This focaccia panzanella starts with golden, garlic oil-fried focaccia cubes that are combined with cherry tomatoes, mini bocconcini, red onion and fresh basil leaves. It’s all tossed in a red wine and mustard vinaigrette. This salad is a great use for day-old or leftover focaccia!
My take on the classic Tuscan bread and tomato panzanella salad uses focaccia and mini bocconcini, together with fresh basil leaves, red onion and cherry tomatoes. The red wine vinaigrette brings it all together.
The secret to this salad’s success is pan-frying the focaccia in garlic oil until golden and crispy, so it stays chewy rather than mushy. Focaccia is also the perfect “sponge” for soaking up the flavourful juices released by the tomatoes and the red wine vinaigrette, while maintaining its shape.
Ingredients and substitutions
A few notes about the key ingredients …
Focaccia – You can start this salad with homemade focaccia or store-bought. Day-old focaccia is perfect for panzanella!
Mini bocconcini – Mini bocconcini make for a neater salad by simply cutting them in half and adding them to the salad. You can use larger bocconcini balls. Cut into quarters before adding to the salad.
Fresh basil leaves – Fresh basil really works well with this salad. If fresh basil leaves aren’t available, use a generous sprinkling of dried basil leaves, about 1 Tablespoon.
Tomatoes – I’ve used cherry tomatoes here, but you can certainly use chopped larger tomatoes if you like. As tomatoes are the star of the salad, use whatever tomatoes have the best flavour, depending on the time of year. To avoid an overly wet salad, remove most of the pulp and seeds when using larger tomatoes.
How to make focaccia panzanella: step-by-step
This is a visual summary of the steps to make this recipe. Scroll down to the Recipe Card below for the complete list of ingredients and instructions.
Step 1: Start by heating the garlic slices and oil together in a skillet.
Step 2: Remove the garlic.
Step 3: Add the focaccia cubes to the garlic-infused oil and cook until golden and crispy. Place into a large bowl.
Step 4: Mix together the red wine vinaigrette in a small bowl.
Step 5: Add the tomatoes, red onion and basil leaves to the focaccia cubes, then drizzle with the vinaigrette.
Step 6: Add the mini bocconcini and toss to combine well. Allow to stand for 10-15 minutes before serving.
Recipe tip!
- Be sure to allow the salad to stand for 10-15 minutes after adding the vinaigrette, but don’t allow to stand more than about 30 minutes, for best results. This allows the focaccia to soak up all the flavour, while still retaining a bit of crisp
Making ahead and storing
You can make the focaccia cubes ahead if you like. Store at room temperature, loosely covered, until needed. You can also prep the tomatoes, bocconcini and onion. Don’t assemble and dress the salad until 15 minutes before serving.
Store leftovers in the refrigerator. The focaccia will become softer, but it will still be quite nice.
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Get the Recipe: Focaccia Panzanella
Ingredients
For the vinaigrette:
- 2 Tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 7 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic, minced
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
For the focaccia croutons:
- 10 oz focaccia, cut into bite-sized pieces
- 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, sliced
For the salad:
- 10 oz cherry tomatoes, halved *see Note 1 below
- 1/2 small red onion, peeled and thinly sliced
- 3 oz mini bocconcini, halved, or larger bocconcini quartered
- 10 fresh basil leaves, or sprinkle with a Tablespoon of dried basil leaves
- salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Make the vinaigrette by combining 2 Tablespoons red wine vinegar, 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard, 7 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic (minced) and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a small bowl. Whisk together well. Set aside.
- Heat 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil in a skillet with 2 cloves garlic (sliced) over medium-low heat. Remove the garlic and increase the heat under the pan to medium. Add the 10 oz focaccia (cut into bite-sized pieces) and cook, turning regularly, until golden and crispy. Remove to a large bowl and set aside.
- To the bowl with the focaccia, add the 10 oz cherry tomatoes (halved *see Note 1 below), 1/2 small red onion (peeled and thinly sliced), 3 oz mini bocconcini (halved, or larger bocconcini quartered) and 10 fresh basil leaves (or sprinkle with a Tablespoon of dried basil leaves). Season well with salt and freshly ground pepper (to taste) Toss together well and let stand for 15 minutes (but no more than 30 minutes) before serving.
Notes
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Hi! I’m Jennifer, a home cook schooled by trial and error and almost 40 years of getting dinner on the table! I love to share my favourite recipes, both old and new, together with lots of tips and tricks to hopefully help make your home cooking enjoyable, stress-free, rewarding and of course, delicious!
