Avocado Panzanella Salad seamlessly combines the rich creaminess of avocados with the freshness of vegetables and the satisfying crunch of toasted bread, creating a symphony of flavors that will have you dancing on the edge of your seat.
From the sunny shores of Italy, Panzanella Salad is traditionally a medley of juicy tomatoes, stale bread, aromatic basil and a tangy vinaigrette.
However, this modern version takes the classic flavors to new heights by incorporating the buttery goodness of avocados instead of cucumbers. The result is a salad that not only pleases the palate, but also provides a wealth of essential nutrients.The hearty and nutritious avocado enriches the dish and adds an extra touch of flavor and color. To contrast the soft and creamy texture of the avocado, we used stale crusty bread instead of soaked bread.
Try this easy avocado panzanella salad. A nutritious yet fresh and light dish, it's perfect for hot summer days.
In fact, when the weather is hot, this bread and vegetable salad is great as an appetizer, aperitif or as a full meal, as it's enriched by the tasty avocado.
Ingredients
- Prep Time: 15 Min
- Cooking Time: 5 Min
- Servings: 4
- 250 g (~½ pound) of stale bread. We used 4 slices of homemade crusty bread
- 250 g (~ ½ pound) of ripe tomatoes, better if they are small, such as grape or cherry tomatoes
- 1 small red onion
- 1 avocado
- 5 fresh basil leaves
- 2 tablespoons of white wine vinegar
- 4 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
- fine salt to taste
- freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
Step 1) - Cut the onion into very thin slices.
If you want to sweeten the taste of the onion and make it more digestible, you can put the slices in a bowl of cold water for about 15 minutes. Remove the onion from the water and dry it.
Wash and dry the tomatoes. Then cut them into small pieces on a cutting board.
If you are using cherry tomatoes, just cut them in half. If using large tomatoes, be sure to remove the seeds and watery parts.
Step 2) - Place the tomatoes and onion in a bowl. Cut the avocado in half, remove the pit and peel. Then cut it into pieces, not too small, otherwise they will fall apart when mixing the panzanella.
Step 3) - Add the avocado to the bowl. Season with oil, vinegar, salt, and pepper. Then stir and add a few basil leaves broken with your hands. Cover and set aside.
Step 4) - Slice homemade bread with a thick, crispy crust. Make slices about 1 cm to 1 ½ cm thick (about ½ inch).
It's important that the bread has been stale for at least two days. This will make the crumb firmer and more consistent, and will prevent it from crumbling too much in the salad.
Place the bread in a non-stick pan. Drizzle with a drop of oil and toast over a high heat for a few minutes.
Turn often to toast each side. They should be crisp and golden brown.
Step 5) - Add the toasted bread to the vegetables. Adjust salt and pepper and toss.
Your Avocado Panzanella Salad is ready! Creamy and crisp, fresh and nutritious. Serve as a light main course or as an appetizer with a drizzle of oil and a fresh basil leaf.
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Storage
If you have leftover avocado panzanella salad, you can store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two days.
You can prepare the vegetables and bread the day before. Combine the ingredients and follow the recipe only when it is time to enjoy the dish.
Tips
The Main Ingredient of Panzanella Salad: The Bread
Of course, since the traditional recipe for panzanella salad is a Tuscan recipe, it requires homemade Tuscan bread, called "pane sciocco" or "unsalted bread" in Tuscan dialect.
Tuscan bread is an unsalted durum wheat bread with a very firm crumb and a crispy crust; in fact, its crumb remains grainy when wet and does not become sticky and mushy like other types of bread.
Of course, for this avocado and crusty bread variation, it's not necessary for the bread to have the above characteristics.
However, it's important that it should be a rustic bread with a thick crust and a firm crumb. It's best if it's stale, not only to reuse leftover bread, but also because of its texture. Stale bread has already lost water and becomes crispier when toasted.
Bread made with durum wheat flour and not flavored with oil or milk would be perfect for this recipe.
The Avocado: Characteristics, Properties and Culinary Uses
The avocado is a fruit native to the Americas that has been known for thousands of years. In Italian cuisine, however, it has only become famous in recent years with the spread of tropical fruits.
Depending on the variety, we can find avocados of different color, weight and shape.
The best known and most popular is the oval, with a rough skin and a central stone, weighing from 250 grams (~½ pound) to 1 kilo (~2.2 pounds).
When buying it, we recommend choosing avocados that are not too soft, because in this case they are too ripe. But also not too firm, because they are almost tasteless. The best ones are those that are in between.
Avocados are a rich source of vitamins, nourishing and energizing. Also very important is the fact that it's good for the stomach and intestines and is highly digestible.
It's usually eaten raw so as not to lose its delicate flavor and because it acquires a bitter taste when cooked.
It's often halved, peeled and chopped orsliced and used in salads, carpaccio, soups, fruit salads and desserts.
How to Serve
A nice idea for your summer parties with friends and family is to serve Panzanella salad with avocado in convenient single-serving glasses.
Along with Panzanella you could prepare classic Tomato Bruschetta, Caprese Salad skewers and the very tasty Eggplant Meatballs.
The buffet for your Italian aperitivo will be fantastic. Don't forget of course cool drinks and a great Italian Prosecco wine!
Recipe Card
Avocado Panzanella Salad Recipe
Ingredients
- 250 g bread ~½ pound, stale (~4 slices)
- 250 g tomatoes ~ ½ pound, better if ripe and small
- 1 onion small and red
- 1 avocado
- 5 basil leaves
- 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
- 4 tablespoons olive oil extra virgin
- salt to taste
- black pepper freshly ground
Instructions
- Cut the onion into very thin slices. If you want to sweeten the taste of the onion and make it more digestible, you can put the slices in a bowl of cold water for about 15 minutes. Remove the onion from the water and dry it.
- Wash and dry the tomatoes. Then cut them into small pieces on a cutting board.
- If you are using cherry tomatoes, just cut them in half. If using large tomatoes, be sure to remove the seeds and watery parts.
- Place the tomatoes and onion in a bowl. Cut the avocado in half, remove the pit and peel. Then cut it into pieces, not too small, otherwise they will fall apart when mixing the panzanella.
- Add the avocado to the bowl. Season with oil, vinegar, salt, and pepper. Then stir and add a few basil leaves broken with your hands. Cover and set aside.
- Slice homemade bread with a thick, crispy crust. Make slices about 1 cm to 1 ½ cm thick (about ½ inch). It's important that the bread has been stale for at least two days. This will make the crumb firmer and more consistent, and will prevent it from crumbling too much in the salad.
- Place the bread in a non-stick pan. Drizzle with a drop of oil and toast over a high heat for a few minutes. Turn often to toast each side. They should be crisp and golden brown.
- Add the toasted bread to the vegetables. Adjust salt and pepper and toss.
- Serve as a light main course or as an appetizer with a drizzle of oil and a fresh basil leaf.
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