My vegan panzanella is the best thing about summer! It’s loaded with juicy tomatoes, garlicky dressing, and chunks of crusty bread that soak up all the flavor. Hearty chickpeas make this vegan spin on the classic Italian salad extra satisfying. Perfect for everything from cookouts to weeknight dinners.
Bread is one of my greatest joys in life, and while I love enjoying it in all the usual ways, like in a sandwich or paired with a bowl of soup, I'll never, ever get tired of finding ways to incorporate bread into delicious vegan dishes, like vegan ribollita, vegan French toast, and vegan bread pudding. You know what else bread is great in, though? Salad! I've already used pita bread in my fattoush salad recipe, but today I'm going with crusty bread chunks in this vegan panzanella salad.
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Panzanella is a classic Italian summer salad featuring bread, fresh tomatoes, and basil. It's often vegan, but sometimes it includes other ingredients like fresh mozzarella or Parmesan cheese. For my vegan panzanella, I wanted to include a little something extra, so I went with chickpeas.
This salad is super satisfying, and absolutely scrumptious. The bread and tomatoes soak up the flavors of the dressing so nicely, while the chickpeas make the dish extra hearty. Make this salad for your next cookout, and I promise it will steal the show!
Tip: If you also love the combination of tomatoes, basil, and bread, be sure to check out my vegan caprese sandwiches and vegan pesto caprese pizza.
Ingredients You'll Need
Below you'll find a list of ingredients in this recipe, with notes and substitutions. Scroll all the way to the bottom of the post to see the full recipe, including the amount of each ingredient.
- Olive oil. Use extra-virgin olive oil. We're putting this in the dressing, so we want maximum flavor!
- Red wine vinegar.
- Shallot. Red onion will work as a substitute, if you need one.
- Garlic.
- Dijon mustard.
- Salt & pepper.
- Bread. Sourdough is my favorite for this recipe, but a good, crusty French bread will also work. Just make sure you're using a good quality (homemade or bakery) bread, and go for one that's nice and sturdy.
- Tomatoes. Stick with fresh, juicy summer tomatoes. Just about any variety will do! I used a mix of heirloom tomatoes, but slicer, Roma, and even cherry tomatoes would all work just fine in this recipe.
- Chickpeas.
- Fresh basil.
- Capers.
How It's Made
Below is a detailed photo tutorial on how to make this dish. Scroll all the way down if you'd like to skip right to the recipe!
Step 1: Get ready. Start by preheating your oven. You'll be using it to dry out the bread chunks.
Tip: You can skip the step of drying your bread if it's already a little stale. Personally, I prefer the salad with oven-dried bread, but if you've got some old bread hanging around, use it!
Step 2: Make the dressing. Do this while the oven preheats. You'll need olive oil, red wine vinegar, diced shallot, minced garlic, Dijon mustard, and salt. You can either shake the dressing up in a jar, or whisk everything together.
Step 3: Dry the bread pieces. Arrange them on a baking sheet and pop it into the oven for about five minutes. Place it on a wire rack when done, so that the bread will cool quickly.
Step 4: Mix the salad. Place the chopped tomatoes, chickpeas, basil, and capers into a large bowl, add some dressing, and stir. Use just as much dressing as you like — this recipe makes a generous batch!
Step 5: Serve. Your vegan panzanella is finished! You can serve it right away, but I like to let it sit for a few minutes, to allow the bread and tomatoes to really soak up the dressing.
Leftovers & Storage
This salad is best served shortly after it's made. The bread will keep sucking up dressing and tomato juices, and it will eventually get soggy. Additionally, refrigerated tomatoes tend to get mealy. Having said that, while the texture of leftover panzanella isn't great, it's still super tasty. So, if you end up with leftovers, store them in an airtight container in the fridge. They'll keep for about three days.
Variations
- Chickpea alternatives. Not a fan of chickpeas in your panzanella? You can skip them, or try another plant-based add in, like cannellini beans, chopped avocado, or fresh vegan mozzarella.
- Stone fruit panzanella. Replace the tomatoes with fruit. Seriously! Stone fruit like peaches and nectarines work particularly well in this recipe.
- Vegan BLT panzanella. Stir in some chopped lettuce along with your favorite vegan bacon, like coconut bacon or crumbled tempeh bacon. This is a great variation for lovers of my vegan BLT sandwich.
- Additional ingredients. There are so many panzanella variations. Try stirring in some good quality olives, red onion, or sliced cucumbers. Get creative — the sky is the limit here!
Frequently Asked Questions
This recipe tastes best about fifteen minutes after it's made. If you'd like to prepare it further in advance than that, I'd recommend prepping the dressing and drying out the bread. Everything else, including chopping the tomatoes and basil, and combining the ingredients, is best done shortly before serving.
Yes, but gluten-free bread is generally not as sturdy as conventional bread, so it may get soggy quicker. If you decide to give it a try, I recommend adding the bread just before serving, and not letting the salad sit for ten or fifteen minutes as suggested in the recipe.
It's meant to be a side, but it can really be either! The chickpeas in this version make it hearty enough to serve as a main dish. Alternatively, enjoy it as a side, with a vegan main like my Italian baked tofu, tempeh ribs, or vegan meatloaf muffins.
Like this recipe? If so, please stop back and leave me a review and rating below if you try it! Also be sure to follow me on Facebook, Pinterest or Instagram, or subscribe to my newsletter for more recipes like this one!
📖 Recipe
Vegan Panzanella
Ingredients
For the Dressing
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh shallot
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- ½ teaspoon salt
For the Salad
- 10 ounces sourdough or French bread, cut or torn into about 1-inch chunks (about 6 cups of bread chunks)
- 2 pounds fresh tomatoes, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 (15.5 ounce/439 gram) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1 cup fresh basil leaves, roughly chopped
- 2 tablespoons capers
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F (Note 1).
- Place all of the dressing ingredients into a small jar with a lid. Seal the lid onto the jar, then shake it until the ingredients are fully combined. Alternatively, you can whisk the ingredients together in the jar or a small bowl.
- Arrange the bread chunks in a relatively even layer on a baking sheet. Place the baking sheet into the oven and let the bread bake until it feels slightly dried out, about five minutes. Place the baking sheet onto a cooling rack and let the bread cool while you prepare the remaining ingredients.
- Place the tomatoes, chickpeas, basil, capers, and cooled bread chunks into a large mixing bowl. Drizzle the ingredients with dressing, then gently stir and toss to coat the ingredients in dressing. Use as much dressing as you like.
- Season the salad with salt and pepper to taste. Optionally, let the salad sit for 10 to 15 minutes to allow the ingredients to soak up dressing. Serve with any leftover dressing on the side.
Notes
- If your bread is really crusty or already a bit stale, you can skip the step of drying it out in the oven.Â
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So good! I added the tempeh bacon and it was so filling. Great for summer and looking forward to trying some of the other variations.