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Caprese panzanella with garlic butter bread, cheese, and tomatoes, garnished with fresh basil.

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Caprese Panzanella

Recipe by Kelli Avila

This Caprese Panzanella blends two classic Italian salads, featuring garlic butter toasted bread, tomatoes, basil, and cheese, all tossed in a simple balsamic dressing.

  • Total Time22 minutes
  • YieldServes 4-6 1x

Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 1/4 cup garlic butter
  • 4 ounces sourdough bread, cut into bite-sized cubes (about 3 cups)
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons good-quality balsamic vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon coarse kosher salt, more to taste
  • 3 cups cherry tomatoes, washed, dried, and cut in half
  • 8 ounces Oaxaca cheese, diced into 1/4-inch pieces (or mozzarella)
  • 2 cups basil leaves, washed and dried

Instructions

  1. In a large skillet, heat the garlic butter over medium-low. Once melted, add the bread cubes and cook, stirring occasionally, until the bread is lightly toasted, about 10-15 minutes. Lower the heat if needed to prevent the bread from burning. When the garlic bread cubes are golden remove from the heat and let cool in the pan while assembling the rest of the salad.
  2. In a large bowl, vigorously whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, garlic powder, and salt until homogenized. 
  3. Add in the tomatoes and cheese and mix together.
  4. Add in the bread cubes and basil leaves and toss to coat. Taste and adjust seasoning as desired.
  5. Serve immediately or within 30 minutes of preparation.

Notes

Oaxaca cheese is a white, semi-soft cheese from Mexico. It is similar to mozzarella, with a mild salty flavor, but just a bit firmer. If you can’t find Oaxaca in the specialty cheese section, you can replace it with a block of low-moisture part-skim mozzarella.

Buy premade garlic butter, or make your own.

This recipe was tested using Diamond Crystal coarse kosher salt. If you use Morton's kosher salt or fine salt, decrease the volume by half.

  • Prep Time: 00:10
  • Cook Time: 00:12
  • Category: Salad

Find it online: https://everydayfamilyeats.com/caprese-panzanella/