Panzanella

Name: Panzanella
Prep time: 15 min
Total time: 45 min
Ingredients: 250 g crusty bread / baguette, stale, torn into chunks; 600 g tomato, ripe, chopped; ½ cucumber, sliced; ½ red onion, thinly sliced; 1 bunch basil, leaves torn; 5 tbsp olive oil; 2 tbsp wine vinegar; ¾ tsp salt; ¼ tsp black pepper

Vegetarian

A Tuscan summer salad of stale bread soaked in the juices of ripe tomatoes with cucumber, red onion, basil, olive oil and vinegar. Made to use up yesterday's loaf.

Panzanella is an Italian salad from Italy, ready in about 45 minutes and made with crusty bread / baguette and tomato. It serves 4 and is rated beginner to cook.

Start cooking

Delicious Panzanella salad served on a brown platter with fresh vegetables and herbs. — Photo: furkanfdemir / Pexels · Pexels License

Prep: 15 min
Cook: 0 min
Rest: 30 min
Total: 45 min
Serves: 4
Level: Beginner
Calories: 359

Ingredients

4 servings

250 g Crusty bread / baguette (opens in a new tab), stale, torn into chunksContains wheat, gluten
600 g Tomato (opens in a new tab), ripe, chopped
½ (150 g) Cucumber (opens in a new tab), sliced
½ (55 g) Red onion (opens in a new tab), thinly sliced
1 bunch (30 g) Basil (opens in a new tab), leaves torn
5 tbsp (67 g) Olive oil (opens in a new tab)
2 tbsp (30 g) Wine vinegar (opens in a new tab)Red wine vinegar.
¾ tsp (4.5 g) Salt (opens in a new tab)
¼ tsp (0.5 g) Black pepper (opens in a new tab)

Equipment

Method

1
Step 1
If your bread is not quite stale, dry the chunks on a tray in a low oven (opens in a new tab) (150 °C) for 10 minutes, until dry and firm but not coloured, so they hold their shape.
- 10 min
- 150°C
- Oven (opens in a new tab)
- Baking tray / sheet (opens in a new tab)
2
Step 2
Put the tomatoes (opens in a new tab) in a large bowl with the salt and let them sit for a few minutes to release their juices. Add the cucumber (opens in a new tab), onion and basil (opens in a new tab).
- 5 min
3
Step 3
Add the bread, oil, vinegar and pepper (opens in a new tab) and toss well so the bread soaks up the juices.
- 2 min
4
Step 4
Leave for 20–30 minutes before serving so the bread softens but still has some bite.
- 30 min

About this dish

Origin: Tuscany, Italy · Well documentedMore food from Italy
Dish: Lunch · Dinner · Salads · Side dishes
Cooking method: No-cook, Raw
Taste: fresh, tangy, herby
Diet: Vegan · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients
All labels
Vegan · Plant-based · Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Lacto-vegetarian · Ovo-vegetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · Dairy-free · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free
Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for: Budget-friendly · Uses leftovers · Make-ahead
Cook more with: Crusty bread / baguette · Tomato · Cucumber · Red onion · Basil · Wine vinegar

Allergens

Contains: Wheatfrom crusty bread / baguette
Contains: Glutenfrom crusty bread / baguette
May contain: Sesamefrom crusty bread / baguette
May contain: Sulphitesfrom wine vinegar

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

359 kcal per serving

Calculated

1 serving ≈ 297 g · recipe makes 4

Where the energy comes from

Protein 9%
Carbohydrate 45%
Fat 46%

Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
Nutrient	Per serving	Per 100 g*
Energy	359 kcal	121 kcal
Protein	8.6 g	2.9 g
Carbohydrate	41 g	13.8 g
Net carbohydrate	37.3 g	12.6 g
Sugars	8.2 g	2.8 g
Added sugars	0 g	0 g
Fibre	3.6 g	1.2 g
Fat	18.7 g	6.3 g
Saturated fat	2.7 g	0.9 g
Trans fat	—	—
Cholesterol	0 mg	0 mg
Sodium	824 mg	278 mg
Salt equivalent	2.1 g	0.7 g

Vitamins & minerals per serving

Potassium: 527 mg
Calcium: 71 mg
Iron: 3.4 mg
Magnesium: 48 mg
Vitamin A (RAE): 85 µg
Vitamin C: 24 mg
Vitamin D: 0 µg
Vitamin B12: —
Folate (DFE): —

How these numbers were made

Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
*Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
“—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

Soaking the onion in cold water for 10 minutes takes off its sharp edge.

Common mistakes

Using soft fresh bread, which turns to mush.

Storage

Best eaten the day it is made.

Variations

Traditional soaked bread: Older Tuscan versions soak hard bread in water, squeeze it out and crumble it into the salad.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added 26 Oct 2026 · Updated 8 Nov 2026

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Compare with

Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

Crusty bread / baguette, stale, torn into chunks250 g
Tomato, ripe, chopped600 g
Cucumber, sliced0.5 piece · 150 g

Used in steps 1, 2, 3

Reviews & corrections

Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

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