Heirloom Tomato Panzanella Salad with Pesto Vinaigrette
apps / bowls / vegan / dairy free / meat free
when my parents came to visit, they brought me sooo many goodies from our local deli that I miss being in south now. one of the things they brought me was a bag of friselle. friselle almost looks like a crispy flat donut. it has been eaten for centuries because it’s actually dried bread, so it can last for a long time. when my parents left, I had so many of these left, and I thought these would make the perfect croutons. that’s when the idea of using them for a panzanella salad came to mind!
this recipe uses heirloom tomatoes, marinated onions which I’ve linked my recipe for, these friselle croutons, and a super delish and easy vegan pesto vinaigrette. of course, if you don’t have friselle, you can use any bread for this panzanella, but I find some of the best kinds are sourdough, itlian bread, ciabatta, or a baguette. the easiest way to use them is to wait for the bread to become stale. if your bread hasn’t gone stale yet, you can bake it in the oven low and slow until it hardens and becomes croutons.