This Panzanella Recipe, or Italian Bread Salad, is such a great way to use up leftover bread, which soaks up the juices from the tomatoes and simple vinaigrette.
Mix the 1/2 cup sliced red onion with the red wine vinegar (2 tablespoons) and kosher salt. Set aside for 5-10 minutes, mixing it up a few times as it sits.
Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons of the extra-virgin olive oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add the bread pieces and cook until browned, turning occasionally, about 3-4 minutes total.
In a large bowl, mix together the tomatoes, cucumbers, capers, and fresh basil.
Add the browned bread to the bowl with the vegetables.
Drizzle in the remaining 3 tablespoons of olive oil into the onion mixture, mixing well. Pour on top of the salad and toss together. Season with more salt and a little black pepper, to taste.
Serve immediately, or within about 20 minutes, or the bread will be too soggy.
Notes
Make it a meal: add fresh mozzarella, white beans, chickpeas, shrimp, or sliced grilled chicken to the salad for added protein.
Time Saving Tip: You can mix the tomatoes, cucumbers, basil, and capers together beforehand, and soak the onions in the vinegar and salt for up to 24 hours before making. Then, just toast the bread and mix the olive oil with the onions just before tossing together. You can also skip toasting the bread, as long as the bread you are using is very stale and hard.
Money Saving Tip: This salad is already pretty cheap to make, but to save more money, omit the capers, especially if you don't think you'll use the rest of the jar for anything.
Don't have stale bread? No problem! I recommend making homemade croutons in the oven instead of using the skillet, so they dry out a bit more, but toasting fresh bread in the skillet will be fine too.
The provided nutrition information does not include any added sodium from seasoning to taste, any optional ingredients, and it does not take brands into account. Feel free to calculate it yourself using this calculator or by adding the recipe to Yummly.