Chef John's Panzanella

Chef John's recipe for simple panzanella will give you delightfully crisp results every time, so you'll never have to suffer with soggy bread again!

• Preparation Time: 10 mins
• Cooking Time: 10 mins
• Total Time: 20 mins
• Calories: 746 Calories

Ingredients

• 1 pinch white sugar
• salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, or more to taste
• 2 cups 1/2-inch stale bread cubes, or more to taste
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar, or more to taste
• 4 leaves fresh basil, thinly sliced, or more to taste
• 0.25 cup olive oil, or to taste
• 0.5 teaspoon minced garlic, or to taste
• 0.25 cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, or to taste

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Working in batches if necessary, place bread into a large skillet and drizzle with 1/4 cup olive oil. Cook and stir bread over medium heat, adding more oil as needed, until golden and crispy on the outside, 7 to 12 minutes.

Step 2

Sprinkle Parmigiano-Reggiano over bread cubes; cook and stir until cheese is melted and bread is crispy on the outside but still chewy on the inside, 3 to 4 minutes more. Let cool completely, 10 to 15 minutes.

Step 3

Mix tomatoes, vinegar, 2 tabelspoons extra-virgin olive oil, garlic, sugar, salt, and pepper together in a bowl until well combined. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature until flavors combine, about 20 minutes.

Step 4

Toss basil into tomato mixture, then stir in bread cubes. Let sit at room temperature for 3 to 4 minutes; if the liquid is completely absorbed, add more vinegar and olive oil to taste. Season with salt and black pepper.