Farmers Market Panzanella Salad
I wouldn’t consider myself a salad gal in general except for when summer comes around. when summer produce is at its peak, I love all of the colorful and crunchy salad combos to choose from. this farmers market panzanella salad utilizes all of your fresh farmers market finds into a bountiful salad with plenty of crunchy gf croutons to sop up the punchy vinaigrette.
the inspiration:
I was inspired by the iconic italian summertime salad for this recipe: the panzanella. it’s called bread salad for a reason and originated in the central italian countryside from the peasant custom of eating repurposed bread and vegetables on the banks of the zanelle. farmers would use a surplus of vegetables with old bread-typically tomatoes, onion, garlic and cucumber are dressed with an acidic red wine vinaigrette.
I’ve done an updated version bursting with even more summer produce like fresh corn, fresh herbs and shallots and added delicious olive-oil toasted croutons from a gf baguette.
panzanella salad ingredients:
- fresh veggies: use what you love! I used traditional tomatoes and cucumber along with untraditional shallots and fresh corn.
- fresh herbs: fresh dill and chives adds a bright herby finish.
- good olive oil: use one of your nicer olive oils for this vinaigrette. this is my fave for homemade dressings and also includes the vinegar.
- champagne or white wine vinegar: this is my fave for vinegars.
- dijon mustard
- baguette: I used this GF baguette and it worked well.
- fresh mozzarella: I use fresh bocconcini mozzarella balls in this version- you can easily omit for dairy-free.
- sunflower seeds: add a light & nutty finisher to the salad.
how to serve:
this farmers market panzanella salad can be served a few different ways either for entertaining, a simple dinner or a shower:
- light dinner: serve the panzanella salad alongside grilled steaks for the perfect simple and complete dinner.
- dinner party: serve the panzanella salad with my pesto primavera halibut in papillote and steamed rice with fresh lemon and herbs.
- couples shower: serve panzanella salad alongside grilled chicken and sausages with grilled peaches for dessert.
- sunday supper: serve panzanella salad with with my lemon feta dill salmon and my herb butter asparagus & potatoes.
Farmers Market Panzanella Salad
Ingredients
- 6 cups cherry tomatoes sliced uniformly
- 3 cups cucumber diced small
- 4 ears of corn cut off the cob
- ½ cup shallot minced
- ½ cup sunflower seeds plus more for garnish
- 1 cup bocconcini mozzarella balls halved
Baguette Croutons:
- 6 cups baguette cut into 1 inch cubes, I used GF
- 4 Tablespoons olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon mineral salt
- 10 grounds of freshly-cracked black pepper
Herby Vinaigrette:
- ¼ cup champagne or white wine vinegar
- ¼ cup good olive oil
- 1 Tablespoon dijon mustard
- 1 clove fresh garlic grated on a microplane
- ½ teaspoon mineral salt
- 20 grounds of freshly-cracked black pepper
- 1 Tablespoon fresh dill plus more to garnish
- 1 Tablespoon fresh chives
Instructions
- Begin by making croutons. Preheat oven to 400 degrees and line a sheet pan with parchment paper. To the parchment paper, toss baguette with olive oil, salt and pepper. Bake for 8-10 minutes, tossing once midway, until croutons are golden brown.
- Next, make the vinaigrette. Add all ingredients to a nutribullet or blender and blend until smooth.
- Add tomatoes to a large bowl and sprinkle tomatoes with liberal salt and pepper to your liking.
- Stir in cucumber, corn and shallots.
- When ready to serve, fold in fresh mozzarella, sunflower seeds and croutons.
- Garnish with more fresh herbs and sunflower seeds. Serve immediately.
Patriotic Cherry Plum Trifle
This Patriotic Cherry Plum Trifle is so festive, seasonal and delicious, gluten-free, grain-free and refined sugar free.
Grain-Free Mixed Berry Blondies
These Grain-Free Mixed Berry Blondies combine the reminiscent summer flavors of summer berries mixed with white cake.
My 4th of July Recipe Roundup
My 4th of July Recipe Roundup boasts festive, delicious and beautiful recipes perfect for entertaining in the summer months.
