The Best Gluten-Free Panzanella Salad
This is my fabulous Gluten-Free Panzanella Salad, a delicious Italian dish that traditionally features fresh tomatoes and bread as its primary ingredients. I absolutely love to bring my Panzanella Salad to a barbecue in the summer. You can make it in advance and store it in jars to assemble when I arrive, and it is absolutely the star of the show.
I love introducing this salad to people who have never had it, and I especially enjoy seeing my favorite eaters savor each bite. It’s truly food of the soul for me, and I love knowing that it will be a total hit whenever and wherever I serve it. Beyond being a wonderful meal to share with friends and loved ones, as a lover of all things Italy, I find this salad to be a romantic and beautiful culinary experience.
This salad is fresh, delicious, and so easy to put together
We used toasted gluten-free bread then added burrata, olives, pepperoncini, avocados, and of course my Marinated Red Onions! There’s nothing more satisfying than toasted bread to add a delightful crunch. I’m happy to say that my croutons are gluten-free, but my crouton recipe works with regular bread as well. The components of this salad come together beautifully. It makes a fantastic appetizer when hosting friends, and After you make it for the first time, it will be on repeat all summer long, especially if you grow your own tomatoes and basil.
Originally this dish, served in both Tuscany and Umbria, was a creative way to use day-old bread. It’s also a fantastic way to enjoy your gorgeous late-summer garden tomatoes. To take it to the next level, I like to add fresh cucumbers and fresh basil. Black or green California olives and my signature Marinated Red Onions enhance the flavors even more. A bit of salt and pepper ties the components together. To finish, top the salad with burrata, mozzarella, or feta cheese. Each offers a unique texture and taste that complements the other ingredients.
Panzanella Salad is easy to put together, and its simplicity lets the fresh vegetables shine. The ease of preparation makes it perfect for summer, when you want to keep the heat out of the kitchen. There is very little cooking involved. It’s great to bring to a picnic or barbecue, because it is very mobile, and it’s easy to double or triple the recipe. To toast the bread, I used my favorite Made In Sheet Pan. I serve mine on a beautiful platter, but you can certainly use your favorite salad bowl.
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If you make my Gluten-Free Panzanella Salad, please rate and review them below to let me know what you think! If you need a gluten-free dessert to go along with it, definitely check out my Gluten-free Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble. And if you’re looking for more fun, sign up for our Friday Favorites newsletter and follow along on Pinterest, Instagram, and TikTok!
Gluten-Free Panzanella Salad
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings
- Category: Salad
- Method: Oven
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
This gluten-free Panzanella Salad is perfect for the summer!
Ingredients
- 8 slices of gluten-free bread, we used Canyon Bakehouse Gluten-Free Bread, cut into approx. 1-inch squares
- 8 tablespoons (½ cup) of Marinated Red Onion oil, or extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for serving
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt, plus more for seasoning
- 1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan, optional
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes, cut in half
- 2 cups sliced English or Persian cucumber
- ¼ cup torn basil leaves
- 1 large avocado cut into chunks
- 1 (6-ounce) can California black olives
- ½ cup pepperoncini
- 16 ounces of burrata cheese, about two balls
- Marinated Red Onions, for garnish
Instructions
Preheat oven to 400°F and prepare a parchment-lined sheet pan.
In a large bowl, add the bread squares, the marinated onion oil or olive oil, Italian seasoning, garlic powder and salt. Using your hands, toss to coat completely.
Arrange the bread on the prepared sheet pan in a single layer. Sprinkle the parmesan cheese all over the bread cubes, if using. Place in the oven and cook until golden brown, for 15 to 20 minutes.
Remove from the oven and transfer the bread to a large bowl. Add the tomatoes, cucumber, torn basil, and a sprinkle of salt. Gently toss to combine.
Once combined, transfer to a large serving platter. Add the avocado, black olives and pepperoncini. Gently tuck the burrata balls into the center of the salad. Add Marinated Red Onions and drizzle more of the oil all over the salad and enjoy!
Notes
Notes: Ripe tomatoes should be sweet just as they are, but if you can’t find good tomatoes, a useful tip is to add a sprinkle of sugar, which can turn ok tomatoes into great tomatoes!
I just pulled the “croutons” out of the oven and tasted one-OMG! I hope they last until it’s time to serve up this salad!
I used all the leftover GF bread crusts that I had in my freezer for this so an extra shout out for helping me find a great use for unused GF bread!
Can’t wait to dig in. The kitchen smells fantastic.
The trick is don’t toss it with the croutons until you’re ready to eat… That’s important with gluten-free bread… I absolutely love this
I love this dish so much
Incredibly delicious with tomatoes and cukes from our garden. The croutons were out of this world (although we used regular sourdough). I added an extra splash of red vinegar at the end and it was perfect.
Easy to make and delicious!
love it so much
Looksamazing! I made a version last summer with roasted cherry tomatoes and zucchini, and it turned into the ultimate picnic salad, everyone asked for seconds. One thing that helped was ordering specialty gluten-free bread from a small bakery, and I actually had a great experience with Grove customer service when tracking my delivery; they were super kind and helped me get the freshest loaf possible. It reminded me that food connects us — a great salad can spark laughter, new friendships, and stories that last longer than the meal itself. Totally trying your version next!