Sundried Tomato Panzanella Salad

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Lately I’ve been trying really hard to reduce my food waste. This recipe was born from a desperate desire to not throw away the last forgotten hamburger bun after burger night. Shhh! Don’t tell anyone that my croutons are actually leftover buns, they might start to think this is not fancy or something.

Ingredients

Sundried Tomatoes – You can use either bagged sundried tomatoes that you soak in a light-tasting olive oil for an hour or so, or jarred sundried tomatoes packed in oil. I recommend jarred and packed in oil.

Balsamic Vinegar – When reduced, balsamic vinegar transforms into a thick, sweet and savory, drizzle that really adds the pep to this salad. It’s where the magic is. If you don’t have the patience to reduce your own balsamic I recommend Nonni Pias glaze as an easy (and delicious!) shortcut.

Fresh Basil – A big fistful of fragrant fresh basil is easiest to slice if you ball up all the leaves in a compact fist and then sliced away, releasing a little bit of the bundle as you slice it.

Black Olives – I don’t use anything fancy here, just a can of sliced black olives

Artichoke Hearts – Best if bought pre-marinated for extra flavor. You can mix up the croutons by tossing them in a little bit of artichoke oil instead, if you like a less strong tomato flavor.

Leftover Bread – Someone’s Italian grandmother might be rolling in her grave as I type this, but I usually make this salad when I have one leftover hot dog bun, burger bun, or some end-pieces of sandwich bread

Salami – I love pepper crusted salami, I stack up all the pieces on top of each other and slice them into thin strips. You can mix this recipe up by using other options like sopressata or pepperoni

High Quality Cheese – The pictures shown are with grated parmesan, but you can also use burrata, mozzarella, or even drops of goat cheese

How Long Does this Keep?

This recipe is great if you have a lonely piece of leftover bread hanging around (the odd bun, the butt ends of sandwich bread, a last chunk of french or garlic bread), but after a night in the fridge the homemade croutons can start to soak up moisture and get soggy.

Don’t fret! Take the leftover salad and run it through a food processer, it creates a delightful stuffing for chicken breasts. Just butterfly open a breast, spoon some of the blended portion into the pocket with an extra spoonful of cheese and bake in the oven until the meat hits temp. Add a little spoon of marinara on top of the chicken and you have yourself a decadent meal.