BLT Panzanella

This BLT panzanella salad recipe is bright and flavorful, featuring tomatoes, cucumber, pancetta, capers, and arugula in a zesty vinaigrette.

In the summertime, my craving for tomatoes is endless. From the first BLT sandwich of the season to caprese salad—I love to celebrate these juicy red jewels. And just like my classic Panzanella recipe and my peach panzanella salad with burrata and bacon, this BLT panzanella recipe tastes like pure summer. My BLT sandwich inspired it, but it’s still very Italian at heart. Panzanella is a simple Tuscan-style bread salad tossed in a zippy vinegar-laced dressing. The tomatoes, vinegar, and capers provide the briny pucker. Salty pancetta lends some smoky savoriness, and arugula brings some green and spicy bites. Plus, there’s crisp cucumber for some crunch. Everything mingles together to create an easy panzanella that’s fresh, flavorful, and full of awesome texture.

Why You’ll Love It

• It’s a light and refreshing salad that goes with just about any protein
• There are minimal steps and the recipe comes together fast
• This panzanella is super versatile—make it as is or use what you have and make it your own!

What is Panzanella?

Panzanella is a Tuscan bread salad dating all the way back to fourteenth century, even before the arrival of tomatoes in Italy! This simple peasant dish was a clever and resourceful way to revive old bread, by mixing it with raw veggies, spices, oil, and vinegar.

BLT Panzananella Ingredients List

• Tomatoes—I like using a mix of heirloom tomatoes (use the best quality, freshest summer tomatoes you can get your hands on)
• Cucumber—any variety is fine, just be sure to seed it (otherwise it will add too much moisture to the salad and make it watery)
• Arugula—adds some green and a peppery bite
• Capers—I love the salty, briny pop these little berries add
• Pancetta—lends a salty, savory bite (you could also use bacon)
• Garlic—this infuses our olive oil that we then toast our bread cubes in for the best flavor
• Crusty white bread—a boule or a baguette (whatever you use, just be sure it’s day-old bread. A fresher bread is too moist and won’t be able to stand up to the vinaigrette.
• Olive oil—for toasting our bread cubes
• Champagne or red wine vinegar—I don’t recommend balsamic as it’s too dark and your panzanella won’t be as pretty
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper—always, for flavor

Find the complete recipe with measurements below.

How to Make This BLT Panzanella

• Combine the veggies. In a large mixing bowl, combine tomatoes, cucumber, capers, basil, and arugula.
• Brown the pancetta. Cook until golden brown and crispy, reserving 2 tablespoons of the rendered fat.
• Infuse the bread toasting oil. Smash the garlic cloves and place them in the frying pan with pancetta fat. Cook for 3 minutes until the garlic is lightly browned. Remove from pan and discard.
• Toast the bread. Add cubed bread to pancetta fat, mix, and lightly toast. When toasted, add the bread and pancetta to the tomato mixture.
• Make the vinaigrette, dress, and toss. Mix olive oil and vinegar until emulsified, add salt and pepper to taste then dress the salad, tossing well to combine everything. Serve immediately.

Recipe Substitutions and Variations

• Add some fresh herbs like oregano, basil, mint, tarragon, parsley, or thyme
• Try any type of juicy tomato, adding different cuts for a variety of sizes and textures
• Try raw zucchini or yellow squash in the salad (slice thinly with a mandolin or do long, thin, ribbons with a vegetable peeler
• Top with big slivers of Parmesan cheese
• Add even more tang with sliced olives, shallots, or red onion
• Add red, green, or yellow bell pepper for more crunch

Recipe Tips

• The key ingredient that sets this salad apart is day-old bread. That does not mean stale, hard-as-a-rock bread. I like to use thick slices of sourdough cut into 1-inch chunks so there’s more tender bready bits than ruin-the-roof-of-your-mouth pieces of crust. Anything too fresh will have too much moisture and become soggy after mixing.
• Choose any assortment of tomatoes as long as they’re at their sweetest. I like vine-ripened summer tomatoes, but campari or sweet cherry tomatoes mean you can make this salad any time.
• Cut your bread and veggies all the same size—or as close as you can. That way the bread doesn’t take over and dominate the chunks of cucumber and tomato.

Storage Tips

Panzanella is best eaten the day it’s made. Unfortunately, panzanella does not hold up well the next day and starts to deteriorate. The bread becomes too soggy a few hours after it’s ready to eat. If you’re trying to save time, you can always prep your bread and make your dressing ahead.

What to Eat with Panzanella

• The BEST Grilled Salmon
• Grilled Flank Steak with Arugula and Parmesan
• Easy Grilled Vegetables
• The Best Grilled Chicken Breast
• Mediterranean Grilled Pork Chops

 If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating on this recipe below and leave a comment, take a photo and tag me on Instagram with #foodiecrusheats.

5 from 1 vote

BLT Panzanella

This BLT panzanella salad recipe is bright and flavorful, featuring tomatoes, cucumber, pancetta, capers, and arugula in a zesty vinaigrette.

Print SaveSaved!

Course Salad, Side Dish

Cuisine Italian

Keyword panzanella

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Total Time 25 minutes minutes

Servings 6

Calories 246kcal

Ingredients 

1x2x3x

• 4 medium tomatoes , chopped into ½-inch pieces
• 1 large cucumber , seeded and chopped into ½ inch pieces
• 3 cups arugula
• 2 tablespoons capers , drained
• ½ pound pancetta , cubed
• 2 cloves garlic
• 3 cups day-old crusty bread , French or ciabatta, cubed
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons champagne or red wine vinegar
• ¼ cup basil , slivered
• kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper , to taste

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

• In a large mixing bowl, combine tomatoes, cucumber, capers, basil, and arugula.
• Over medium heat, brown the pancetta in a frying pan. Remove the pancetta from the pan and reserve 2 tablespoons of the rendered fat. Smash the garlic cloves then add them to the frying pan with the pancetta fat. Cook for 3 minutes until the garlic is lightly browned. Remove the garlic and discard. Add the cubed bread to pancetta fat, mix, and lightly toast. Add the bread and pancetta to the tomato salad.
• Whisk the olive oil and vinegar until emulsified then season with salt and pepper to taste. Drizzle the dressing over the salad and toss well. Taste for seasoning and serve.

Notes

This panzanella is best eaten the day it’s made.

Nutrition

Serving: 6g | Calories: 246kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 22g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 12g | Trans Fat: 0.05g | Cholesterol: 25mg | Sodium: 333mg | Potassium: 384mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 1027IU | Vitamin C: 15mg | Calcium: 38mg | Iron: 1mg

More Summerry Salads to Try

• The BEST Panzanella Recipe
• Greek-Style Panzanella
• Asian Cucumber Watermelon Salad
• Fattoush Salad
• The BEST Caprese Salad

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