This classic Italian Panzanella salad would normally put your quota of fat over the top with the dressing and the crisping of croutons, but it’s easily transformed into this oil-free version.
There’s something wonderful about the smell of chopped cucumber, red onion, and peppers!
For the croutons on this, use a hearty, whole-grain bread, and cut into about 3/4″ pieces. Crisp them on an un-greased cookie sheet for about 10 minutes at 400 degrees.
I love using Sourdough because its fermentation adds probiotics, making it easier to for your body to digest.
The assortment of crisp veggies in this dish offers a powerful punch of color, flavor, and vitamins. Peppers are full of vitamin C; more than oranges, believe it or not. Three times more in one chop chopped peppers than an orange!
And, onions and beans are some of Dr. Fuhrman’s favorites in addition to the other G-BOMBS that he recommends; greens, berries, onions, mushrooms, and beans.
Enjoy this accompanied to one of these main meals:
- Pasta with Oil-free Pesto
- Sheet Pan Tempeh Puttanesca
- Cauliflower Pasta Alfredo
- Acorn Squash Stuffed with Quinoa
You can add a half can of rinsed and drained black beans and arugula to round out the flavors and add some extra protein if you’d like.
The sweet and tangy dressing, the freshness of the basil, tartness of the capers make this dish hard to resist. It’s so visually beautiful as well, bursting with all the vibrant colors of the crisp veggies. The crunchie croutons add a nice rustic, and satisfying crunch. Yum!
This is a wonderfully simple and plentiful salad to serve to your family. You can add some warm tempeh or tofu to add to it if you wish for a heartier salad.
I’d love to hear your feedback in the comments below for this Panzanella Salad recipe! If you have a photo, post it on my Facebook page, tag me using the hashtag #plantbasedcooking in your caption, and I won’t miss it!
Panzanella Salad
Ingredients
- 3-4 cups whole grain bread cubed
- 2 large ripe tomatoes cut into 1-inch cubes, or you can use cherry tomatoes
- 1 large cucumber unpeeled, seeded, and sliced 1/2-inch thick
- 1 large red bell pepper seeded and cut into 1-inch cubes
- 1 large yellow bell pepper seeded and cut into 1-inch cubes
- 1/2 large red onion cut 1/2 and thinly sliced
- 20 large basil leaves coarsely chopped
- 3 tbsp capers drained (optional)
For the vinaigrette:
- 1 clove garlic finely minced
- 1/2 tsp dijon mustard
- 3 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1 tsp maple syrup
- salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Put bread cubes on a cookie sheet and bake until crispy, about 10 minutes depending on how hardy your bread is. Keep an eye on them so they don’t burn.
- For the vinaigrette, whisk all the ingredients together.
- In a large bowl, mix the tomatoes, cucumber, red pepper, yellow pepper, red onion, basil, and capers, if you're using.
- Add the bread cubes to the bowl and toss all with the vinaigrette.
- Salt and pepper to taste.
I haven’t tried it yet, but just wanted to thank you for the recipe. There are so many things I can’t have and it was delightful to find your site and recipe. I can have everything on it except the salt!
You’re welcome, Mimi. I hope you enjoy the recipe and find others that’ll work for you, too.