Tuscan Panzanella salad makes a fantastic, easy-to-make meal or flavorful side. Make it all summer long, when tomatoes are at their best!

The classic Tuscan bread salad called Panzanella is the perfect way to make the most of juicy and flavorful tomatoes when they're are their peak.

Add in a few extra Italian staple ingredients, and you basically have summer on a plate!

You can easily serve it as a starter or as an accompanying salad. The addition of thin luxurious slices of Parma Ham makes it a wonderful meal option too.

*This post is sponsored by Prosciutto di Parma. All opinions are my own.*

What is Panzanella?

Panzanella is a traditional Tuscan salad recipe,  super popular during summertime, when the veggies used are at their best.

It's made with stale bread mixed with sweet red onion, optional cucumber, fresh basil and seasonal tomatoes and dressed up with their juices, vinegar and plenty of extra-virgin olive oil. 

This traditional Italian bread salad is easily one of the best ways to use leftover bread (together with homemade breadcrumbs).

This is also one of those fantastic make-ahead dishes, that the longer they sit the better they taste (just like Tiramisu').

Italian Bread Salad With A Twist

To make this easy Italian salad, you’ll need just a bunch of simple ingredients:

• tomatoes
• artisanal bread
• onion
• cucumber
• Parma Ham
• extra-virgin olive oil
• white vinegar

Stale Bread or Fresh Bread

Traditional Panzanella features unsalted Tuscan bread, however, it's pretty hard to find it outside of Tuscany, so use a hearty, open-structured bread, like artisanal ciabatta or sourdough instead.

This salad was originally created to use up stale bread. Traditionally the bread is not toasted, but I like to cut it into cubes and grill or roast them to give some extra crunch.

If you want to follow the traditional route simply cut day-old bread into slices, and soak them in cold water for 1 minute.

Then wring the bread out like a sponge and break apart into small bits. Otherwise, keep scrolling down for my crunchy crispy toasted bread version.

Tomatoes & Cucumber

Farmers market fresh ripe tomatoes are the key for the best Panzanella.

I like to mix and match fleshy heirloom tomatoes with tiny juicy black and red cherry tomatoes, but classic salad tomatoes also work great.

Try to avoid supermarket tomatoes, as they usually taste pretty bland. 

The cucumber is totally optional, most of the Panzanella salads I've had in Italy include cucumber too, so I usually add it.

If it's super fresh, organic and straight from the farmers market, I like to leave the skin on, but you can totally peel it away. 

Parma Ham

Parma Ham (or Prosciutto di Parma PDO, to give it its full name) is, without doubt, the most famous Italian cured meat in the world.

I grew up in Italy eating my weight in delicious silky slices of Prosciutto di Parma, and to date, it's still one of my favourite foods.

This unique Italian product is part of my heritage and culture, and it makes me incredibly happy to be able to eat it everywhere I go, knowing it is exactly the same quality I can enjoy in Italy.

Parma Ham is famously made with just 4 ingredients: Italian pork, salt, air and time.

It's 100% natural, and unlike other hams, there are no nasty additives, nitrates, or nitrites.

The traditional preserving process has been the same for hundreds of centuries. And it's only carried out in the area of Parma, where the unique weather conditions make it possible to produce the highest quality hams.

Each pork leg undergoes a slow curing process that lasts from a minimum of a year to up to three years.

This helps develop the complex and unique flavors that we get to enjoy at every single bite.

When buying Parma Ham always look for the Ducal Crown symbol on the packaging, which guarantees its authenticity and quality. 

Best enjoyed thinly sliced, Prosciutto di Parma has a unique sweetness and a silky texture and it's loaded with umami flavour.

It's amazing on its own but can easily elevate any kind of savoury dishes, especially this simple Panzanella salad.

Adding a few slices into this summer salad, legitimately makes this a lunch/dinner meal, as do the crunchy chunks of toasted bread. 

Add extra ingredients

This classic Italian salad is extremely versatile and there's no need to keep it strictly traditional, so feel free to add extra ingredients if you want. Below are some great options:

• cannellini beans
• chickpeas 
• black olives
• grilled corn
• fresh peas
• fresh broad beans

Make The BEST Panzanella Salad

Italian Panzanella is not like any other salad, where you just chop mix and serve. It takes a little bit of extra love that brings it to the next level. But I promise the extra steps are totally rewarding.

• Start by chopping the larger tomatoes into chunks and the small cherry tomatoes in half.
• Then place them in a large bowl and season well with sea salt. The salt will help the tomatoes release their juices, which will become the crucial part of the dressing for the salad.
• Cover and set aside in the fridge for 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, slice the red onion thinly and soak in cold water for 15 minutes. This will help the onion lose its strong taste and become sweeter. Drain and transfer the slices into the bowl with the tomatoes.
• Whilst both the onion and tomatoes rest, prepare the crunchy bread.
• Cut the stale bread into 2.5cm chunks and place in a hot oven under the grill for 10 minutes, or until crispy and golden.

Cooking tip: not all ovens work the same way, so it's best to check the bread every 3-4 minutes, to avoid burning the cubes. Once the bread is ready, remove from the oven and allow to cool.

• Finally, cut the cucumber into small chunks, and you're ready to assemble the salad.
• Add the cucumber and bread chunks into the bowl with the tomatoes and onion. Tear a few leaves of basil by hand and throw them into the salad.
• Season with high-quality extra-virgin olive oil, white vinegar and sea salt to taste, and mix to combine all the ingredients. Et-voila', it's all ready!

Panzanella is best served after about 30 minutes of resting time.

This allows the crunchy bread chunks to soften up a little and absorb all the yummy salad juices. 

Right before serving the salad, top with thin slices of Parma Ham. Make sure you wait until the last minute, to preserve the unique texture and flavour of Prosciutto di Parma at its best.

How to Store

You can totally make this Italian summer salad ahead, I actually highly encourage it. Make it several hours before, and store in the fridge until ready to serve.

Store leftovers in an airtight container, and keep in the fridge for up to 2 days.

More Italian Recipes To Try:

• Italian Homemade Pizza Dough
• Water Cake: A Dairy-free, Egg-free, Magic Cake
• Traditional Bolognese Sauce (Ragu’ alla Bolognese)