This peach and tomato panzanella salad with sourdough croutons is going to be my new summer dish, not even kidding, it is summery, unique, and so so good.
Have you ever had a panzanella salad? It is one of my favorite things to eat in the summer. Panzanella is an Italian dish that is usually a chopped salad of stale bread (marinated), onions and tomatoes, but I tweaked it a bit and made an amazing peach and tomato panzanella.
I’m not a big fan of biting into chopped raw onions, so I opted to remove the onions from this recipe. I was worried because onions bring such a strong flavor to dishes and tend to overpower them – but my father-in-law who tried some of this dish added some and loved it. So add onions if you like them!
Whenever I tell people that I am making ‘peach and tomato panzanella’ the reaction is always a puzzled look with the comment “peaches and tomatoes?”
But, 100% of the time, people give it a try and they change their mind immediately! Plus, tomatoes and peaches are in season at the same time so this dish can always be super fresh. I am actually so surprised this isn’t a super popular “thing” or trend….maybe it’s just not yet!
Fresh peaches are one of my favorite summer fruits. Last year I bought I giant 25 lb box and made a bunch of freezer peach crumble (so so good, and I forgot some in the freezer and enjoyed it…8 months later!!) and I’ve never thought to add them with tomatoes, but I was flipping through the Feeding A Family cookbook by Sarah Waldman (which I’ve really been enjoying) and saw this recipe for tomato and peach panzanella. So this recipe is my version of the one I saw in the Feeding A Family cookbook.
What really makes this panzanella amazing is the sourdough croutons. I like to make my croutons stovetop in a frying pan. I find it gives them a crispy outside, but keeps the inside soft and helps provide the perfect overall texture, as opposed to oven-baking croutons. Often, in the oven, croutons get hard and tooth-hurting crunchy. Of course, use whichever method you are comfortable with!
Seriously, this is one of those dishes that I want to make over and over and over again.
You know how sometimes you make a dish and just know it will be perfect to share with friends? Well, this is absolutely one of those dishes. I immediately texted friends to see if they wanted to come over. I thoroughly enjoyed this salad sitting outside with a nice glass of wine.
This peach and tomato panzanella is also great to take to a party or summer picnic! To turn this into a make-ahead panzanella, make the fruit mixture with the dressing and just keep it separate from the croutons. When you are ready to serve, simply add both to a bowl and combine to enjoy!
I hope you enjoy this summer peach and tomato panzanella salad recipe!
Peach and Tomato Panzanella Salad
Ingredients
- 1/3 - 1/2 loaf of sourdough bread preferable a few days old, cut into cubes. About 3-4 cups.
- 6 Tablespoons olive oil divided
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
- 3 medium-large tomatoes or 2 cups cherry tomatoes sliced
- 3 large peaches sliced
- 2 Tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 1/3 cup fresh basil
- 2 tablespoons fresh mint optional
- 1/2 teaspoon flaky sea salt
Instructions
- In a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat add in bread cubes and drizzle with 2 tablespoons olive oil, sprinkle garlic salt over bread cubes. Cook for about 5 minutes, until cubes are starting to brown, toss, and cook for an additional few minutes until 2 sides are browned.
- In a small bowl combine remaining 4 tablespoons olive oil, red wine vinegar and balsamic vinegar, whisk to combine.
- Cut peaches and tomatoes and combine in a serving bowl. Pour dressing over peaches and tomatoes. Add sourdough croutons in and toss salad.
- Sprinkle with flaky sea salt and serve.
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