How do you make something that is already perfect even better? Add bread, lots and lots of bread.
Panzanella is a classic Italian salad of stale bread with other vegetables in a tangy dressing. In this recipe, I’ve added loads of crunchy, chewy croutons to a caprese salad and tossed the whole thing in the most aromatic, roasted garlic and balsamic vinaigrette. The crusty croutons soak up all the rich, tangy dressing. It’s so fresh and satisfying and one of my favorite flavor combos!
Here’s what you need for the vinaigrette:
Make the vinaigrette first because the garlic takes a good amount of time to roast. While it’s in the oven, you can prep everything else for the salad.
How to roast garlic.
Slice the garlic horizontally about a third of the way down from the top. This should expose all of the cloves. (Or at least most of them.) Place the garlic on a sheet of foil and drench it with olive oil.
Gather the foil around the garlic and close it loosely at the top. Roast it at 400 degrees for 45 to 50 minutes. It should look caramelized and the cloves should be fork tender. Keep the oven on to bake the croutons.
Once the garlic has cooled, use a fork and/ your hands to remove each and every clove from the head and smash them up until creamy and smooth.
Whisk in the olive oil, balsamic and salt. Set the dressing aside while you prepare the rest of the salad.
Here’s what you need for the croutons:
Toss the diced, crusty bread with olive oil and a pinch of salt. Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes until they are golden brown and crunchy. Allow them to cool a few minutes before adding them to the salad so they don’t wilt the greens.
Here’s what you need to complete the salad:
Now that you have the croutons and vinaigrette ready to go, the rest of the preparation is a breeze! Dice the mozzarella and the tomatoes into bite sized pieces. Toss them in with the spinach and the basil and season with salt and pepper. I know the vinaigrette is seasoned but this is a big salad and tomatoes and the mozzarella need a little salt to get them going.
Add in the vinaigrette and the croutons and give the salad a big toss to fully coat everything in that delicious roasted garlic!
This salad is hearty enough to be enjoyed as a main coarse but could also be a great starter or side dish! Delicious!
Other recipes to try:
Caprese Panzanella Salad
Ingredients
- 5 ounces fresh baby spinach (1 box)
- 4 vine ripe tomatoes diced
- 20 or so fresh basil leaves rough chopped
- 8 ounces fresh mozzarella diced
- salt to taste
- black pepper to taste
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 8 ounces crusty bread diced
- roasted garlic balsamic vinaigrette (recipe below)
Instructions
Make Croutons
- Toss the diced bread in 2 tablespoons of olive oil and a pinch of salt. Arrange the cubes on a sheet tray and bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes. Cool
Build the salad
- Toss the spinach, mozzarella, basil, tomatoes and croutons with the vinaigrette in a large bowl. Add salt and black pepper to taste.
Roasted Garlic Balsamic Vinaigrette
Ingredients
- 1 whole head of garlic
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3 tbsp balsamic vinaigrette
- 3 tbsp olive oil
Instructions
- Slice through the garlic head horizontally about a third of the way down from the top, exposing the cloves inside.Place the head of garlic on a sheet of foil and drizzle all over with a generous amount of olive oil.Gather the foil around the garlic and loosely close it at the top.Roast in a 400 degree oven for 45 to 50 minutes. The cloves will be browned and very fork tender.Once cooled, use a fork and/ or your hands to remove each clove from the garlic and place them in a bowl. Smash the garlic cloves with the back of a fork until creamy and smooth.Whisk in the balsamic, olive oil and salt.