Name: Panzanella
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 45 min
Ingredients: 1 batch red wine vinaigrette; 16 ounces cherry tomatoes, halved; 3 ounces crumbled feta cheese; 3 mini cucumbers, thinly sliced; 1 red or yellow bell pepper, diced; half of 1 small red onion, very thinly sliced; 2/3 cup chopped fresh basil leaves; 1 small loaf (about 10 ounces) ciabatta or sourdough bread, cut or torn into bite-sized pieces; 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil; 1 teaspoon garlic powder; fine sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper

Ingredients

Scale

Panzanella Ingredients:

1 batch red wine vinaigrette
16 ounces cherry tomatoes, halved
3 ounces crumbled feta cheese
3 mini cucumbers, thinly sliced
1 red or yellow bell pepper, diced
half of 1 small red onion, very thinly sliced
2/3 cup chopped fresh basil leaves

Garlic Croutons Ingredients:

1 small loaf (about 10 ounces) ciabatta or sourdough bread, cut or torn into bite-sized pieces
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon garlic powder
fine sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper

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Instructions

Make the croutons. Heat oven to 375°F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the bread in the center of the sheet in a pile and drizzle evenly with the olive oil and garlic powder, then toss so that it is more or less evenly coated. Spread the bread out in an even layer, then season generously with salt and pepper. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes, or until the bread is crispy yet still slightly soft in the middle. (Baking time will totally depend on the type of bread you use, so keep an eye on it!) Remove from the oven.
Make the vinaigrette. While the croutons are baking, prep the vinaigrette.
Toss. Combine the croutons, tomatoes, feta, cucumbers, bell pepper, onion and basil leaves in a large serving bowl. Drizzle evenly with the vinaigrette and toss to combine. If you have 30 minutes to spare, this salad really benefits from a brief period of resting so that the ingredients can marinate more fully in the vinaigrette. But if not, no worries…just serve immediately and enjoy!