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A close up shot of grilled panzanella salad is served atop a white serving platter that sits atop a white textured surface. The panzanella salad has been garnished with fresh herbs and shaved asiago cheese. Two gold serving spoons rest atop the platter and the platter is surrounded by a drinking glass, a small pinch bowls filled with kosher salt, and a blue linen napkin

Grilled Panzanella Salad

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  • Author: Jess Larson
  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Cook Time: 5 minutes
  • Total Time: 20 minutes
  • Yield: serves 4-6 1x
  • Category: Side Dishes, Entrée Salads & Bowls
  • Method: Grilling
  • Cuisine: Italian
  • Diet: Vegetarian

Description

I first fell in love with panzanella, the iconic Italian bread salad, back when I worked as a server in a fine dining Italian restaurant. The version we served had the most mind-bending balance of hearty texture & fresh, vibrant flavor – I’ve been hooked ever since! 

This particular grilled panzanella salad recipe was born out of desperation a few years back. Since I don’t aways keep bread in my pantry, the dried-out bread signature to the dish isn’t something that I typically have on hand when a panzanella craving strikes. Instead, I learned to turn to my grill to help speed up the process. 

By slicing it into hearty pieces & cooking them on the grill, the bread dries out to the perfect crusty texture for a killer panzanella salad, all while taking on incredibly smoky, charred flavor from the grill. It’s so good! While the grill preheats, marinate some tomatoes with EVOO & red wine vinegar to create a built-in panzanella dressing, & from there, toss in whatever you like! I love crunchy-crisp bell peppers & cucumbers, but you can really have fun with this recipe & add whatever you like. 

Be sure to check out the Recipe Notes, below, for some make ahead & meal prep guidance & the blog post, above, for serving suggestions & easy variations. 


Ingredients

Scale
  • 16 ounces cherry tomatoes or summer tomatoes of choice, halved or cut into bite-sized pieces
  • 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
  • 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
  • 1/2 medium red onion, very thinly sliced
  • 1 clove garlic, finely chopped or grated
  • 12 ounces sourdough, Italian bread, or hearty, crusty bread of choice, cut into 1-inch thick slices
  • 1 medium bell pepper, diced into 1/2-inch pieces
  • 1/2 seedless cucumber, thinly sliced (half moons or quarters)
  • optional: big handful fresh basil &/or parsley, finely chopped
  • optional: 1/2 cup shaved asiago
  • kosher salt & ground black pepper, to season

Instructions

  1. Marinate the tomatoes: Add the tomatoes to a large bowl with 1/4 cup of olive oil, the red wine vinegar, red onion, & garlic. Season with 1 teaspoon kosher salt & ground black pepper, as desired. Toss well to combine. Set aside to marinate & meld for 20-25 minutes. This is a great time to preheat the grill (Step 2, below) & prep the remaining panzanella salad ingredients: slice the bread, chop the veggies & herbs, etc.Marinated tomatoes fill a large white ceramic bowl that sits atop a white textured surface. Two small pinch bowls filled with kosher salt and ground black pepper and a bottle of olive oil surrounding the bowl at center. A gold spoon rests atop the large white ceramic bowl.
  2. Grill prep: Preheat the grill for medium-high direct heat grilling, about 450-500 degrees F. Once preheated, clean the cooking surface by firmly brushing a wire brush over the grates.Weber Genesis II Propane Grill on a deck.
  3. Grill the bread: Place the sliced bread on a small baking sheet or large plate. Pour the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a small bowl, & use a pastry brush or silicone brush to brush each slice generously with oil. Season the bread with a good pinch of kosher salt. Place the bread on the preheated grill grates, directly over the heat. Grill 4-6 minutes, flipping the bread halfway through, until crusty & charred as desired. Transfer the grilled bread to the same baking sheet or plate. Once it’s cool enough to handle, dice the bread into 1-inch cubes.Four pieces of sliced sourdough bread are being grilled atop gas grill grates for grilled bread salad.
  4. Panzanella salad assembly: Add the grilled bread, bell pepper, cucumber, fresh herbs (if using), & shaved asiago (if using) to the large bowl with the marinated tomatoes from Step 1. Toss to combine well. Taste & season with additional kosher salt & ground black pepper as needed. It’s best to let the panzanella sit for 5-10 minutes, allowing the flavors to meld & the bread to soak in some of the dressing. Serve topped with additional shaved cheese or fresh herbs as desired. Enjoy!Grilled panzanella salad is served atop a white serving platter that sits atop a white textured surface. The panzanella salad has been garnished with fresh herbs and shaved asiago cheese. Two gold serving spoons rest atop the platter and the platter is surrounded by two drinking glasses, two small pinch bowls filled with kosher salt and ground black pepper, and a blue linen napkin.

Notes

  • Vegetarian &/or vegan grilled panzanella: This grilled panzanella salad recipe is naturally meatless. For a vegetarian version, omit the asiago or use your favorite rennet-free asiago. To take it a step further & make it vegan, opt for your favorite dairy-free asiago or parmesan instead or omit cheese altogether.
  • Storage Instructions: Due to the vinaigrette-soaked bread cubes in this salad, grilled panzanella salad is best served fresh, immediately after it’s tossed together. If you don’t need a full recipe’s worth of servings, scale the recipe down so you can enjoy it all in one sitting. If you do have leftovers, store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days – the sooner you can enjoy them, the better.
  • 15-Minute Meal Prep: While it’s best served fresh (so not especially make ahead-friendly), you can prep components of this grilled panzanella salad in advance to cut down on active prep time required at dinnertime. Chop all the veggies & at dinnertime, grill the bread & toss together the saled – simple!
    • Veggie prep: Halve 16 ounces cherry tomatoes, thinly slice 1/2 medium red onion, dice 1 medium bell pepper into 1/2-inch pieces, & slice 1/2 seedless cucumber into half moons or quarters, per the Ingredients List, above. Store in separate airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. (15 minutes active prep)