This amazing Grilled Panzanella Salad is perfect for your summer grilling menu! With wonderfully flavorful grilled vegetables, tangy, slightly sweet vinegarette dressing and the crunch of cubes of toasted bread yumminess. Best of all, you can assemble it in about 20 minutes! What could be better than that?
I love making salads in the summer; whether an accompaniment to your meal or a meal in itself, there are so many summer salad options! Check out this Grilled Salmon Pasta Salad. Or perhaps you are looking to serve a Tex-Mex flavored dish. This Southwest Corn Salad will fit the bill. You need to make sure that salads are a big part of your summer meal planning!
With all the fresh vegetables available during the summer, this is the perfect summer salad. With just a quick kiss of the grill to the veggies, this salad is ready to serve!
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WHAT IS IN a grilled Panzanella salad?
Fresh ingredients always give you the best results when you are preparing meals for family and friends. Because summer is the time we can find almost everything locally that you need to prepare this wonderful salad, it is the best time to serve it!
INGREDIENTS
- Cubed day-old baguette or Italian loaf
- Italian seasoning
- Parmesan cheese, grated
- Kosher Salt
- Fresh ground pepper
- Butter
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Cider vinegar
- Honey
- Garlic, minced
- Dijon mustard
- Asparagus
- Cherry tomatoes
- Green bell pepper
- Sweet onion
- Fresh mozzarella
- Fresh basil
It may look like a fairly long list of ingredients, but everything put together helps to create this superb salad!
HOW TO MAKE grilled Panzanella salad
Start by preparing the cubed baguette or Italian loaf. Put the cubes in a large bowl. Add the Italian seasoning, grated parmesan, and season with Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper to taste. Toss the cubes in the bowl so everything is combined.
Heat a skillet or grill pan over medium heat and add the butter to the pan. When the butter has melted, add the bread cubes. Grill the bread, turning occasionally until the cubes are golden brown all over and crispy. It should take about 6 – 8 minutes. Be careful not to let the bread cubes burn. When done, transfer them to a large salad bowl and set aside.
Next, prepare the dressing. In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, cider vinegar, honey, minced garlic, and Dijon mustard. Season to taste with Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper. Set aside.
Now it’s time to grill up your vegetables. Start by heating your grill as follows; set up half your grill to medium-low, about 325 degrees F. Set the other half of the grill to medium-high, close to 400 degrees F.
Drizzle olive oil over your vegetables. Place the asparagus, pepper slices, and sweet onion slices on the hot side of the grill. Place the tomatoes on the cooler side of the grill.
Season all the vegetables with Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper to taste while they are grilling. Turn the vegetables occasionally and cook until they are soft and slightly charred. About 2 – 4 minutes for the tomatoes and 5 – 6 minutes for the asparagus, pepper slices, and onions. Remove to a bowl or plate when they are done.
Putting the grilled Panzanella salad together
Allow the grilled vegetables to cool slightly so you can handle them. Chop the asparagus, peppers, and onions into bite-sized pieces. Add them to the bowl with the toasted bread cubes. Using a very sharp knife, cut the tomatoes in half and add them to the bowl with the other veggies.
Next, add the fresh mozzarella to the bowl. Pour the prepared dressing over the salad and toss, making sure that everything is well coated in the dressing. Add the torn fresh basil and lightly toss again.
You can serve this salad right away. There is nothing better than a warm bite of grilled panzanella salad! You can prepare a little ahead of time and serve it at room temperature if that works with your dinner plans. But you should not refrigerate the salad before serving.
What goes well with Panzanella?
The great thing about this salad, other than the fact it is easy to prepare and tastes fantastic, is that it pairs so nicely with anything you are serving. From chicken to shrimp to steak. It doesn’t matter what you have on the menu; this salad is the perfect side dish!
What type of salad is Panzanella?
Panzanella salad is a bread salad and has its origins in the Tuscan countryside of Italy. It likely was created to use up bread that is no longer fresh for another meal. Waste not, want not! The stale bread is toasted and, when mixed with the olive oil and juicy tomatoes, becomes soft and flavourful.
The word Panzanella is a combination of “pane,” which is Italian for bread. “Zanella” is Italian for a deep plate or bowl in which the salad is served. There is your linguistics lesson for today! I hope you enjoy this wonderful salad as much as our family does!
Pin it HERE!!
Pin it HERE!!
Grilled Panzanella Salad
Ingredients
- 2 cups cubed day-old baguette or Italian loaf
- 1 tsp dried Italian seasoning
- 2 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
- Kosher salt and black pepper
- 2 tbsp butter
- 3-4 tbs extra-virgin olive oil plus more for grilling
- 2 tsp cider vinegar
- 1 tsp honey
- 1 tsp garlic minced
- 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1 bunch of asparagus tough ends snapped off
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes
- 1 green bell pepper thick sliced
- 1 sweet onion thick sliced
- 3 oz. fresh mozzarella cut into small cubes
- A handful of fresh basil leaves torn
Instructions
- Preheat a large skillet over medium heat. In a mixing bowl, add the bread cubes, Italian seasoning, Parmesan, plus salt and pepper to taste.
- Toss to combine. Melt the butter in the preheated skillet and add the bread cubes.
- Cook, turning occasionally, until golden all over and fairly crisp, 6-8 minutes.
- When they are done, add them to a large salad bowl. Set aside.
- Make the dressing: in a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, honey, minced garlic, and Dijon mustard. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside.
- Preheat your grill as follows: You want half of the grill heated to medium-low heat (325 degrees F.) and half on medium-high heat (400 degrees F.).
- Drizzle olive oil over all the sliced veggies.
- Add the asparagus, pepper slices, and sweet onion slices to the side heated on medium-high, and add the tomatoes to the side of the grill heated to medium-low.
- Season all the sliced veggies with salt and pepper. Cook, turning occasionally with tongs, until cooked through and lightly charred, about 2-4 minutes for the tomatoes and 5-6 minutes for the asparagus, peppers, and onions. Remove the veggies to a bowl or plate when done.
- Let the vegetables cool slightly, then chop the asparagus, bell peppers, and onions into bite-size pieces.
- Add to the bowl with the bread. Halve the cherry tomatoes using a very sharp knife, then add them to the salad bowl.
- Now add the mozzarella to the salad bowl. Pour the dressing over and toss well. Add the basil and lightly toss again. Serve immediately while still warm or at room temperature.
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