Heirloom Tomato, Raw Beet & Strawberry Panzanella Salad

Vibrant & Stylish!

While not your traditional, Italian Panzanella, this lush, delightful bread salad with colorful heirloom tomatoes, sweet strawberries, raw beets, fresh cucumbers, shallots and hunks of warm, olive oil soaked sourdough make this THE salad to serve in the dog days of Summer!

Gather your ingredients and let's make this!

2 medium Heirloom tomatoes or a pint of heirloom cherry tomatoes. ( both work very well)

1 cup of thinly sliced strawberries

1 large or 2 small beets, sliced into matchsticks

1 cup of sliced English cucumbers, cut into rounds, then halves ( thinly sliced)

2 cups of day old sourdough or French baguette ( an Italian loaf will do nicely too) torn into chunks or cut into cubes.

3 tbsp. of olive oil

Fresh basil for garnish

Vinaigrette

1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil

1/4 cup of red wine vinegar

1 tbsp. of minced shallot

Sea Salt and ground black pepper to taste

***It's important that you slice the ingredients as directed for best results. if using cherry heirloom tomatoes, simply slice them in half. If using larger heirloom tomatoes, slice the tomatoes into thin wedges.

In a warm skillet with olive oil, toss the chunks of bread until golden and toasted over medium heat. You want a bit of chew to the bread so I don't recommend placing the bread in the oven as you would for croutons. When finished, set aside.

In a large bowl, gently toss the ingredients, adding the bread last. Pour over the vinaigrette just before serving and garnish with fresh basil.