My Grilled Panzanella Salad is full of flavor and texture. It’s the perfect summertime recipe and a delicious way to celebrate the season’s bounty. By grilling the vegetables and bread, this salad takes on a whole new flavor profile, transforming what would be a very good panzanella salad into something extraordinary. Grilled, the vegetables become tender and sweet and the bread crunchy, toasty and smoky. The salad is then drizzled with a lemon-chive vinaigrette for a spicy and punchy finish. This salad is absolutely fantastic and worth every minute of preparation.
To start, prep the vegetables. Wash one yellow and one red bell pepper, ½ pint of cherry tomatoes and two zucchini. Core and quarter the bell peppers and slice the zucchini in half, length-wise. Peel and slice one red onion into ¼ inch slices. Next, take a 5-ounce baguette and slice it lengthwise. Arrange the bread and the vegetables onto a large sheet pan and drizzle the ingredients generously with olive oil and about 1½ teaspoons of salt. Set aside to marinate for about 20 minutes.
Next, make the vinaigrette. In a glass jar with a tight-fitting lid, add 1 teaspoon of honey, one tablespoon of minced chives. ½ teaspoon of salt, one teaspoon of pepper, ½ tablespoon of grated onion, one tablespoon of chopped capers, the zest and juice of one lemon, and ¼ cup of olive oil. Seal and jar and shake the contents vigorously to combine. Set aside.
Heat the grill to 400 deg F. When hot, oil the grill grates by using a pair of long-handled tongs to rub a paper towel that has been coated in oil over the grates. Place the vegetables on the grill (don’t add the bread yet!). Grill the vegetables, turning them on occasion to ensure even browning on all sides. The tomatoes will be done first and should be removed from the grill after about 4-5 minutes. The onions should be removed from the grill after about 10 minutes. Once the onions have been removed, add the bread. Toast the bread and continue grilling the peppers and zucchini for another five minutes or so, then remove them from the grill.
Chop the grilled peppers, onions, zucchini and bread into bite sized pieces and add the ingredients to a large bowl. Drizzle about ¾ of the salad dressing over the vegetables and toss to coat. Add the grilled tomatoes and 2 tablespoons of chopped fresh basil. Toss gently. Serve this salad on it’s own or as an accompaniment to a larger meal. Enjoy!
Grilled Panzanella Salad
Ingredients
- ½ pint of cherry tomatoes
- 2 red or yellow bell peppers
- 2 medium-sized zucchini
- 1 red onion
- 5 ounce baguette
- olive oil
- 1½ tsp kosher salt
- 2 tbsp chopped basil
Lemon-Chive Dressing
- 1 tsp honey
- 1 tbsp minced chives
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp pepper
- ½ tbsp minced onion
- 1 tbsp chopped capers
- zest and juice of one lemon
- ¼ cup olive oil
Instructions
- Wash vegetables.
- Core and quarter the bell peppers, slice the zucchini in half length-wise and slice the red onion into ¼ inch rings. Place vegetables (including the whole cherry tomatoes) on a large sheet pan along with the baguette that has been sliced in half length-wise. Drizzle the ingredients with olive oil and salt. Toss to combine and set aside to marinate for 20 minutes.
- Make the dressing.
- Heat a grill to 400° F and oil the grates. Place the vegetables (not the bread) on the grill and cook, turning occasionally to ensure even browning. Grill the tomatoes for about 4-5 minutes and the onions for about 10 minutes.
- When the onions come off the grill, add the bread and cook it and the zucchini and peppers for about 5 minutes longer.
- Chop the grilled zucchini, peppers, onions and bread into bite-sized pieces and add to a bowl. Drizzle about ¾ of the dressing over the vegetables and toss to coast. Add the tomatoes and 2 tablespoons of fresh chopped basil. Toss gently.
- Serve the remaining dressing on the side. Enjoy!
