Panzanella Salad

Panzanella is a Tuscan bread salad which combines day old bread, tomatoes, basil, cucumbers, red onion and olive oil. Perfect for lunch or as a side, let it marinate for a little while to allow the flavours to blend. The juices from the tomatoes mixed with the olive oil makes it’s own dressing. If you don’t have day old bread, lightly spray bread slices with a little olive oil, season with salt and grill until toasted.

 

Lower Calorie Panzanella Salad

Ingredients

• 8-10 medium ripe tomatoes, cut into 1 inch cubes
• 1 cup seedless cucumber, diced
• 1/2 red onion, chopped
• 8-10 basil leaves, chopped
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• extra virgin olive oil spray
• 6 oz French bread or a good crusty Italian bread, sliced
• salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

Method

1. Lightly spray bread with olive oil and season with a little salt; grill over medium heat, until toasted and nicely browned.
2. Remove from heat and cut into 1 inch cubes. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, combine the tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, basil, olive oil, and season liberally with salt and pepper.
4. Let it sit for about 30 minutes to let the flavours combine.
5. Add the bread cubes and toss.
6. Serve in individual bowls.

 

As a side dish:

Serves 8 – Serving Size: 1 cup – Nutrition Per Serving
Calories: 104, Fat: 3g, Protein: 3g, Carbs: 17g, Fibre: 2g

As a main dish:

Serves 4 – Serving Size: 2 cups – Nutrition Per Serving
Calories: 209, Fat: 6g, Protein: 6g, Carbs: 35g, Fibre: 4g