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Greek Panzanella salad is one of the freshest and most satisfying meals of summer. Filled with all of the most colorful vegetables, and flavors of a greek salad plus the addition of big golden croutons. Tomatoes, bright yellow and orange bell peppers, green cucumbers, red onion plus white feta, purple kalamata olives and toasted chunks of french baguette. It is not only delicious but a beautiful rainbow salad!
Salad Ingredients
- French Baguette- we will cut this into chunks and toast it to create golden brown croutons that will soak up all of the goodness! Also, check out these Air Fryer Croutons.
- Tomatoes- You may use any kind you'd like. I think halved yellow and red cherry tomatoes are the best, but use your favorite!
- Cucumber- Of course if you have the option to use fresh cucumbers from your garden, use those! Otherwise, I prefer an English cucumber for this salad. The skin is thin and crisp, so no need to peel it!
- Red and Orange Bell Peppers- You can use either one of each of the full size peppers, or you can use several of the baby bells. Both are good options!
- Red Onion- This sweet and pretty addition will be sliced into the half rings.
- Kalamata Olives- These shiny and briny little guys add huge flavor! We will cut them in half and call it good!
- Marinated Artichoke Hearts- I don't know about you, but YUM!! These are usually sold in a jar, cut into halves. We will just cut them in half again for artichoke heart quarters.
- Fresh Feta- If you can buy a solid block of feta in water, this is the best!! But any good feta will be just fine.
Salad Dressing Ingredients
- Good Extra Virgin Olive Oil- This is the base to this dressing, so it doesn't need to be expensive, but just make sure it is fresh. Olive Oil is best if used within a year to year and a half, so if you have to reach into the dark depths of your cabinets for a dusty old bottle from who knows when, it is best if you go buy a fresh one. It is worth it! ๐
- Red Wine Vinegar- Another main component so a good red wine vinegar is a good idea.
- Dijon Mustard- We will just use a small amount of Dijon mustard.
- Garlic- Need I say more? You will just need a couple of fresh cloves.
- Dried Oregano- We will use 2 teaspoons of this yummy herb.
- Sugar- Just a teeny bit to tame the tang of the vinegar. If you prefer to keep it sugar free, feel free to omit it.
- Sea Salt- Just a little to bring out all of the flavors.
This is one of my favorite summer meal prep ideas because unlike most salads, you can dress and toss this salad half an hour in advance and it will just get better as it sits! The dressing will marinate the vegetables and the toasted baguette pieces will soak up the flavors to create the most delicious summer salad!
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How to make Greek Panzanella Salad
This Panzanella is as easy as sliced bread...and vegetables! It is the easiest summer lunch or dinner and is fresh and full of healthy things but so decadent and flavorful too!
The biggest key to this salad is making sure that all the components (veggies, bread, feta etc.) are roughly the same size. We are going for about 1 inch chunks of everything. More or less. So you will cut the baguette into 1 inch chunks, same goes for the veggies. You will roughly crumble the feta into 1 inch chunks, and the olive halves and artichoke quarters will also be about that 1 inch size.
To make the toasted baguette chunks, you can use an air fryer, like in this recipe for Air Fryer Croutons, which is super quick and easy!
Or, you can simply heat a large skillet on medium heat. Once it is hot, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and the baguette pieces. Toss them with the oil and sprinkle with a pinch of salt and pepper.
Then, let them sit and toast for a minute, before shaking the pan to toss the pieces to toast the other sides. Continue this until all of you have golden brown homemade croutons. Remove them from the heat and set them aside until you are ready to put it all together.
For the dressing, just toss everything into your vitamix or blender and pulse it a few times until everything is combined and cloudy. You can also use a whisk and some good old fashioned elbow grease to whisk it all together. Once it is fully combined, it is ready!
Put the veggies in a large bowl and drizzle the dressing over the top. Crumble the feta on top and add the croutons and toss it all together.
This is one of very few salads that actually gets better as it sits. The dressing really marinates the veggies and soaks into the croutons and so you get garlicky, herbs greek flavor in every bite!
So, just let it sit for 20 minutes or so while you get everything else prepped, then serve and enjoy!
Frequently asked questions
No, in fact it is designed to sit and marinate, so the longer it sits (up to 6 hours or so) the better! Just make sure you use a good, crusty (even slightly stale is ok!) bread, and it will be perfect!
You can. But, I would not plan to make it the day ahead .By the second day, the veggies will have softened and the bread might be a little soggy. But all the delicious flavors will be the same, so it is up to!
Well, it just so happens that the ingredients in Panzanella, are very similar to the ingredients found in Gazpacho, which is a traditional soup in Spain, that is served cold. This Greek Panzanella would make a delicious Greek take on Gazpacho! Just pop the whole leftover salad in your vitamix, add 2 Tablespoons of Red wine vinegar and ยฝ cup of Olive Oil and blend it until it is smooth and creamy. Chill it in the fridge for at least 2 hours and then serve it cold. Enjoy!
More Delicious Recipes
- Roasted Rainbow Carrots with Toasted Sesame Aioli- Another Beautiful dish- colorful carrots and delicious sauce!
- Air Fryer Croutons- These are super quick and easy and add so much to soups, salad, or charcuterie board!
- Roasted Cauliflower Soup with Hazelnut Gremolata- Yum.
- Vegetable Couscous with Mint Pesto- The Mint pesto is the star in this veggie forward meal!
- Flank Steak Pinwheels- Deliciousness!
- Frosted Brownies with Salted Tahini Buttercream
I hope you enjoy making (and devouring!) this delicious Greek Panzanella salad! I would love to hear from you in the comments way at the bottom! Thank you and thank you for visiting Mollie in Montana~*! โฅ๏ธ
๐ Recipe
Greek Panzanella
Ingredients
- 1 English Cucumber sliced and quartered into ยฝ inch chunks
- 1 Yellow or Orange Bell Pepper diced into ยฝ inch chunks or you may use 3 of each yellow and orange baby bell peppers.
- 2 Cups Cherry tomatoes, cut in half
- ยฝ Red Onion, thinly sliced into half rings
- ยฝ Cup Kalamata Olives cut in half
- 1 Cup Marinated artichoke hearts, cut in ยฝ inch chunks
- 1 Cup Feta, crumbled
- 4 Cups Baguette cut into 1 inch chunks. (1 whole baguette)
Dressing
- ยฝ Cup Olive Oil
- ยผ Cup Red Wine Vinegar
- 2 teaspoon Dried Oregano
- 2 Garlic cloves, minced
- ยฝ teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon Sugar
- ยฝ teaspoon Salt
Instructions
Greek Panzanella
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat.
- Add 2 Tablespoons of Olive Oil and the cubed baguette pieces.
- Let the baguette toast, shaking the pan every couple of minutes to toss bread cubes.
- Add a pinch of salt and pepper.
- Remove the pan from the heat when the baguette cubes are evenly toasted and golden brown. Let them cool.
- In a large bowl, toss all of the veggies, olives, artichoke hearts, feta and toasted baguette.
- Add Dressing and toss well.
- Let dressed salad sit for 20 minutes or so before serving.
Dressing
- Whisk all ingredients together, or add all ingredients to mason jar and shake thoroughly.
- Set aside while prepping salad ingredients to let the flavors meld.
Notes
Notes:
- Don't be afraid to use all of the dressing. I know it seems like a lot, but the veggies and croutons will soak it all up and make it all so flavorful!
- For an even more substantial meal, add diced chicken breast.
- Feel free to use a sugar substitute such as Monk fruit sweetener in the dressing, or you may omit the sweetener altogether!
- Pop leftovers in a blender with 2 tablespoon red wine vinegar,ย ยฝ cup olive oil and blend until smooth. Chill in the fridge for at least 2 hours and you have Greek Gazpacho!
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