Panzanella Salad
Panzanella Salad Recipe or Tuscan Chopped Salad is traditionally a bread and tomato salad, but my Panzanella salad recipe adds pickled baby bell peppers, new potatoes, avocado, radishes, red onions, cucumbers, kalamata olives, and tofu feta in an oil-free balsamic dressing.
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 305kcal
Ingredients
Pickled Baby Bell Peppers
- 6 baby bell peppers different colors. sliced thin
- 1 cup white vinegar
- 2 Tablespoons Agave or Maple Syrup
Tofu Feta Cheese (Optional)
- 1 recipe tofu feta cheese
New Potatoes
- 1 pound new potatoes of similar size cut in halves
Vegetables
- 6 cups greens of choice I used spinach and Romaine
- 6 ounces snacking tomatoes different colors, cut in half
- ½ red onion cut into thin slivers
- 1 English cucumber sliced thin
- ½ cup radishes sliced thin
- ½ cup kalamata lives sliced in halves
- 1 avocado diced
- ¼ cup fresh basil chopped
- ¼ cup fresh parsley chopped
- ⅛ cup fresh mint chopped
Bread
- 3 slices vegan sourdough bread cut into cubes (or bread of choice)
Dressing
- ⅓ cup balsamic vinegar
- ⅓ cup water
- 1 Tablespoon dijon mustard
- 2 teaspoons maple syrup
- 2 cloves minced garlic
- 3 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 2 teaspoons ground pepper
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 pinch red pepper flakes optional
Instructions
Pickled Baby Bell Peppers
- Slice baby bell peppers thin and set aside in a bowl.
- Combine white vinegar and agave (or maple syrup) in a small saucepan.
- Stir and bring to a boil.
- Remove from heat.
- Pour mixture into the bowl with the sliced baby bell peppers.
- Stir and place the bowl in the refrigerator to marinate.
Tofu Feta Cheese
- Prepare tofu feta cheese ahead of time.
Preparing the Potatoes
- Wash and cut each potato in half.
- Place potatoes in a pot and cover with water; add a teaspoon of salt.
- Boil for 30 minutes or until a fork can pierce the potatoes, indicating they are done.
- Drain in a colander, and run cold water over to the potatoes until the potatoes are cool
- Place the cool potatoes in the refrigerator until ready to assemble the salad.
Preparing the Bread
- Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.
- If using stale bread, just cut it into cubes and use it as is.
- Or, if you are using fresh bread, cut it into cubes.
- Place cubed bread on a baking sheet lined with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.
- Bake for 10 minutes until crispy.
Balsamic Dressing
- In a high-speed blender, combine all the ingredients and blend until smooth.
- Refrigerate the dressing until assembling the salad.
Assembling the Salad
- Place the greens in the bottom of the bowl.
- Drain the baby bell peppers, place the on a paper towel to remove excess brine, and set aside.
- Begin to layer the ingredients by placing the potatoes and all the other vegetables, adding the bread last.
- Pour the dressing over the top and toss together or serve on the side.
- Add the herbs on top of the salad.
Notes
- To manage time effectively, make the pickled baby bell peppers first.
- Then, boil the potatoes while you cut the other vegetables.
- Next, cook the bread while you make the 5-minute dressing.
- Cut everything into bite-sized pieces to make it easier to eat.
- You can use a vegetable chopper to expedite vegetable preparation.
- Do not add the brad to the salad until ready to serve.
- If planning to have leftovers, separate the cooked bread from the other salad ingredients to prevent the pieces of bread from getting soggy.
- Allow the bell peppers to cool to room temperature before placing them in the
Nutrition
Calories: 305kcal | Carbohydrates: 51g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 437mg | Potassium: 1000mg | Fiber: 8g | Sugar: 14g | Vitamin A: 4405IU | Vitamin C: 75mg | Calcium: 122mg | Iron: 4mg