Panzanella Summer Salad

Panzanella Salad

Panzanella is a fragrant summer salad invented in Tuscany a long time ago. It takes only 5 minutes to prepare and it’s a great way to rescue the food we forgot in our fridge. Ripe tomatoes and stale bread find new life mixed with a bit of water and white vinegar.

Saving the planet, a bite a time

I love Panzanella salad because it reminds me of summer. The intense smell of tomatoes and basil will fill your kitchen and soon your bellies.

I love Panzanella salad for its simplicity. You have a complete meal in just a few minutes without turning the stoves on. 

Above all, I love Panzanella salad as it is a ‘nothing goes to waste’ recipe, a principle so deeply rooted in Italian cuisine.

Panzanella Salad Ingredients

Food waste is something very close to my heart.

I was wasting so much food as a student. I was going to the supermarket buying whatever sparked joy without having a clue on how and when to cook it! As a result, I found my cupboard full of sprouted potatoes and the fridge decorated with mouldy tomatoes.

I am still so ashamed of it, but I found my way out of this horrible vicious cycle with meal planning and getting creative with leftovers.

I do everything I can to fight food waste and I keep learning something new every day.

Why food waste matters

Food waste is not a simple matter. Many of us think food waste is better than other types of waste. Surely throwing away that stale bread won’t have any big consequences, right?

Unfortunately, that’s not true. When we throw away stale bread or any type of food really, we are not only throwing away a meal but all the energy that was used to make that meal. Food waste contributes to 8% of total greenhouse gases. If food waste were a country, it’d be third in line (behind China and the United States) as the largest gas emitter (FAO).

Food waste is a key contributor to climate change. Surely not a badge you want to have, surely not a movement you want to back up.

The stats are horrifying and call for immediate action. A third of all food produced ends up lost or wasted (BCG).

70% of food waste happens at home, not in restaurants or factories (WRAP).

Every day, we waste 20 million whole slices of bread in the UK (WRAP).

Every day, 1.2 million whole tomatoes are binned in the UK alone (WRAP).

This is bleak but also empowering. Food waste is something we can all fight together.

Everyone got to eat at least three times a day! We have at least three opportunities a day to make a difference.

Reducing food waste is truly the way we can save our planet.

And what better way to start than a quick and simple Panzanella salad? Get that stale bread in your cupboard that has still so much to give and check what vegetables you have left in your fridge. Chop them, season them, and proudly serve them. Let’s give food the place it deserves: on our table, in our belly. Beautiful.

Panzanella Summer Salad, the recipe

Panzanella Salad

Course: Mains, Sides, StartersDifficulty: Easy
Servings

3

servings
Prep time

5

minutes

Panzanella is a fragrant summer salad invented in Tuscany a long time ago. It takes only 5 minutes to prepare and it’s a great way to rescue the food we forgot in our fridge. Ripe tomatoes and stale bread find new life mixed with a bit of water and white vinegar.
A great salad for these hot summer days you can’t be bothered to cook, perfect to finish up what’s in your cupboard before going on holiday!

Ingredients

  • 300 g any type of stale bread

  • 200 g very ripe tomatoes

  • 200 g cucumber

  • 100 g any type of onion

  • 200 g water

  • 50 g white vinegar

  • lots of extra-virgin olive oil

  • lots of basil

  • as much salt and pepper as you lie

Method

  • Mix well chunks of bread with white vinegar and water in a large bowl
  • Dice all the veggies and toss them in with basil leaves
  • Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and as much salt and pepper as you like
  • Enjoy summer in a dish!

Notes

  • Panzanella salad has so many variations, for example, you could use celery instead of cucumber. Look what you have left in your fridge and have fun.
  • Be careful with the amount of water, always keep a 2:3 ratio for water:bread – otherwise you’ll find yourself with tomato bread pudding.

1 Comment

  1. This is great! Simple and so yummy!
    It’s also so shocking the statistics you quoted about food waste. That’s definitely some food for thought (excuse my pun!). I can totally relate to the memories of being a student and buying groceries without a plan.
    Thanks for sharing your recipe and memories!

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