Panzanella with Capers and Prosciutto

When hot summer weather hits, the last thing we want to do is heat up the kitchen, cooking. It’s why we opt for delicious summer salads like Panzanella! The only component that requires any kind of heat is the toasted bread. We quickly sautéed ours to give it some extra flavor, but grilling for a few minutes or just popping the bread into a toaster oven for a bit would be fine, too.

Panzanella is traditionally a toasted bread and tomato salad with garlic — the rest is up to you, so take whatever liberties you prefer. Bump up the amount of veggies by adding romaine lettuce or other greens, and easily adjust the quantities to suit your taste. Our recipe features super fresh garden veggies, bright green herbs and piquant capers and garlic. We’ve added some prosciutto — because why not — but if you prefer it without, it’s just as fantastic.

We picked ripe, sweet cherry tomatoes to make up the body of this salad, as well as cucumbers, bell peppers and red onion to round things out. Make sure to use high-quality artisan bread as the star component. We’ve chose a local bakery baguette, cut into large chunks; other Italian loaves would be excellent, as well.

Simply toast the bread, make the dressing, and toss everything together — that’s it! A big serving plate will garner even more ooohhhs and ahhhhsss. Simply serve with your favorite Pinot Gris or other chilled drinks of choice and enjoy!