Spring Green Panzanella

This Spring Green Panzanella is loaded with vegetables and is a great side dish to any meal!

Spring is in the air and I couldn’t be more excited! Spring means new growth, warm sunshine, lots of outdoor activities, and best of all fresh fruits and vegetables! I didn’t realize just how excited I was until making this dish! This Spring Green Panzanella was made to accompany Pork Tenderloin with a Simple Dijon Honey Pan Sauce, but any protein will do!

Panzanella is a Tuscan salad created to use up stale bread and the bounty of summer. A classic Panzanella typically includes tomatoes, cucumbers, red onions, and basil along with cubed stale bread, dressed with olive oil and red wine vinegar. However, there is no reason not to enjoy a bread salad any time of year. Since it’s spring, I’ve used some of my favorite spring vegetables to make this very green salad. The choice of additions is up to you. You could easily replace some of my suggestions with canned or cooked frozen artichokes. Cooked fava or butter beans would be great. Maybe some thinly sliced fennel for an anise touch. And, if you’re not concerned about all the green, throw in a couple handfuls of sliced cherry tomatoes. They’re good year-round.

Spring Green Panzanella Ingredients

• 1 small loaf country bread cut into ½ inch cubes (about 6 cups)
• 1/4 cup olive oil

For the lemon vinaigrette:

• Zest from one lemon
• Juice of ½ lemon
• 1 tablespoons sherry or red wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon honey
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
• ⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil

For the salad:

• 1 bunch asparagus
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 bunch green onions
• 1 English cucumber
• 1 cup sugar snap
• ½ cup fresh or frozen green peas, blanched for 30 seconds
• 1 cup torn bibb lettuce
• ½ cup torn mixed herbs (parsley, basil, mint)
• Shaved Parmigiano Reggiano cheese

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375º. Place bread cubes on a sheet pan and drizzle with olive oil. Toast for 10 minutes.
2. Heat tablespoon olive oil in skillet over medium high heat. Remove woody ends from asparagus and cut into one-inch pieces. Add asparagus to skillet, sprinkle with salt and sauté for 2-3 minutes. Remove from pan to stop cooking and set aside.
3. Heat another tablespoon olive oil in same skillet over high heat. Slice green onions, white and green parts, into one-inch pieces removing end. Add to skillet with a sprinkling of salt and sauté until softened and slightly charred, 3-4 minutes. Remove from skillet to end cooking.
4. Chop cucumber into ½ inch pieces. Trim ends from the sugar snap peas and remove string. Add both to large mixing bowl along with the blanched peas and the cooled asparagus and green onions. Add the bread cubes.
5. Make the lemon vinaigrette. Put all ingredients for the vinaigrette except the olive oil in a small mixing bowl. Whisk together. Continue whisking while adding the olive oil in a slow steady stream until an emulsification in created.
6. Drizzle the dressing over the salad and toss gently. Add the torn lettuce and herbs. Toss one more time. Taste for salt and pepper.
7. Place salad on serving plates. Shave Parmigiano Reggiano cheese over the top.