This gorgeous peach panzanella salad made with fresh summer tomatoes and crusty Italian bread has a delicious sweet-savory flavor and can be made in about 30 minutes! Make a simple homemade red wine vinaigrette, or use store-bought salad dressing. It's vegan and dairy-free!
A salad made of bread? Now that's a salad recipe I can really get behind!
A panzanella salad is a blank canvas for your summer produce inspiration, and I just couldn't resist the thought of making one with peaches! Just like my peach salad with prosciutto, it's amazingly effortless, incredibly quick, and deliciously satisfying.
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Peach panzanella salad ingredients
- Italian bread: Use a crusty Italian white bread, sourdough, or ciabatta bread, the same type you might use to make something like a tomato tartine. I prefer the white bread, the airy texture of ciabatta has a tendency to absorb too much of the dressing and get soggy if you're not careful.
- Fresh peaches: Any type or size of peaches will work. Make sure they aren't too ripe, they need to be firm enough to hold their shape. If you have some really ripe peaches, they're better suited for something like a peach crumble.
- Tomatoes: Cherry or grape tomatoes work best, or smaller heirloom or campari tomatoes. Avoid really large tomatoes with a lot of seeds, they're too watery.
- Red wine vinaigrette: You probably have everything in your pantry to make this homemade dressing, it's just olive oil, red wine vinegar and dried oregano. But you can absolutely substitute store-bought Italian dressing for a quick short cut.
*Ingredients with measurements are listed in the recipe card below.
How to make a panzanella salad with peaches
Step 1: Toast the bread cubes
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Cut the bread into 1-inch cubes and transfer to a sheet pan, drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper, toss to combine. Spread out the cubes, then bake for about 6-10 minutes until the edges are crisp, but the inside is still tender and chewy.
Step 2: Make the vinaigrette dressing
Combine the remaining olive oil, red wine vinegar, oregano, โ teaspoon of kosher salt and a pinch or two of freshly ground black pepper and whisk together.
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Step 3: Slice the peaches and tomatoes, let them marinate
Slice the tomatoes into halves or quarters (depending on size and variety) and slice the peaches into ยฝ-inch wedges.
Transfer the peaches and tomatoes to a very large mixing bowl, add 3 tablespoons of the dressing and toss to combine. Let stand for about 10 minutes so they can release their juices.
Marinating is key!
It's so important to let the peaches and tomatoes marinate and macerate in the dressing for a bit. This helps them release their juices which adds a ton of flavor to the dressing. I use this same technique to make my nectarine and tomato salad—it's so good!
Step 4: Finish the salad
Once the bread cubes have cooled, add them to the peaches and tomatoes, drizzle the remaining dressing over everything, then toss gently to coat. Serve topped with fresh basil leaves.
Expert tips
- Use good bread: The bread is the star of the show, so don't cheap out. Get a high-quality bread from a local bakery or buy freshly baked bread from the supermarket, not something that is pre-packaged.
- The bread should be lightly toasted, not hard: We are not making croutons! Only the edges of the bread should get crisp, the interior should be pleasantly chewy.
- Don't use too much dressing: If you add too much dressing, the bread will soak it all up and get soggy.
- You need a big mixing bowl: That bread takes up a lot of space, so start with your biggest mixing bowl, or be prepared to divide between two bowls to get everything coated evenly with the dressing.
More summer salad recipes
- Make an insalata mista with whatever mix of summer produce you have on hand.
- Try a chunky Greek salad without lettuce, the fresh veggies are so cool and crisp!
- This garbanzo, tomato and cucumber salad is my favorite to take to the pool in the summer
Debra's Details: Peach panzanella salad is quick & easy, the best of summer!
- Only a few ingredients and ready in 30 minutes!
- Make homemade vinaigrette or use store-bought Italian dressing.
- The juices from the peaches and tomatoes add flavor to the salad.
- An easy and crowd-pleasing side dish for barbecues, picnics, and potlucks!
- Vegan and dairy-free!
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Recipe
Summer Peach Panzanella Salad with Tomatoes
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Equipment
- mixing bowls (use a large bowl, see note)
Ingredients
Salad Components
- 8 ounces crusty Italian bread, cubed (about 5-6 heaping cups)
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- pinch freshly ground black pepper
- 2-4 fresh peaches (depending on size)
- 12 ounces cherry tomatoes (or grape tomatoes, see note)
- fresh basil leaves (for serving)
Red Wine Vinaigrette Dressing (or use store-bought Italian dressing)
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Cut the bread into 1-inch cubes and transfer to a sheet pan, drizzle with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and season with salt and pepper, toss to combine. Spread out the cubes into a single layer, then bake for about 6-10 minutes until the edges are crisp, but the inside is still tender and chewy.
- Make the salad dressing: Combine olive oil, red wine vinegar, oregano, kosher salt and a pinch or two of freshly ground black pepper and whisk together.
- Slice the tomatoes into halves or quarters (depending on size and variety) and slice the peaches into ½-inch wedges.
- Transfer the peaches and tomatoes to a very large mixing bowl, add 3 tablespoons of the dressing and toss to combine. Let stand for about 10 minutes so they can release their juices. (See note.)
- Once the bread cubes have cooled, add them to the peaches and tomatoes, drizzle 3 tablespoons of dressing over everything, then toss gently to coat. Serve topped with fresh basil leaves.
Notes
- Don't skip the marinating: It's so important to let the peaches and tomatoes marinate and macerate in the dressing for a bit. This helps them release their juices which adds a ton of flavor to the dressing.
- Use good bread: The bread is the star of the show, so don't cheap out. Get a high-quality bread from a local bakery or buy freshly baked bread from the supermarket, not something that is pre-packaged.
- Cherry or grape tomatoes work best: Or try smaller heirloom or campari tomatoes. Avoid really large tomatoes with a lot of seeds, they're too watery.
- The bread should be lightly toasted, not hard: We are not making croutons! Only the edges of the bread should get crisp, the interior should be pleasantly chewy.
- Don't use too much dressing: If you add too much dressing, the bread will soak it all up and get soggy.
- You need a big mixing bowl: That bread takes up a lot of space, so start with your biggest mixing bowl, or be prepared to divide between two bowls to get everything coated evenly with the dressing.
- Panzanella salad should be eaten the day it's made. You can make the dressing one day ahead.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated as an estimate. Calorie accuracy is not guaranteed.
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