Cornbread Panzanella Salad

5 from 3 votes

This easy panzaenlla salad has toasted cornbread mixed with fresh cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, red onions and basil. It’s tossed in a garlicky red wine vinaigrette.

Prep Time15

Cook Time20

Total Time35

Course: Salads

Cuisine: Italian

Servings:

Author: Paige Adams

Ingredients

For cornbread

3 cups 1-inch cornbread cubes
2 tablespoons olive oil

For vinaigrette

1 garlic clove, minced
1 tablespoon whole grain mustard
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil

For salad

2 pints cherry tomatoes, halved
2 cups diced cucumbers, preferably English cucumbers or Persian cucumbers
1/3 cup finely diced red onions
1/4 cup packed basil leaves, larger ones torn

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
On a sheet pan, toss the cornbread with 2 tablespoons olive oil. Spread it into a single layer.
Bake for 20-25 minutes, flipping over halfway through baking, until the bread is golden, crisp and toasted.
While the cornbread is in the oven, make the vinaigrette. Whisk the garlic, mustard, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, red wine vinegar and 1/4 cup olive oil in a small bowl.
For the salad, combine the tomatoes, cucumbers, red onions, and basil in a large bowl. Pour in half the vinaigrette. Stir everything together.
Gently fold in the toasted cornbread. Drizzle in additional vinaigrette as desired.

Notes

The salad can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 2 days. If you are planning to have leftovers, try to not toss that portion in the dressing. Keep the vinaigrette in a separate jar in the fridge.

Store the toasted cornbread in an airtight container at room temperature. If you have leftovers with cornbread stirred in, remove the croutons. Then re-toast them in a 300-degree F oven to dry them out, and let them cool before you store them. If you leave the croutons in the salad in the fridge, they will soften.

You can make the vinaigrette up to 2 days in advance. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Let it sit out at room temperature for 15 minutes before tossing it into the salad.

Optional Additions

Corn: fresh, roasted or grilled corn kernels.
Cheese: torn fresh mozzarella or burrata, grated parmesan or crumbled feta
Cooked grains: quinoa, barley, farro or pearl couscous.
Nuts: toasted walnuts or pine nuts
Olives: Pitted Kalamata olives, whole, halved or chopped.
Pesto: Whisk a tablespoon of basil pesto into the vinaigrette

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