6/2/2024
Grilled Greek Panzanella Salad
Bread in salad? Sign me up! Panzanella is basically a leftover bread salad. Traditionally it was made with stale bread and surplus vegetables to minimize food waste.
We've taken some liberties with our take on a Panzanella salad that I suppose will be frowned upon by traditionalists but I love combining all these Mediterranean ingredients into one bite! This salad is best eaten the day of - the longer it sits, the softer the bread becomes. If that doesn't bother you, this is a great leftover salad!
Grilling the bread achieves both a great flavor as well as the crunchy texture without having to actually use stale bread.
- 1 loaf artisan bread, sliced into 1 inch thick slices
- Artichoke & Garlic EVOO for brushing
- 1 cucumber, diced
- 2 cups grape or cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
- 1 14.5oz can quartered artichoke hearts, drained
- 1 jar Boscoli Kalamata Olive Salad, drained
- 1 cup crumbled feta cheese
- Dressing:
- 3/4 cup Artichoke & Garlic EVOO
- 1/2 cup Cabernet Sauvignon Vinegar
- 1 teaspoon dried Greek Oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried Dill Weed
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
Heat a grill to medium heat. Brush both sides of bread slices liberally with Artichoke & Garlic EVOO. Grill a couple minutes on each sides, looking for good grill marks and good golden brown crunch. Remove from grill and let cool until able to touch. Cut into bite size chunks.
In a large bowl, combine diced cucumbers, sliced tomatoes, artichoke hearts, Kalamata Olive salad and feta cheese. Set aside.
For the dressing : In a small bowl, combine ¾ cup Artichoke & Garlic EVOO, Cabernet Sauvignon Vinegar, oregano, dill, mustard and salt. Set aside.
Add grilled bread chunks to the large bowl of veggies. Stir gently to combine. Add half of the dressing, stirring to combine. Add the second half of the dressing and stir again.
Let sit for at least 30 minutes before serving. Room temperature is fine - I like to give it the occasional stir as it sits just to ensure any dressing that has settled to the bottom gets distributed over the bread.
