This recipe is adapted from Salad for Dinner, which is one of our favorite cookbooks. The original uses olive bread and includes kidney beans, which are less popular in our household, but you should feel free to add them! We’ve also adapted the recipe to use less olive oil and garlic, which we found overwhelming as written. We love this recipe as a way to use peak season tomatoes from our farmer’s market.
Panzanella
Servings: 8
Ingredients
- 10 oz bread high quality, cut into ~1/2" cubes
- 1/4 c olive oil
- 4-6 tbsp lemon juice from one lemon
- 1-2 cloves garlic minced
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- freshly ground pepper to taste
- 2 lbs tomatoes cored and cut into bite-sized dice
- 3 Persian cucumbers peeled and cut into bite-sized dice
- 3 scallions thinly sliced
- 2 tbsp cilantro chopped
- 3 oz feta in brine crumbled or diced
Instructions
- Toast the bread: Preheat the oven to 400°F. Spread the bread cubes in a single layer on a very large rimmed baking sheet. Bake in the oven until lightly toasted, stirring once or twice, about 15 minutes. Let cool.
- Make dressing: In a small bowl (or liquid measuring cup), combine 1/4c olive oil, juice from one lemon, minced garlic, kosher salt, ground cumin, and freshly ground pepper.
- In a large bowl, combine the tomatoes and dressing, and let stand for up to 30 minutes to allow tomatoes to release juice.
- Add the bread, cucumber, scallion, and cilantro, and toss gently to combine. Adjust seasoning, add feta, and serve.