Heirloom Tomato Panzanella Salad

Mary, my mother-in-law, makes this fabulous panzanella salad that I just can not eat enough of. I love salad - but add chunks of crusty bread to it & I love it more!

I found some amazing green zebra heirloom tomatoes at the grocery store & couldn't wait to make them the star of a simple dinner.  I didn't have all the ingredients for the salad that Mary makes so I made the simple tomato salad my mom always makes but I added yummy chunks of bread! 

Click through for the recipe & make this salad tonight!

Ingredients:

• 2 large green zebra heirloom tomatoes
• 1 medium onion
• 5-6 cloves of garlic
• 10 fresh basil leaves
• 1/4 cup olive oil (plus more for toasting the bread)*
• 1/2 loaf of walnut bread (about 2 cups)
• salt & pepper

Make it!

1. Cut the tomatoes & onion into evenly sized pieces.  Add to a large bowl.
2. Mince garlic, add to tomatoes.
3. Chiffonade basil leaves, add to mixture.
4. Toss the mixture in olive oil. Salt & pepper to taste.
5. Cover with plastic wrap & set aside for 30 minutes (your tomatoes will create a yummy juice, so the longer it sits the better).
6. Cut bread into bite-sized cubes.
7. Heat a few tablespoons of olive oil in a deep pan. Add bread, stir often to toast evenly.
8. Remove the bread from heat & toss with salt & pepper.
9. Add bread & tomato mixture together in a (very) large bowl. Toss & serve.

*I used garlic & basil infused olive oil but regular olive oil will work just great! What is garlic & basil infused olive oil? It just means I chopped up some garlic & basil, added it to olive oil & let the oil absorb all of the flavors.  This is easy to do ahead of time & to keep on hand for lots of things!

P dot S: As you may be able to tell (if you've read any of my previous posts) we eat a fair amount of pasta at chateau O'Hara, we're not on a carb-free diet & we've got plenty of meat to stick to our bones.  This salad is an alternative to making pasta (for me).  So if you're looking for a light salad - lose the bread & add some arugula. But if you're looking for a more hearty salad & a simple dinner then carb it up with some bread!