There is just something about vine ripened summertime tomatoes…they make the most amazingly fresh and flavorful dishes. You already know that my tomato growing skills are incredibly pitiful so off to the Farmer’s Market I go, every Saturday, in search of my next tomato inspiration. You can definitely still find good tomatoes there, so make the most of them!
It’s hard to believe that I like tomatoes so much. Long, long ago, my summer job was what seemed like an endless swing shift in a cannery lab, distilling tomato essence that “enhanced” the tomato flavor of canned tomato products. Who knew they did that stuff, right?!? Now, I prefer them fresh and straight off of the vine, thank you!
You’re going to dig this salad. The one thing I really like to do is toast up my bread cubes to ensure that even once they have absorbed the dressing and tomato juice, they are still mostly crunchy. This is another great mix and match dish that will allow you to make it your own if you choose…you’ll get some great options in the recipe.
Drizzle bowl with olive oil and toss bread cubes.
Make sure bread cubes are well coated with olive oil then lightly salt.
I find that the small mozzarella balls work best.
Tips for this recipe
- Allow at least 15 minutes for the croutons to absorb the dressing and tomato juices.
- The key to this salad is juicy ripe tomatoes. Home grown or from the Farmers Market is always best.
- Make this salad your own by adding or deleting ingredients based on what you love. Other possible tasty add ins include cucumbers, red bell peppers, corn, shallots, capers, fresh pesto or top it with shaved Parmesan before serving. Yum!
- Serve as the main dish (which is how I love it) or serve alongside grilled foods like kebabs or my tasty Grilled Buttermilk Chicken.
More great recipes you might like
Grilled Buttermilk Chicken-super juicy and flavorful. Thank you buttermilk!
Tomato and Bufalo Mozarella Crostini– a perfect light meal on a warm summer evening.
Chicken Souvlaki-skewers marinated in lemon and Greek herbs. Yum!
Summertime Tomato Panzanella (Italian Bread Salad)
Ingredients
- 6-8 cups Sourdough bread cut into 1 inch cubes (or substitute with Foccacia bread, Olive Bread or your favorite crusty Italian bread)
- Olive oil good quality for drizzling over the bread
- Kosher salt
- 4 cups tomatoes diced into 1 inch pieces
- 1/4 cup chopped basil or chives or parsley or any combination thereof!
- 1 cup artichoke hearts I prefer those in oil quartered
- 1/4 cup pitted Kalamata olives halved (or green olives)
- 1/4 cup red onion thinly sliced (soak in ice water for 15 minutes if worried they will be too strong)
- 1/3 cup fresh small mozzarella balls either plain or marinated, halved (also known as Cileigine) or try Feta cheese for extra tang
- 1 cup arugula adds great peppery flavor, so add more if you love arugula
- 3 slices bacon cooked and crumbled
Dressing:
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 6 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 garlic clove minced
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degree.
- Drizzle 2-4 tablespoons good olive oil around the inside of a large bowl, swirling bowl to coat.
- Place bread cubes in bowl and toss to coat bread.
- Sprinkle bread cubes lightly with Kosher salt to taste and toss once more.
- Spread onto a metal baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes, flipping once half way through to crisp evenly.
- Once nicely toasted, remove bread from oven and set aside.
- In same large bowl you used for the bread, combine tomatoes, basil , artichoke hearts, olives, red onion and mozzarella.
- To make the dressing, combine red wine vinegar, garlic and Dijon mustard in a bowl.
- Whisk to combine, then slowly drizzle olive oil in, whisking to incorporate.
- Add salt and pepper to taste and whisk again before adding dressing to the bowl with the other ingredients. (You may not want to use all of the dressing, so add half, toss and add more if desired.)
- Mix gently to combine.
- Add bread and arugula and toss to combine, making sure that bread cubes become moistened.
- Let salad sit 10-20 minutes so that the bread can absorb the dressing and juices.
- Sprinkle with bacon crumbles and season with salt and pepper before serving.
- Enjoy!
