Panzanella Salad with Homemade Croutons

A classic Italian bread salad that's great for summer is panzanella. Ripe tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, and fresh basil are all in this version, which is tossed with homemade crispy croutons. Extra virgin olive oil and red wine vinegar are mixed together in a simple but tasty way to make the dressing.

Ingredients:

• 4 slices of day-old bread, cubed
• 2 cups of ripe tomatoes, diced
• 1/2 cup of red onion, thinly sliced
• 1 cucumber, peeled, seeded, and diced
• 1/2 cup of fresh basil leaves, torn
• 1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons of red wine vinegar
• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

Preheat your oven to 375F 190C

Spread the cubed bread on a baking sheet and drizzle with 2 tablespoons of olive oil

Bake the bread cubes for 10-12 minutes, or until they become golden and crispy

Remove from the oven and let them cool

In a large mixing bowl, combine the diced tomatoes, sliced red onion, diced cucumber, and torn basil leaves

In a small bowl, whisk together the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil and the red wine vinegar

Season with salt and pepper to taste

Add the cooled croutons to the salad and pour the dressing over the top

Gently toss all the ingredients together until well combined

Let the Panzanella salad sit for about 15 minutes to allow the flavors to meld together

Serve the salad in individual bowls, garnishing with extra basil leaves if desired

Enjoy your homemade Panzanella salad with crispy croutons!