Greek Panzanella Salad with Garlic Vinaigrette
Greek Panzanella Salad combines traditional Greek salad flavors, like Kalamata olives, and tangy feta with bread cubes toasted in a tasty garlicky vinaigrette.
Greek Panzanella Salad combines traditional Greek salad flavors, like Kalamata olives, and tangy feta with bread cubes toasted in a tasty garlicky vinaigrette.
- 1 tbsp water
- 1.5 cup cherry tomates (- cut in half)
- 1 whole english cucumber (- cut in cubes)
- 1/4 red onion (- thinly sliced)
- 1/4 cup olives (- kalamata)
- 1/3 cup feta cheese (- cubed)
- 1 cup bread (- cubed)
- 1 tbsp olive oil (- extra virgin)
- 1/3 cup olive oil (- extra virgin)
- 1 whole lemon (juiced)
- 1/4 teaspoon salt (- pink himalayan or kosher)
- 1/4 teaspoon oregano (- dried, greek)
- black pepper (- freshly ground)
- 2 clove garlic (- or 1 big one, chopped)
- Carbohydrate 0 g
- Cholesterol 0 mg
- Fat 0 g
- Fiber 0 g
- Protein 0 g
- Saturated Fat 0 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (6g)
- Sodium 0.148125 mg
- Sugar 0 g
- Trans Fat 0 g
- Calories 0 calories
Step-by-step
- Heat up olive oil in the pan, add cubed bread and cook until golden brown on all sides about 5 minutes
- Cut the tomatoes in half, cucumbers in 1/2 inches cubes, slice the onions and peppers
- Combine vegetables together, add toasted bread, olives and fata
- Pour over the Lemon Garlic Vinegrette and toss gently
- Serve immediately for crispy bread croutons or let it stand for a while to have croutons more infused with the vinaigrette
- Combine all the ingredients in the mason jar and shake well
Panzanella fails when the bread either turns into mush or remains impenetrably hard, a direct consequence of how the fat interacts with the crumb structure. Toasting the bread cubes in extra virgin olive oil over medium heat for approximately five minutes creates a hydrophobic barrier around the starch molecules. Without this thermal sealing step, high-moisture vegetables like cherry tomatoes and English cucumbers release water too quickly into the dry interior of the crumb. Slicing cucumbers into half-inch cubes maximizes their structural integrity while exposing enough surface area to absorb the lemon garlic vinaigrette evenly. Red onions sliced paper-thin lose their harsh sulfur compounds faster when tossed directly in the acidic dressing prior to assembly. Letting the salad rest after tossing allows the toasted bread to soften selectively, absorbing excess juices without losing all textural contrast. Storing leftovers beyond twenty-four hours results in complete structural degradation of the bread as starches undergo retrogradation and absorb too much free liquid from the feta and olives.
