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Close-up of a serving of panzanella salad showing crisp bread edges soaked in tomato dressing
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Tuscan Panzanella Salad Bursting with Summer Tomatoes

A rustic Italian bread salad with juicy summer tomatoes, crisp toasted ciabatta, basil, olives, and capers, tossed in a dressing built from the tomatoes' own juices.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Servings: 4
Course: Salad
Cuisine: Italian
Calories: 290
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 6 oz rustic Italian bread 170 g, such as ciabatta, cut into 1-inch cubes
  • 2.2 lb ripe tomatoes 1 kg, mixed colors and sizes
  • 2 small shallots thinly sliced
  • 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves 10–15 g, packed and torn by hand
  • 1/2 cup pitted Kalamata olives 75–80 g
  • 2 tbsp salted capers 20 g, rinsed under cold water and patted dry
  • 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
  • 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil for the dressing
  • 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil for toasting the bread
  • 1 tsp Dijon mustard
  • 1 tsp pesto
  • kosher salt to taste
  • freshly ground black pepper to taste
  • 4 oz fresh baby mozzarella 115 g, optional
  • 1 tsp fresh thyme 1 g, optional

Method
 

  1. Cut the tomatoes into rustic pieces. Place them in a sieve over a bowl, season lightly with salt, and let the juices collect underneath for about 10 minutes while you toast the bread.
    Chopped ripe tomatoes draining in a fine-mesh sieve set over a bowl to collect their juices
  2. Cut 6 oz (170 g) of ciabatta into 1-inch cubes. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons olive oil and toast until golden and crisp.
    Cubes of ciabatta bread toasting in a skillet with olive oil until golden and crisp
  3. Whisk the reserved tomato juices with the red wine vinegar, 1 tablespoon olive oil, Dijon mustard, and pesto.
    Tomato juice dressing being whisked with red wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, and pesto in a glass bowl
  4. Add the tomatoes, toasted bread, sliced shallots, olives, and rinsed capers to a large bowl.
    Sliced shallots, Kalamata olives, and rinsed capers scattered over tomatoes and toasted bread
  5. Tear the basil over the salad and add thyme if using.
    Hands tearing fresh basil leaves over a finished Tuscan panzanella salad
  6. Pour over the tomato dressing and gently toss everything together.
  7. Season with freshly ground black pepper and additional salt if needed. Add baby mozzarella if using.
  8. Serve immediately or after a short rest, while the bread still has some crispness.

Notes

Salted capers are packed in coarse salt, not brine. Rinse them well under cold running water and pat them dry before adding them, or the salad will be far too salty. Capers packed in brine only need draining.
Day-old ciabatta or rustic Italian bread works best. Fresh bread softens too quickly once it meets the dressing.
The tomatoes drain while the bread toasts, so the 25-minute total time already accounts for that step.
Nutrition per serving (4 servings, without mozzarella): 290 kcal, 7 g protein, 34 g carbohydrates, 15 g fat, 5 g fiber, 9 g sugar, 870 mg sodium. Sodium varies most with how heavily the tomatoes are salted — added kosher salt is roughly a third of the total.
Adding 4 oz (115 g) baby mozzarella adds about 73 kcal, 5 g protein, and 5.5 g fat per serving.