Roasted Tomato Caprese Panzanella.
Well, that’s definitely a lie, because if we ate salad or something as such in this household every single time after we ate a lot of delicious (bacon and butter covered) food… then we’d basically have to live on salad. And THAT is not fun. Ever.
Except with this one. Maybe.
Anyhoo.
Saturday night we went out to dinner. What does my husband order? Guess.
No, seriously. Just guess.
Okay, you’re no fun: he orders a chicken. Like, an entire chicken. Like, an entire fried chicken. A whole fried chicken, some cornbread, and maybe like, two cups worth of baked beans.
He takes it all down, practically in record time.
[Um more importantly? He ate that entire chicken with a knife and a fork. Seriously impressive. But that’s neither here nor there.]
Then, the man lifts up his shirt and shows us how his 8-pack is still there.
Alright… that’s another complete lie but whatever. I’m not telling the truth, thank God. He’s way too classy for that… I think. Instead, the abs just hid under his shirt, still looking quite defined, which is good enough reason for me to tell him to take a long walk off a short pier most days. Stupidly unfair.
And after he eats this entire fried chicken? He’s not even full. As in he is anxiously perusing a menu at a bar for more food at midnight, a mere two hours after his chicken dinner. Is this real life?
It is.
It is real life.
Because THEN… less than 12 hours later, at breakfast, he scarfs down two eggs, sausage, bacon, home fries, and huge biscuits smothered in sausage gravy. And that was just the start of Sunday. I can’t even comprehend how it’s possible to take in these copious amounts of food.
So! He texts me yesterday during lunch saying, “Ugh. I need to detox. I ate sooo much this weekend.” Nooo… are you sure? I respond, asking what he ate for lunch, and he tells me that he ate four chicken enchiladas. Innnnnteresting. I like the idea of this chicken enchilada detox even if he is VIRTUALLY INSANE.
I, on the other hand, actually did eat a salad for lunch. This salad. And this is so my type of salad. Well, I guess I ate four salads for lunch. Because I ate all of this.
It’s apparently clear that I have a current fascination with roasted tomatoes, and adding things like tons of bread, cheese, basil, olive oil, balsamic glaze and salt is something I could inhale day after day. The key is to make all of your ingredients the exact same size… and then you get the perfect bite. And yes, eating a… “salad” of uniformly sized ingredients is the highlight of my day.
I am a very fun girl.
Roasted Tomato Caprese Panzanella
[inspired by my roasted autumn panzanella]
serves about 4
4 cups grape tomatoes
4 cups cubed multigrain bread
6 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
2 1/2 cups fresh mozzarella balls/pearls (I cut a few balls into fours)
15-20 fresh basil leaves
a heavy dose of balsamic glaze
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. On one baking sheet, lay the tomatoes down and drizzle with 1 1/2 tablespoons of olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. On a separate baking sheet, place the cubed bread and toss it with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Place both sheets in the oven. Roast the tomatoes for a full 20 minutes, tossing once during cooking. Toast the bread for 10-12 minutes, until golden, tossing 2-3 times during cooking.
Place mozzarella on a paper towel to remove a bit of the moisture and water. Chop any larger basil leaves, leaving the smaller ones intact if desired.
In a large bowl, add bread, tomatoes, basil, remaining salt and pepper. Gently toss with two large spoons, trying to keep the tomatoes intact for pretty visual purposes. Drizzle the remaining olive oil over the salad, and then add on a liberal drizzle of balsamic glaze. Serve immediately.
Chomp chomp.
136 Comments on “Roasted Tomato Caprese Panzanella.”
Oh yes. This is my kind of salad. Pinned!
And you’re so lucky to have a man who loves food and looks good!
Hey a salad isn’t exactly the lightest option when it’s mostly bread, cheese, and olive oil haha.
I was really upset to miss all the new Sousa openings. Luckily I had some friends to eat vicariously for me, http://withthegrains.com/2012/03/28/a-diningsaur-a-pig-a-chicken/
How did you like it?
OMG… that is hilarious.
Tony always tells me he needs a detox after a crazy eating weekend, but I think his idea of detox is very different from mine!
This looks amazing! I hate eating those little tomatoes raw, but I LOVE them roasted. The sweeten up and get all juicy and make the perfect topping for pastas or breads since they are all saucy! This is my kind of meal! Delicious!
I am with you!! I could eat this salad everyday! I love the combination of tomatoes, cheese, bread and basil!! Yum!!!
My husband can eat like that all day, too, and still have a lean but muscular body. Totally not fair. ;)
And I love pretty much everything about this salad. This is so much better than just a bunch of lettuce on a plate!!
OMG Jessica… roasted tomatoes are the bomb digs. And paired with mozzarella? Oh man. Caprese salads are unworldly delicious! What a fun twists. My bf eats exactly like Mr. How Sweet by the way. I don’t get it.
This looks awesome! I had a panzanella salad like this once that had roasted asparagus spears on it too. Yummmmmm.
i am in love with roasted tomatoes. needless to say, i know this salad would totally win me over. yum!
Men and their metabolisms, so not fair! At least we get to enjoy their bodies, right? ;) This salad looks amazingly good, perfect for summer.
Love love this! Simple yet scrumptious. I can’t say no to caprese & roasted tomatoes takes it to another level!
Oooh so pretty!! And wow, Mr How Sweet can put away a lot of food! But then again, he is a man so I’m not surprised. I know some that can gorge themselves daily on bacon, cheese, beers, and burgers and they never seem to gain an ounce. Not fair at all!
Gorgeous!!! And ha – men and fried chicken! Glad he has you and salads like this too. ;)
your recipes are amazing (well, the ones I’ve tried… some are a little decadent to trust in a household of one person with very little self control)… but your writing is unlike anything else I’ve read. You have no idea how happy this blog makes me :)
Such a gorgeous looking panzanella!
What a fabulous lunch! Or perfect dinner too. I’ll have to give it a try.
Whoa. You and I are back on the same brain waves… I love your version! YUM!
OMG I love it. Love you!
LOVE this post! Husbands are so unfair when it comes to their metabolisms and such. Up till about two years ago, my husband could do the exact same thing and not gain an ounce and still had his beautiful flat, sexy abs. Men! So not fair!!!! …..It’s a good thing I like salads and health food otherwise I think I’d push him off that short pier while he was on his long walk. ;)
The pictures are absolutely gorgeous and make me want this for breakfast!
Hmmm….I’m thinking my fifteen year old son will be like your husband when he’s older. He eats a big dinner and then 20 minutes later he’s in the pantry making himself a sandwich or two. Where do these guys PUT all this food??!!
Seriously. I fear the day we have children… for our bank account’s sake.
One of my favorite summer salads! And anyone can handle veggies if they’re combined with cheese and bread! :)
I’m totally intimidated by how beautiful that salad looks. I don’t think I can make anything that pretty!
I promise you can… I have the patience of a toddler, so if I can, you can. It’s only because the ingredients are all the same size, promise.
Haha if you say so! I have a feeling you don’t give yourself enough credit!
Looks divine :)
This salad looks divine!!! Your pictures, always, gorgeous! Your story cracks me up. It’s so not fair.
Thank you Aimee! You are the best.
What a beautiful dish! Something about panzanella just feels so gourmet. It’s the one time I’ll willingly eat soggy bread, that’s for sure!
Ummm did we marry the same man?? haha Mike can house TONS of food and do like 3 crunches and BAM – 8 pack abs (MAKES. ME. SICK.) – Currently I’m on the “Lose 10 lbs diet” while he’s on the “Gain 10 lbs diet”. Life’s a b!*$#!!!
I knew your man was like that. Knew it.
i’ll take a chicken enchilada detox any day, please and thank you
Yum! Simple but sounds so delicious. Making this!
the key is absolutely to get all ingredients in a uniform size so that you can constantly get those “perfect” bites. It seriously makes or breaks the salad eating experience.
Exactly!! :)
Holy spumoli I want that immediately. Beautiful pictures, too.
Is that the Harvest Bread from Whole Foods you talked about a few weeks ago? I went and searched and asked at my 2 local stores and they looked at me like I was crazy.
YES! I adore that bread. I am a huge bread snob and I can’t get enough. Maybe it’s store-specific? Like can they decide what to bake?
It must be store-specific, because I asked the itty bitty Whole Foods near me and they said to check the bigger one that’s slightly further away, then I asked the bigger one and they said no dice. What’s a girl gotta do to get her bread fix?
What is with that man and his chicken?
I knnoooooow. Ugh.
You are speaking my salad language. I need a little bit of this in my life pronto.
I don’t understand men and their eating habits. At all.
This salad looks delicious!!!
My husband would kill to eat like your husband. But then, he’d have to exercise too, sooooo…..
This salad looks so bright and pretty. Get in mah face!!!
This is so my type of salad. Chomp chomp is right. :-) I can’t wait to make it thanks Jessica!
Pinning this now! This would be awesome as a summer side at a cookout. Thanks Jessica!
I knew you’d have big plans for that bread of yours from yesterday (looks like the same bread anyway!)
And I love roasted tomatoes and mozz. Hot caprese salad but on a sandwich. I could drink balsamic glaze. Love it!
is this weird? i read the entire story THEN go back and look at the pictures. i wonder if i’m the only one that does that. probably i am – like i said, weird.
I was just thinking of making a caprese appetizer for a get-together this weekend but after reading this, I might just make it a panzanella instead! Thanks for the idea :)
Me. This salad. We’ll be meeting soon.
Also, my husband is the exact same way. He once ate a 12-egg omelette and polished it off with a few cups of hash browns. So unfair.
We are seriously married to the same person. It’s unsettling! What is more unsettling is the amount of food that each of our respective husbands, but seriously. Same exact person. Also, this salad looks amazing!
OMG – that looks amazing!! I wish I had a huge bowl of that for lunch.
TJ’s has a balsamic glaze for $2.99 – just another reason to put it on EVERYTHING in sight.
This post made me laugh! Mr. How Sweet and his chicken! This looks delicious, Jessica! Did you use the leftover bread that you posted yesterday?
YUM, this looks good. I’ve never thought salads with bread in it would be very good but with the other ingredients, this looks perfect. Kind of like a delicious sandwich cut up into bite size pieces! But better! Ahh, I don’t know. But I’m makin’ it.
This looks SO delicious! I think it’s going on next week’s shopping list for sure!
As I have not tried this salad yet, I probably shouldn’t comment; but I have made panzanella before and put the bread with some oil in a fry pan for a few minutes until the outside is crunchy and the inside is soft and fluffy…almost like croutons but not. It is the best thing ever. Maybe worth a shot with this salad?
Either way I’m drooling right now…
Thanks for reminding me how much I love panzanella! Love your variation of it here. Great recipe!
I go crazy for everything caprese so this is right up my alley! Your pictures are making me drool! :)
Delicious! I’m so into roasted tomatoes right now!
Mmmm… Panzanella.
This is absolutely perfect for summer! Yum!
This salad sounds so good–especially with those beautiful bocconcini! Super excited to see all the summer veg popping up. :)