Tuna Panzanella Saladwith heirloom tomatoes
Panzanella is a classic Italian bread salad. Topped with affordable tuna, you've got a simple, light summer meal!
Smart tip: Panzanella is a great meal to make good use of ol' (even slightly stale-ish) bread.
Ingredients
- Baguette or ciabatta - 1/2 loaf, torn into pieces
- Olive oil - 1 Tbsp + 1/4 cup
- Tomatoes - 1 lb, chopped ((Use heirlooms if they're available))
- Red onion - 1/2, sliced
- Basil - 4 sprigs, sliced
- Cucumbers - 1 lb, chopped
- Tuna - 10 oz, drained
- White beans (14 oz / 397 g can) - 1 can, rinsed and drained ((Such as cannellini, northern, butter beans))
- Maple syrup - 2 tsp
- Balsamic vinegar - 2 Tbsp
- Mixed greens - 6 oz
Nutrition Facts
Prep
- Baguette - Heat oven to 400F (204C) degrees. Tear baguette into bite-sized pieces and toss with first part of olive oil and salt. Spread out onto a sheet pan, and toast for 15 to 18 minutes. If you’d prefer to do it in a grill, just place bread pieces into a grill pan. (Can be done 1 day ahead)
- Tomatoes - Prep as directed. Transfer chopped tomatoes to a colander and place over a bowl. Sprinkle lightly with salt and toss gently. Let sit for ~15 minutes, which will drain out some liquid.
- Red onions - Prep as directed. (Can be done up to 3 days ahead)
- Basil / Cucumbers - Prep as directed. These are both easy veggies for kids to help prep.
- Tuna - Drain.
- Beans - Rinse and drain.
Make
- Whisk together maple syrup, balsamic vinegar, and second part of olive oil.
- In a large bowl, toss vinaigrette with bread and let sit for 10 minutes, so the bread has some time to soften.
- Add tomatoes, red onions, tuna, beans, cucumbers, basil, and mixed greens.
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Reviews
This meal has 38 reviews
Our tomatoes weren't as vibrant as I would have liked, but it was a good salad. The tuna helped make it a filling meal, but it probably would have been sufficient without, maybe with some shaved parmesean.
I made a Paleo version. It was easy and OK, but I would not make it again.
Bland. It needs more acid and seasoning. I let the salad develop overnight and served it on arugula the next day. The peppery leaves helped. I think subbing pickles for the cucumbers and adding more salt will help, if I were to do this again.
Perfect on a hot day!
This salad was SUPER with the flavor packed croutons! I used a whole baguette and doubled the liquids. The croutons were pretty charred after 7 minutes on the grill, so keep a close eye on them! Even charred, they're salvageable once softened by the dressing. We did tuna steak instead of canned tuna, but either way it was unnecessary. I'd make this salad again in a heartbeat without any meat to accompany it!
Loved the bread. Next time might try a different protein - the tuna was good but not amazing.