Panzanella Salad with Roasted Chickpeas combines plant-based protein with a traditional-style Panzanella salad. An easy & budget-friendly recipe.
Eat more salads to meet your daily vegetable requirements. Turn your salad into a balanced meal with protein, grains, and heart healthy fats. Add chickpeas for additional protein. They're versatile, delicious and easy to use.
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🥗 Why This Recipe is Fabulous
- Chickpeas transform this salad into a protein-rich dinner.
- This recipe is easy to make and uses budget-friendly ingredients.
- The prep time and clean-up is minimal.
- Make this salad even healthier by using whole grain bread.
- This dish was a hit with the whole family. Teens included.
📖 How to Make This Recipe
Tomatoes
Most varieties of ripe tomatoes work for this recipe. Use a combination of different types for a more interesting and flavorful salad. (I only had heirloom tomatoes on hand this time.)
Kosher salt draws out the juice from the tomatoes, concentrating their flavor. However, you can skip this step for a low-sodium version.
Bread
Ciabatta, baguette, or rustic sourdough bread are ideal for this salad. Typically, stale bread is used to make Panzella salad. However, baking bread for 15 minutes at 350ºF mimics stale bread.
Chickpeas
Canned chickpeas or home cooked chickpeas will both work for this recipe. Use ¾ cup cooked chickpeas, or about one half of a 15-ounce can.
Toss the chickpeas in olive oil to get them extra crispy. Bake them on the same tray as the bread for easy clean-up.
For crispier chickpeas, remove the bread from the baking tray after 15 minutes, and broil the chickpeas for an additional 2 to 3 minutes.
Dressing
Use a jar with a secure lid for making the dressing. The dressing ingredients need to be shaken right before adding them to the salad to incorporate the olive oil more evenly.
The Salad
Combine the baked bread and chickpeas with fresh basil, the drained tomatoes, and the dressing. Toss to combine. Set aside for at least 15 minutes for the bread to absorb the dressing.
👩🏼🌾 Ingredients & Nutrition
Preferably ciabatta or baguette. Stale bread is often used, but oven baked bread also works well.
Panzanella salad originated in Italy.
Heirloom tomatoes have not been cross-pollinated or hybridized. They have a shorter shelf life than hybrid tomatoes. Use within a couple days of purchasing.
They are not mass-produced. Given that they are not disease resistant, their vines produce less per acre than hybrid varieties. They are also delicate and do not travel well. A lot more care has to be taken to grow and transport heirlooms.
Try these satisfying veggie bowls.
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📖 Recipe
Panzanella Salad with Roasted Chickpeas
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ pounds tomatoes ripe
- 1 ¼ teaspoons kosher salt plus more for seasoning
- ½ pound ciabatta or sourdough bread, cut into 1 ½-inch cubes
- ⅓ cup plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil divided
- ¾ cup chickpeas (½ 15-ounce can) drained and rinsed
- 1 small shallot minced
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 ½ tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
- ½ teaspoon maple syrup
- ⅓ cup chopped fresh basil
- Freshly ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
- Prepare the tomatoes: Cut the tomatoes into bite-size pieces. Transfer the pieces to a colander. Add the salt and toss to coat. Set aside for 15 minutes to drain.
- Prepare the bread: Transfer the bread to a medium bowl. Drizzle with 1 ½ tablespoons olive oil. Toss to coat. Place on a large rimmed baking sheet in a single layer.
- Prepare the chickpeas: Transfer the chickpeas to the medium bowl. Drizzle with ½ tablespoon olive oil and toss to coat. Transfer to the baking sheet. Place in a single layer with the bread. Bake for 15 minutes.
- Make the dressing: Add the shallot, garlic, red wine vinegar, balsamic vinegar, Dijon, maple syrup, and ⅓ cup olive oil to a medium jar with a lid. Close the jar and shake well until fully incorporated.
- Combine the ingredients: Transfer the chickpeas, bread, tomatoes, and fresh basil to a large bowl. Add the dressing. Toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside for at least 15 minutes to marinate.
Notes
- Salting the tomatoes concentrates their flavor and removes excess liquid. Feel free to skip this step for a low-sodium option.
- Substitute canned chickpeas for ¾ cup cooked.
Nutrition
This information is provided as a courtesy and is an ESTIMATE only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased can change the nutritional information in any given recipe.
Sara Silberman
Ohhh this is beyond delicious!! So easy to put together. Thanks again for another winner ❤️
Nisha Melvani
Thanks for being such a great supporter. I'm so happy you like my recipes. Have a fab day.