled panzanella makes the perfect summer dinner! While the grill is going, serve the panzanella salad alongside grilled shish tawook.

📋 Ingredients

Ingredients for grilled panzanella salad including a baguette, cherry tomatoes, peppers and onions.
  • Bread: Use either ciabatta bread or a good crusty baguette and make sure it's dry. Day old bread works great as well.
  • Grilling Vegetables: Bell peppers and onion become sweet when grilled and other suggestions are green zucchini or yellow summer squash.
  • Fresh Tomatoes: This is the time to use sweet summer tomatoes and the juicier the better so it softens the bread slightly when tossed together. Some tomato suggestions are sweet cherry tomatoes, Roma and when in season, heirloom tomatoes.
  • Olive Oil and Balsamic: The base of most of my vinaigrettes, I like using an aged balsamic that is slightly sweeter and thicker and emulsifies with the other dressing ingredients very well.
  • Capers: Traditionally, you'll find capers in chicken piccata or puttanesca pasta, but the addition of the salty capers gives the salad a delicious layer of salty and savory flavor that works well with the sweet tomatoes and peppers.
  • Fresh Herbs: Because we're using all the gorgeous summer produce, use fresh summer basil or mint for a pop of fresh brightness.

See recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.

🍋 Substitutions and Variations

  • Grill other vegetables, such as zucchini, corn or yellow squash.
  • Add a sweet element! I love adding fruit to a summery caprese salad, so whole the grill is going, grill peaches or add fresh strawberries.
  • For a vegan panzanella salad, omit the honey in the vinaigrette and substitute with maple syrup for a touch of sweetness.

⏲️ Instructions

  1. Cut bell peppers in half and season with salt, pepper and a drizzle of olive oil.
  2. Cut thick slices of red onion and season the same way.
  3. Grill the vegetables with the bread until nice grill marks form.
  4. For the fresh vegetables, cut the cherry tomatoes in half to release their juices. You can also use medium to large heirloom tomatoes, just be sure to cut the tomatoes into a similar size as the other ingredients.
  5. Keep the cucumbers fresh and cut into similar sizes as the tomatoes. If using Persian cucumbers, you won't have to peel since the peel is so thin.
  6. For the vinaigrette, whisk olive oil, balsamic vinegar, Dijon mustard, honey, grated garlic and salt and pepper until emulsified.
  7. Toss the vinaigrette with the salad and add capers and fresh basil. Let sit for at least 10 minutes so the flavors come together.

📍 Recipe Tips

  • The bread has to be dry. If you only have fresh bread and are craving panzanella, you can pop it in the oven at 300 degrees Fahrenheit for 10 minutes to dry out.
  • The juicier the vegetables, the better. When prepping, add all those lovely tomato juices into the salad.
  • Panzanella is fantastic made ahead for up to a day in advance, and I promise, the bread won't get too soggy!
  • Grill the bread to both dry it out and offer another layer of smoky flavor.
Summer grilled panzanella salad with grilled bell peppers and onions tossed with grilled bread and fresh vegetables.

🥗 What to Serve with Grilled Panzanella

Italian panzanella salad is hearty enough on its own but here are a few other suggestions to make it a complete meal.

Serve the bread salad with grilled tomahawk steak or whole grilled branzino . And for a starter, try the grilled grapes with burrata and tarragon that also utilizes grilled bread.

Recipe FAQs

What is panzanella salad?

Panzanella is a rustic Tuscan salad made with stale bread, juicy tomatoes and olive oil. As the salad sits, the tomatoes gently soften the stale bread.

Can panzanella salad be made ahead of time?

Panzanella can be made up to a day in advance and should be made at least 10 minutes in advance before serving. If making a day ahead, add the fresh basil right before serving so the leaves stay fresh.

More Great Salads to Try

  • Healthy Greek salmon salad with fresh dill and mint.
    Greek Salmon Salad with Red Wine Vinaigrette
  • Mediterranean Watermelon Salad
  • Chopped Kale and Chickpea Salad with Creamy Tahini Dressing
  • Grilled shrimp salad is fresh and hearty and full of spicy arugula, creamy avocado, thinly sliced fennel all dressed in a citrus vinaigrette.
    Grilled Shrimp Salad with Citrus and Fennel

Love this recipe? Please leave a 5-star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟rating in the recipe card below & a review in the comments section further down the page.

Grilled panzanella salad combines grilled peppers and onions with sweet cherry tomatoes and grilled bread and tossed with a balsamic vinaigrette.

Grilled Panzanella Salad

Samantha Ferraro

LittleFerraroKitchen.com

Grill summers produce and make this grilled panzanella salad dressed in a tangy vinaigrette, grilled vegetables and charred bread.
5 from 15 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prevent your screen from going dark
Prep Time 10 minutes mins
Cook Time 10 minutes mins
Marinating 10 minutes mins
Total Time 30 minutes mins
Course Dinner, Main, Salad
Cuisine American, Italian
Servings 4 servings
Calories 434 kcal

Ingredients
 
 

Panzanella Salad

  • Olive oil for drizzling
  • Salt and pepper
  • 1 red onion sliced into thick slices
  • 2 red and/or yellow bell peppers cut in half
  • ½ loaf of ciabatta or baguette cut in half
  • 1 pint cherry tomatoes cut in half
  • 2 Persian cucumbers chopped into ½ inch cubes
  • 2 tablespoons capers drained
  • 1 cup fresh mint and/or basil leaves roughly chopped

Vinaigrette

  • ½ cup Olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons Balsamic vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • ½ teaspoon honey
  • 1 garlic clove finely chopped or grated
  • ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
  • ¼ teaspoon Ground black pepper

Instructions
 

  • Prepare grill or grill pan to medium-high heat. Drizzle the onions, peppers and bread with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
  • Grill onions, peppers and bread until charred and flip over and grill other side. Keep an eye on the bread because that will toast quickly.
  • Once done, chop the grilled onions, peppers and bread into ½ inch cubes and add to a large bowl. Add the cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, fresh herbs and capers.
  • For the vinaigrette, add ingredients to a mason jar and shake very well. Toss vinaigrette over salad and mix to combine. Let panzanella sit for at least 10 minutes to soak up the vinaigrette.

Video

Notes

  • If you only have fresh bread and are craving panzanella, you can pop it in the oven at 300 degrees for 10 minutes to dry out.
  • The juicier the vegetables, the better. When prepping, add all those lovely tomatoes juices into the salad.
  • Panzanella is fantastic made ahead for up to a day in advance, and I promise, the bread won't get too soggy!
 
Recipe inspired from Ina Garten.

Nutrition

Calories: 434kcalCarbohydrates: 41gProtein: 7gFat: 28gSaturated Fat: 4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 20gSodium: 711mgPotassium: 500mgFiber: 4gSugar: 9gVitamin A: 2795IUVitamin C: 107mgCalcium: 46mgIron: 2mg
Did you make this recipe?Let us know by leaving a comment and 5 star rating!

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Comments

  1. MrnMrsindkitchen says

    July 05, 2023 at 11:20 am

    5 stars
    This salad is more like a Meal. It is so hearty. When Tomato season is ib fu swing this will be our go to Salad. Honey and Dijon mustard is a great combination.

    Reply
    • Eric Musser says

      August 22, 2023 at 1:35 pm

      5 stars
      What is "ib fu"?

      Reply
      • Samantha Ferraro says

        August 22, 2023 at 2:39 pm

        Hi Eric, It looks like the MrnMrsindkitchen person made a typo. (The "B" is next to the "N", so I think they meant "In Full Swing". LOL. Good catch Eric. Since I am the one giving the "OK" to post the comments I should have caught that. Thank you, Samantha

        Reply
  2. Blake says

    June 28, 2023 at 8:19 am

    5 stars
    This is the second salad in 2 weeks that requires the grill and we want more reasons to fire up the grill so we are putting the Grilled Tomahawk Steak with Chimichurri Compound Butter on our to-do list. We found a wonderful ciabatta to grill for this salad. This Grilled Panzanella salad is in our top 5 favorite Salads. P.S. If you can find persian cucumbers get those.

    Reply
  3. Amitythomas says

    September 09, 2018 at 6:39 pm

    5 stars
    Perfect summer salad! And great post to raise awareness of this injustice! raindrop quotes

    Reply
  4. Tara says

    August 25, 2012 at 9:38 am

    5 stars
    Congratulations on being on the Top 9 of Daily Foodbuzz!!!

    Reply
  5. Liz says

    July 25, 2012 at 6:04 am

    5 stars
    Perfect summer salad! And great post to raise awareness of this injustice!

    Reply
  6. Nicole @The Giving Table says

    July 24, 2012 at 1:44 pm

    5 stars
    A beautiful summer salad! Thanks for joining Food Bloggers for Slave-Free Tomatoes today!

    Reply
  7. Renee says

    July 24, 2012 at 7:31 am

    5 stars
    Oh! I want this salad right now! Yum Yum Yum!

    Reply
5 from 15 votes (7 ratings without comment)

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