Caprese Panzanella Salad Recipe

This Caprese Panzanella Salad Recipe will be on heavy rotation in your home! It’s fresh and bright and full of flavorful tomatoes, basil, pesto, and fresh mozzarella cheese. Plus, bread. Always bread.

Everyone knows that croutons and cheese are the best part of a salad. So, let’s make an entire salad out of croutons and cheese! Plus tomatoes, fresh basil, pesto, and a sweet balsamic reduction!

What is a Caprese Salad?

Originating from the island of Capri in Italy, Caprese Salad is traditionally made up of tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, and basil. It’s been said that these foods were chosen to represent the colors of the Italian flag – red, white, and green.

With this Caprese Panzanella Salad Recipe we use all the traditional flavors and kick it up a notch with a heavy dose of pesto, cubes of crusty bread, and a drizzle of balsamic reduction. It is truly beyond!

Ok, but what is a Panzanella Salad?

Panzanella salad is a summer salad from the Tuscan area of Italy. Instead of leafy greens or lettuce, it’s made with a base of soaked bread cubes. It’s traditionally served with tomatoes and onions (and maybe some basil), but we’re switching things up with this recipe. It’s Capri meets Tuscany.

When picking a bread for Panzanella salad, look for one with a sturdy, chewy crumb and a crispy crust. My preference is sourdough or a nice loaf of rustic white bread.

I wouldn’t recommend a whole wheat or seeded loaf for this recipe, as those flavorful and textured breads will interfere with the other flavor components of this salad. Day old or stale bread works great, too!

Assembling the Pesto Caprese Panzanella Salad:

1. Cut the loaf of bread into 1 inch cubes. Toss with a generous amount of olive oil, a sprinkle of salt, and bake in a preheated oven until crispy and golden brown. (This method of tossing and toasting means that a fresh loaf of bread can be used instead of a stale one, and the toasting will give the bread more surface area to soak up all that pesto-y and balsamic-y goodness!)
2. When cooled, place the toasted bread cubes into a large bowl with chopped tomatoes (I love cherry toms or beautiful heirlooms), torn basil leaves, mozzarella pearls, and a big scoop of pesto sauce.
3. Drizzle the whole mess with more olive oil (we’re getting a lot of healthy fats from the olive oil in this recipe!), sprinkle with more salt, and drizzle with a generous amount of balsamic reduction.
4. Toss the whole mess together and let it sit for a little bit to allow the bread to soak up all those beautiful flavors.
5. Serve with grilled chicken, flaky fish, or on its own in a big bowl!

One of the most flavorful components of this recipe is the balsamic reduction. It’s a kitchen staple I love to have on hand because it goes well with so many things!

Making the sweet, syrupy glaze out of tart, acidic balsamic vinegar is so easy! It requires only two ingredients and a little bit of time. I love using it in this caprese salad, obviously, but it’s also delightful on grilled meats, bruschetta, and even ice cream (just, trust me.)!

How to make Balsamic Reduction

1. In a small saucepan, whisk together 1 cup of balsamic vinegar and 2 tablespoon brown sugar (regular granulated would also work!).
2. Place the vinegar and sugar over medium heat and stir until sugar has dissolved. Bring to a boil. Boil rapidly for 15 - 20 minutes, or until vinegar is reduced by half and has thickened, swirling the pan occasionally.
3. Pour balsamic into a glass jar and allow to cool to room temperature before sealing and storing. Balsamic reduction can be stored at room temp. for a few days or in the fridge for a few weeks. Yes! Weeks! Balsamic glaze keeps for.ev.er.

Serving and Storing Bread Salad

I like to make my Panzanella a few hours ahead of time, if possible. Depending on how stale/dry my bread is, sometimes I’ll even do it the night before and then serve myself a big bowl of it for a hearty, filling, and vegetarian meal.

But, if you’re planning to serve it as a side for dinner (omg with bruschetta chicken or maybe pesto roasted chicken legs?), make it first and then prepare the other ingredients/dishes.

If there are any leftovers, wrap the bowl in plastic or place remaining salad in a Tupperware and refrigerate for a day. Any longer and the integrity of the bread really starts to go downhill.

Print Recipe

5 from 6 votes

Caprese Panzanella Salad Recipe

An amazing bread salad loaded with tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, basil, and pesto. All drizzled with a sweet balsamic reduction before serving!

Prep Time10 mins

Cook Time20 mins

Total Time30 mins

Course: Salad

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: Basil, Blue Cheese, Bread, Caprese, Pasta Salad, Tomato

Servings: 4 servings

Calories: 907kcal

Author: Amanda Gajdosik

Ingredients

For the Balsamic Reduction:

• 1 cup balsamic vinegar
• 2 tablespoon brown sugar

For the Caprese Panzanella salad:

• 1 loaf sourdough or rustic white bread (about 10 ounces)
• ¾ cup olive oil divided
• 1 pint cherry tomatoes halved
• 1 package mozzarella pearls such as Belgioioso
• 1 cup torn basil leaves
• ½ cup prepared pesto sauce
• Salt to taste

Instructions

For the Balsamic Reduction:

• In a small saucepan, whisk together the vinegar and sugar.
• Place over medium heat and continue stirring until sugar has dissolved. Bring vinegar to a simmer and cook, swirling the pan occasionally, until the liquid has reduced by half, about 15 -20 minutes.
• Remove from heat and pour into a heat-safe jar. Cool balsamic glaze to room temperature before covering.
• Reduction can be stored at room temperature for up to a week or in the fridge for up to one month.

For the Caprese Panzanella salad:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut the bread into 1-inch cubes, place on a rimmed baking sheet, and toss with ¼ cup of the olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes, or until bread is toasty and golden.
• Remove from oven and allow bread to cool. Once cool, transfer bread cubes to a large bowl and top with tomatoes, mozzarella, basil leaves and pesto. Drizzle with remaining olive oil and a generous amount of the balsamic reduction (I use about half, but you can go by taste). Toss to coat, taste, and add more salt, if necessary.
• Let stand for 20 – 30 minutes, if desired, for bread to really soak up the oil and balsamic reduction, before serving.

Notes

• Leftover Panzanella Salad can be covered and refrigerated overnight, but not longer.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 907kcal | Carbohydrates: 88g | Protein: 16g | Fat: 54g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 3mg | Sodium: 901mg | Potassium: 492mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 22g | Vitamin A: 1520IU | Vitamin C: 28mg | Calcium: 146mg | Iron: 6mg