Peach Panzanella Salad
Peach panzanella salad is the epitome of summer. It has juicy peaches, ripe tomatoes, crunchy toasted bread, fresh basil, and a tangy vinaigrette. This crowd pleasing recipe will hit you with layers of flavor in every bite.
Ingredients
Salad
- 4 cups crusty bread cut into 1-inch cubes, see notes below
- olive oil
- 2 cups tomatoes (any variety) halved or cut into bite size pieces
- 1 cup Persian or English cucumber cut into half moons
- 1 peach pitted and cut into bite size pieces
- handful fresh basil leaves torn or left whole depending on their size
- kosher salt to taste
- freshly ground black pepper to taste
Dressing
- ½ cup olive oil
- 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 2 teaspoons dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon shallot minced
- 1 clove garlic minced
- kosher salt to taste
- freshly ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F/200ºC.
- Toast bread. Add the cubed bread to a baking sheet. Toss with olive oil, kosher salt, and freshly ground black pepper then spread into an even layer. Bake for 10 minutes until lightly golden brown.
- Salt tomatoes. Add the halved or chopped tomatoes to a small bowl. Season with a generous pinch of salt and stir to combine. Let sit for 5-10 minutes to release their juices, then remove the tomatoes with a slotted spoon to a large bowl.
- Make dressing. In the same bowl that has the tomato juice, add the olive oil, red wine vinegar, dijon mustard, and minced shallot and garlic. Whisk well to combine and season to taste with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.
- Combine. In the large bowl with the tomatoes, add the toasted bread, cucumber, peach, and fresh basil. Pour the dressing over top and toss to combine. Allow the panzanella to sit for at least 30 minutes so the flavors have time to meld and the bread can soak up some of the dressing.
Notes
See the blog post for helpful tips, storage, and recipe FAQs.
Crusty bread: sourdough, Tuscan, ciabatta, or baguette are great options. I used ciabatta.