Easy Greek Panzanella

Pan-za-whatta?

Panzanella! Or, in other words, “bread salad.”

Easy Greek Panzanella

Normally when I think of salad I get really, really bored. Lettuce. Blah. Tomatoes. Blah. Diet. Blah. (Oh, except for this awesome Vietnamese Steak Salad !)

This salad is different. I’m pretty sure that the butter+bread+delicious dressing in this dish effectively take away the “healthy” status of its salad classification. So maybe think of it more as a delicious side dish than a boring salad.

Fun Fact: This “salad” originated in Italy as a way to use up day-old stale bread.

Essentially, you just cut up some old bread, saute it in butter, then toast it in the oven until it is golden brown and crunchy and delicious and looks like this:

Easy Greek Panzanella

While the bread is toasting, just chop up your choice of vegetables and place it in a large bowl. I went with a Greek theme for this recipe, so I used tomatoes, cucumbers, bell peppers, red onion, and some olives.

Easy Greek Panzanella

Then just toss the vegetables in an easy vinaigrette, add the bread, and fold in some feta cheese.

Voila!

Easy Greek Panzanella

This is such a great side dish to bring to a party, and you can prepare it ahead of time by just keeping the bread separate from the rest of the ingredients until you are ready to serve.

Two of our lovely friends just had their first baby, so I brought some of this over when I came to visit so they could have some quick go-to food that just required tossing it together in a bowl and digging in.

Easy Greek Panzanella

You could make a winter version with Brussels sprouts and squash, or use whatever’s fresh at the supermarket to make it your own.

Don’t forget to check our all-time reader’s favorite: greek tzatziki sauce.

Live a little!

Here’s the Recipe!

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Easy Greek Panzanella

Easy Greek Panzanella Recipe

This Panzanella, or bread salad, is such a great side dish to bring to a party, and you can prepare it ahead of time by just keeping the bread separate from the rest of the ingredients until you are ready to serve.
5 from 3 votes
Pin Rate
Course: Salad
Cuisine: Greek
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
Servings: 6
Calories: 395kcal
Author: Linda
Print Recipe

Ingredients

For the Croutons

  • 1/4 c. unsalted butter - divided
  • 1 small loaf crusty bread - cut into bite-sized pieces

For the Vinaigrette

  • 1/2 tsp. Dijon mustard
  • 1/4 c. red wine vinegar
  • 1/2 c. extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 cloves garlic - minced
  • 1/2 tsp. dried oregano

For the Salad

  • 1 English cucumber - halved, seeded, and sliced ¼ inch thick
  • 1 red bell pepper - chopped
  • 1 orange bell pepper - chopped
  • 1 pint grape tomatoes - halved
  • 1/2 red onion - sliced
  • 1/2 c. kalamata olives - pitted and halved
  • 1/2 lb. feta cheese - cut into bite sized pieces
  • Kosher salt

Instructions

For the Croutons
  • Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
  • Heat a large saute pan over moderate heat. Add ⅛ c. of the butter and cook until it foams and then turns clear and brown in color. Add half of the bread pieces and toss with the browned butter. Transfer to a baking sheet. Repeat with remaining butter and bread pieces.
  • Arrange the bread on the baking sheet in a single layer, then bake 10-15 minutes, or until the bread is golden and crispy on the outside but still soft in the center. Let cool.
For the Vinaigrette
  • In a small bowl, whisk together the mustard, vinegar, olive oil, pepper, garlic, and dried oregano.
For the Salad
  • Combine the cucumber, peppers, tomatoes, onion, and olives in a large bowl. Pour the vinaigrette over the top and toss to coat. Once the bread has cooled, fold the croutons along with the feta cheese into the salad mixture. Let sit 15 minutes so the croutons can absorb some of the dressing. Enjoy!

NOTES

You can make this ahead of time by completing all of the steps up until adding the croutons and feta to the salad mixture. Simply store the salad and cheese in the fridge and keep the croutons in a plastic bag until ready to serve.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 395kcal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 37g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 22g | Cholesterol: 54mg | Sodium: 554mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 6g

 

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About the Author

Linda

Hi, I'm Linda! Welcome to The Wanderlust Kitchen, where I share recipes and travel adventures from all around the world. Here you'll find a world of recipes you can have confidence in. These recipes celebrate authentic food heritage as well as modern techniques and ingredients. Be adventurous and try a new recipe and travel somewhere you have never been before.  Bon Appétit! Bon Voyage!  

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Comments:

  1. Love your site! Our family spent last 2 years in Greece and love the food there. One of the favorite family dishes there is the Moussaka. Everywhere we went we had to try the Moussaka. Every family restaurant claimed that they had the best family recipe. I would love to see a recipe from you after your trip and also a healthy version. Also we learned quickly not to order off the menu, but to see what the local catch was. They would bring you into the kitchen to pick out what fish we wanted and throw it right up on the scale. Loved it. Hope you have a great trip

    1. Awesome!! Thanks so much for the well wishes and advice. I can’t wait to try some moussaka!

  2. Oh my, this just looks incredible! I love how fresh and colorful it is. This is on my must-make list now!