Muffuletta Panzanella

What do you get when you put the delicious ingredients of a Muffuletta sandwich in a Panzanella salad? The ultimate bread salad, bursting with ripe tomatoes, olives, salami, Sopressata, and mozzarella cheese! It’s hearty enough to be a refreshing summer meal. This post is sponsored by Fiorucci Foods.

We had some satisfying wins in the gardening department this year. For the first time ever, we were able to produce, perhaps through luck alone, beautiful tomatoes. The plants actually flowered, and those flowers brought forth little green buds, and lo-and-behold, they grew and turned into glorious shades of deep yellow and red. And even better, they were utterly delicious.

To say we were proud would be an understatement.

But a dear friend dropped by the other day to share a bumper crop of garden tomatoes, and they were gold ribbon worthy. There were beautiful, knobby heirlooms, and cherry tomatoes still on the vine, and a lovely striped one — I need to find out what that one is called. It is motivating us to plant even more tomatoes next year — if she can do it, so can we!

With the bowls on my kitchen counter brimming with tomatoes, what does one do? Well, yes, there are loads of possibilities. But you see, we’re several weeks into the school year, and all I want is something quick and easy. I don’t want to be a slave to the stove, simmering a sauce, and besides, I still want to enjoy the tomatoes and all their juices in something hearty and refreshing. A Panzanella salad seems the obvious choice.

As hearty as a bread salad may be, I’ve also been craving something really hearty — a beefy Muffuletta sandwich, stacked with salami and cheese, layers of olive salad and red peppers. So I decided to make the ultimate Panzanella salad: a Muffuletta Panzanella bursting with antipasto goodness!

What I forgot to mention was that while I have tomatoes on the counter, if you open my fridge, you will find it fully stocked with specialty meats from my friends at Fiorucci Foods. I love having their Paninos at the ready to toss into school lunches or for the kids to grab as a snack after school and before practices and rehearsals. But it’s also like having a secret arsenal of meal ideas that I can whip up on the fly now that our afternoons are busier, so I am so excited to be partnering with them to make this Muffuletta Panzanella salad even easier!

I normally toast my bread in the oven for a Panzanella salad, but when the weather is so warm that the thought of firing up the oven makes me want to give up, I just turn to the stove. A few minutes is all it takes to coax the cubes of bread into a golden shade, and while that magic is happening, I can chop away at the tomatoes, red onions, roasted peppers, and cucumber. The Sopressata gets sliced into thin half moons, and I can’t help but sneak a taste of the Salami-Mozzarella Paninos (ok, who am I kidding, I sneak more than one taste, but you would too).

All it needs is a quick balsamic vinaigrette, a bit of a toss, and before you know it, the whole family is swarming the kitchen trying to sneak bites. My daughter goes for the bread, my son for the Paninos, and the hubby for the Sopressata. Ideally, you have to wait a bit to let all the flavors soak into the bread and the salad, but good luck with that. Sometimes good things still come to those who don’t wait!

Have you tried Fiorucci Foods salume? You can find everything you need for this salad at major retailers like Walmart and Safeway (based on availability)!

Disclosure: This post is brought to you in partnership with Fiorucci Foods. Thank you for supporting brands that matter to me; sponsored posts such as this help behind the scenes at Kitchen Confidante. All opinions in this post are, as always, my own.

Muffuletta Panzanella

What do you get when you put the delicious ingredients of a Muffuletta sandwich in a Panzanella salad? The ultimate bread salad, bursting with ripe tomatoes, olives, salami, Sopressata, and mozzarella cheese! It's hearty enough to make it a refreshing summer meal.

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5 from 4 votes

Course Main Course, Salad

Cuisine American, Italian

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes minutes

Resting Time 15 minutes minutes

Total Time 25 minutes minutes

Servings 6 people

Calories 578kcal

Author Liren Baker

Ingredients

• ▢ 3 tablespoons olive oil
• ▢ 1 Sourdough bread, cut into 1-inch cubes (about 6 cups)
• ▢ 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• ▢ 2 large tomatoes, cut into 1 inch pieces
• ▢ 1 cucumber, halved, seeded, and cut into 1/4 inch pieces
• ▢ 2 roasted red peppers, cut into 1-inch pieces (jarred works well)
• ▢ 1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion
• ▢ 1 14 oz can medium black olives, halved
• ▢ 1 cup Fiorucci Foods Hard Salami Paninos, cut into 1 inch pieces
• ▢ 1/2 cup thinly sliced Fiorucci Foods Sopressata
• ▢ 10 basil leaves, chopped

For the Balsamic Vinaigrette

• ▢ 2 teaspoons finely minced garlic
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• ▢ 3 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar
• ▢ 1/2 cup olive oil
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• ▢ 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

COOK MODEPrevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

• Place the oil in a deep sided sauté pan over low to medium heat. Add the bread and salt, and toss to evenly coat the bread on all sides. Let it toast on the stove for about 10 minutes, tossing frequently, until golden brown. Set aside.
• Place the tomatoes, cucumber, red peppers, red onion, and olives in a large bowl.
• Make the vinaigrette by whisking together the garlic, mustard, and vinegar. While whisking gradually add the olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and toss into the vegetables.
• Add the toasted bread, sliced Paninos, and Sopressata, and toss to combine. Let it sit for about 15 minutes, and serve immediately.

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 578kcal | Carbohydrates: 48g | Protein: 16g | Fat: 36g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 22mg | Sodium: 1787mg | Potassium: 339mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 210IU | Vitamin C: 10mg | Calcium: 55mg | Iron: 3.5mg

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