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Greek Salad Panzanella

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I love a delicious summer salad.

Sometimes there is simply nothing better than a fantastic salad on a hot day.

This Greek Salad Panzanella is inspired by our recent Greek travels and combines two of our favorite salads into one!

Greek-style panzanella is where it’s at, guys. Trust me. We have all the best parts of a Greek salad and Italian panzanella happening together as one, and I must say, it makes me ridiculously happy.

Tomatoes, cucumbers, red onion, kalamata olives, capers, and hunks of feta get tossed in a light vinaigrette along with homemade garlicky croutons. Simplicity at it’s finest but without sacrificing an ounce of flavor or heft.

This is the sort of thing I could eat every day of my life and NEVER tire of. The best part? How simple it is to make.

Ingredients You Need for This Greek Salad Panzanella:

  • Rustic bakery-style bread
  • Olive oil
  • Garlic salt
  • Red wine vinegar
  • Dijon mustard
  • Dried oregano
  • English cucumber
  • Cherry or grape tomatoes
  • Red bell pepper
  • Kalamata olives
  • Red onion
  • Capers
  • Feta cheese

How to Make This Greek Salad Panzanella:

Start with the Croutons:

  • Preheat the oven to 425°F. Spread the cubed bread out in an even layer on a large rimmed baking sheet.
  • Drizzle over the oil and season with the garlic salt. Toss with your hands to evenly coat each bread cube.
  • Bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden and toasty.
  • Remove from the oven and allow to cool.

For the Dressing:

  • In a bowl or mason jar, combine red wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, dried oregano, salt, pepper, and extra-virgin olive oil. Whisk or shake vigorously to combine. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper.

To Assemble the Salad:

  • To a large mixing bowl, add the cucumbers, tomatoes, pepper, olives, red onion, capers, and croutons.
  • Pour over half of the dressing, tossing everything together gently, and then add in as much additional dressing as you prefer.
  • Stir in the feta cheese and sprinkling of salt and pepper. Toss again to combine.
  • Serve immediately or transfer to the fridge for about an hour to allow all the flavors to combine (the latter being my recommendation if your timing permits). This is best consumed within an hour or two of assembling – otherwise, the bread will get too soggy.

Other Recipes You Might Enjoy:

Savory, fresh, tangy, and bright – the ideal summer meal to me. Grill up some chicken or fish to eat alongside this, OR enjoy it all on its own.

Either way, I can pretty much guarantee that you’ll be one happy camper.

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Greek Salad Panzanella

★★★★★

5 from 2 reviews
  • Author: Molly
  • Total Time: 35 minutes
  • Yield: 4 servings 1x
Print Recipe

Description

This Greek Salad Panzanella is the best of two worlds: Greek salad and Italian panzanella! Cucumbers, tomatoes, bell peppers, capers, kalamata olives, hunks of feta cheese, and homemade garlicky croutons are tossed in a simple red wine vinaigrette to make the simplest, most flavorful summer salad you can imagine. This is delicious on its own or as a side to any grilled protein! We are obsessed.

Ingredients

Scale

For the Croutons:

  • 5 cups rustic bakery bread (any kind), cut into 1-inch cubes
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon garlic salt

For the Dressing:

  • 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1/2 cup Greek extra-virgin olive oil (Greek kalamata olive oil is my favorite, but you can use any EVOO here)
  • Salt and pepper, to taste

For the Salad:

  • 2 cups sliced English cucumber (typically, 1 large cucumber)
  • 2 cups halved cherry or grape tomatoes
  • 1 red bell pepper, diced
  • 1/2 cup kalamata olives, pitted and halved
  • 1/4 cup red onion, finely chopped
  • 1/4 cup capers, drained
  • The croutons
  • The dressing
  • 1 cup cubed feta cheese (I like to keep this in larger cubes, so it holds its shape in the salad)
  • Salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

For the Croutons:

  1. Preheat the oven to 425°F. Spread the cubed bread out in an even layer on a large rimmed baking sheet.
  2. Drizzle over the oil and season with the garlic salt. Toss with your hands to evenly coat each bread cube.
  3. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden and toasty.
  4. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.

For the Dressing:

  • In a bowl or mason jar, combine all the ingredients and whisk or shake vigorously to combine. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper.

For the Salad:

  1. To a large mixing bowl, add the cucumbers, tomatoes, pepper, olives, red onion, capers, and croutons.
  2. Pour over half of the dressing, tossing everything together gently, and then add in as much additional dressing as you prefer.
  3. Stir in the feta cheese and sprinkling of salt and pepper. Toss again to combine.
  4. Serve immediately or transfer to the fridge for about an hour to allow all the flavors to combine (the latter being my recommendation if your timing permits). This is best consumed within an hour or two of assembling – otherwise, the bread will get too soggy.
  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Cook Time: 30 minutes
  • Category: salads

Keywords: Greek salad panzanella, Greek panzanella, homemade croutons, Greek salad with croutons, Greek-style panzanella

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