Tomato, Bread + Basil Salad | Panzanella

This is the perfect salad for hot summer days, combining the fresh flavours of ripe tomatoes and basil with rustic bread to create a light meal.

It is a traditional rustic salad with its roots in central Italy, where it is known as Panzanella.

Slightly stale rustic bread works best. The salad tastes best if it is prepared at least 30 minutes before serving.

I love this salad in summer for lunch or as a light dinner, served alongside other vegetable dishes
or a piece of meat or fish.

Serves 4 as a light lunch dish or a side dish

  • Ingrediënts


    • 1 small red onion, sliced into thin rings
    • 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
    • 5 large, ripe tomatoes
    • 2 thick slices of slightly stale rustic bread
    • 1 clove garlic
    • 2 handfuls fresh basil leaves, torn
    • 6 tablespoons good-quality extra virgin olive oil
    • Salt and freshly ground black pepper

  • Method


    Place the onion rings in a bowl and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of the balsamic vinegar and a pinch of salt. Mix well and leave for 30 minutes to mellow its sharp flavour of raw onion.
    Cut the tomatoes into cubes and place them in a salad bowl.

    Cut the bread into cubes and add it to the tomatoes, along with the onion rings and their vinegar. Add the torn basil leaves.

    Crush the garlic into a fine paste and mix it with the olive oil, the remaining 1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar, a pinch of salt, and some freshly ground black pepper.

    Pour the dressing over the salad and toss everything together gently but thoroughly. Season to taste.

    Leave the salad to stand for at least 30 minutes before serving. Serve at room temperature rather than chilled.
Photography, words & recipes: © Anna Rubingh