This strawberry panzanella salad is made with only 6 main ingredients and is SO delicious! It’s perfect for any get togethers or parties, or even a delicious lunch or dinner!
Can’t get enough when it comes to panzanella salads? Then you’ll want to try Greek Panzanella Salad and Chickpea Panzanella Salad , too!
Happy almost summer! The sun is warmer, the sky is bluer, and it’s outdoors weather. Gav and I have some fun memories, even before we were married, of co-hosting summer parties either at my parents house or now at our apartment. They’ve always been small, but filled with lots of love and of course, amazing food, which equals to love. As we get constantly busier each summer, we’ve been implementing a strategy of making easy and delicious dishes, that taste like hours of labour went into them. Whether that’s a 10 minute summer drink, or a 20 minute Strawberry Panzanella Salad, the goal is always to please our guests, which keeping things nice and simple for us. Win win for everyone!
I just noticed a trend I’ve been unintentionally doing. I’ve made a panzanella salad aka a Tuscan Tomato & Bread Salad every summer for the last two years. First, it was a Greek Panzanella Salad. Then there was Chickpea Panzanella Salad, and now this gorgeous Strawberry Panzanella Salad with a Balsamic Glaze . They’re all delicious in their own ways, and I love the fruity element to this one!
A very fun fact about this entire post? Everything I used – the ingredients, the salad spoons, the platter, even the measuring cups – were ALL bought at Walmart ! I’m so excited to be collaborating with Walmart on this post to bring you this bright and fresh Strawberry Panzanella Salad since I was so excited to get everything there! This will definitely be my one stop shop for summer.
Let’s talk about how Walmart has been going hard on the locally-grown fresh produce game. Most people might not be aware of Walmart’s commitment to selling locally grown produce. But, they are using their scale to support local communities by working with farmers across the U.S. to provide an abundance of locally grown produce to customers. The produce section is huge across their stores. I’m talking endless options. And, since I was there for a few hours (yup, I’m that girl wandering the aisles of the supermarket for hours in her happy place), I got to actually see the restocking process!
Not only does Walmart restock their produce at least once a day, they now have an organic produce section stocked with veggies! Even though I love slowly getting produce in store when I have the time, it’s amazing to know if you’re short on time, you could also use their Online Grocery Pickup for convenience!
I was really impressed by the selection there and in the entire store. It was so great to get everything I needed in just one stop. I checked out a few of their collections, like the Pioneer Woman collection, which I loved . Ree’s blog was one of the first that I followed, so I grabbed some mixing bowls and measuring cups. I even grabbed one of her knives from her Pioneer Woman collection. In fact, Walmart’s Brand Promise Mission is “to provide the utmost quality fresh locally grown produce at a price that saves customers money.” They are definitely fulfilling this. I found the prices affordable, and loved that everything I needed for this vegan salad was all there.
The strawberries, as you can see, where bright and gorgeous, along all the other veggies I used for this post. I followed Walmart’s Quick Tips for Selecting the Best Fruit which came in pretty handy, so the ones I ended up with were nice and sweet. Like, I literally had to stop myself from eating them before they went into the salad. I really wanted this since the strawberry flavour stands out, yet beautifully complements everything else at the same time, especially that balsamic glaze .
How to Make Strawberry Panzanella Salad
Putting together this salad was very easy. You toast the bread, chop the ingredients, and toss them together. Ridiculously easy, right? For the balsamic glaze, you could either buy a pre-made balsamic glaze in Walmart, or make your own like I did from Walmart ingredients. I prefer the second option because I love everything from scratch and love that you can control the sweetness. You can also control the viscosity and any other factors involved in the glaze.
The balsamic glaze adds a sweet, umami flavour to the whole dish that has me wanting to eat this all over again for lunch today. The textural and flavour elements of sweet, crunchy, brine-y and fruity make this a definite crowd-pleaser. Your guests are bound to find something in this salad that they love! Other ideas? You can just make this for a bright summer salad for a weeknight dinner for one or two with all that fresh produce that you picked up!
The final point before I give you the recipe for this Strawberry Panzanella Salad? You definitely HAVE to toast the bread. You should purchase a fresh bread, then let a day or two pass so it gets a bit crusty and stale. That’s the perfect texture for this recipe. It’ll crisp up beautifully in the oven, and remain that way even after the balsamic drizzle is added. Enjoy, friends!
Watch This Strawberry Panzanella Salad Come Together
Want to see the step-by-step guide to making strawberry panzanella salad? Here it is:
Ingredients
Panzanella Salad
- 3 cups gluten free crusty bread , chopped into 1 inch cubes
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil or coconut oil
- ⅓ cup red onion slices
- 1 ½ cups sliced strawberries
- 2 cups spinach , washed and dried
- 1 cup cubed English cucumber
Balsamic Glaze
- 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
- 2 tablespoons raw cane or coconut sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
Panzanella Salad
- Preheat oven to 450°F/ 230°C.
- Add the bread cubes to a silicone mat on a baking sheet or a baking sheet prepared with parchment paper or foil. Drizzle with oil, then rub into the cubes to combine.
- Bake for 5 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside to cool.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the spinach, toasted bread cubes, strawberry slices, the cherry tomatoes, red onions and cucumber cubes. Toss until combined.
Balsamic Glaze
- In a pot over medium high heat, heat all the ingredients and stir. Watch carefully – the glaze should begin to thicken after 5 minutes and you want it thick enough to stick to the back of a spoon, but not to thicken into a glob. It becomes very thick very quickly so watch carefully.
- Once glaze has thickened, remove from heat. Allow to cool slightly – it will thicken while it cools too.
- Top with herbs.
- The glaze can be stored in the refrigerator once it has cooled down for at least a month.
Putting it all Together
- Plate the salad and drizzle the balsamic glaze over it. Only drizzle glaze right before you’re about to serve it.
- Serve and enjoy!
Notes
Strawberry Panzanella Salad
Ingredients
Panzanella Salad
- 3 cups gluten free crusty bread chopped into 1 inch cubes
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil or coconut oil
- ⅓ cup red onion slices
- 1 ½ cups sliced strawberries
- 2 cups spinach washed and dried
- 1 cup cubed English cucumber
Balsamic Glaze
- 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
- 2 tablespoons raw cane or coconut sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
Panzanella Salad
- Preheat oven to 450°F/ 230°C.
- Add the bread cubes to a silicone mat on a baking sheet or a baking sheet prepared with parchment paper or foil. Drizzle with oil, then rub into the cubes to combine.
- Bake for 5 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside to cool.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the spinach, toasted bread cubes, strawberry slices, the cherry tomatoes, red onions and cucumber cubes. Toss until combined.
Balsamic Glaze
- In a pot over medium high heat, heat all the ingredients and stir. Watch carefully - the glaze should begin to thicken after 5 minutes and you want it thick enough to stick to the back of a spoon, but not to thicken into a glob. It becomes very thick very quickly so watch carefully.
- Once glaze has thickened, remove from heat. Allow to cool slightly - it will thicken while it cools too.
- Top with herbs.
- The glaze can be stored in the refrigerator once it has cooled down for at least a month.
Putting it all Together
- Plate the salad and drizzle the balsamic glaze over it. Only drizzle glaze right before you’re about to serve it.
- Serve and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Strawberry Panzanella Salad https://jessicainthekitchen.com/strawberry-panzanella-salad-with-balsamic-glaze/ May 25, 2018
Want to give back to others but always feel like you don’t have enough time? I want to share 5 easy ways to give back when you have little time, that have great impact!
“Charity is the gift that you give to yourself.” – I can’t find who said this quote, but it’s beautiful.
I’ve had a really interesting history with giving back and charity work in general. According to my parents, the very first time I gave back was when we were in Canada as children. We passed a lady out in the cold who was homeless and I remember being shocked, stunned and sad about this fact. I asked my mom for some money to give her. My mom gave it to me and my heart lit up when I saw the smile on this lady’s face. I don’t remember this incident perfectly, but I do remember feeling a deep level of empathy for this lady, a feeling that I know would help to influence the person I was to become.
When I was in high school, I gave back. A lot. I have a whole section on my resume for “Volunteer Work & Causes” and I always found anyway I could to volunteer. Whether that was working in soup kitchens, or teaching for free, counselling at camp or in other ways, I’ve spent the last ten years always giving back in some way. Some of my best memories have come from giving back, in fact. It’s never been for any kind of gain or because it was required, I’ve just always felt a love for people and wanted to help in anyway possible.
Here’s the thing about giving back – you can do it in so many ways. It doesn’t take a lot of money or time to give back. Sometimes hearing about how people have travelled far, or given up months for a charity project can make you feel like you can’t possibly give back. Not true.
- Shopping/Buying Fair Trade Products and Products That specifically give back Giving back in this way is just about picking up a different brand of sugar, coffee, tea, or other products you know and love. If you’re not sure what fair trade ( World Fair Trade Day for May 12, 2018 ) means, let me break it down because once I learned about it, it changed the way I shopped forever. I could spend a week explaining my love for fair trade products, so here’s a video instead. Straight from thelittlemarket.com , “ Fair Trade is an approach to international trade centered around equitable partnerships, transparency and respect. It seeks to empower marginalized producers by providing them safe working conditions, fair pay, and a means to establish a sustainable business free from exploitation. “. Long story short, when you buy the product, part of the profit actually goes back to the creator, inventor, farmer who or whoever worked to create this product. You can learn more about fair trade here . I hadn’t really explored about fair trade before Christmas of last year, and it changed my whole world. It also broke my heart a bit to learn I was supporting brands that were good for me, but were ripping off/not giving back fairly to those actually prepared that product. After that, I created some basic principles for myself. When buying sugar, tea, coffee and chocolate, I would ensure that it was fair trade. When you buy a fair trade product, you are helping a family who really needs it. A real person. I’m not telling you to dump anything and begin from scratch, but to be more mindful of some of your purchases. I started buying props from thelittlemarket.com and other fair trade sites and honestly, it feels good to know that it’s going to a great, great place. I love that The Little Market’s products are absolutely adorable because there’s a stigma that if you’re supporting a charity organisation, the product might be well, not so cute. Not so at all. I cried the first time I got my The Little Market products because I realised I was holding exactly where the carpenter was holding on this same ladle, and that a personal connection had been formed. I highly recommend reading more on thelittlemarket.com about their values and purchasing fair trade products wherever you can. P.S. fair trade products are available EVERYWHERE, in your local supermarkets, not just speciality stores. Remember those posts I did with Wholesome? It’s also because their sugar is Fair Trade and it’s a brand I trust. You can find great and easy to find products here on Fair Trade Certified and look out for the symbol. Here are some of my favourites to help – Shea Moisture’s Shea Butter Lotion, Wholesome Sugars, Organic India Tea, Jamaican Coffee FROM Jamaica (not certified, but is grown here in Jamaica ONLY and supports local farmers) P.S. If you check out my 2017 Gift Guide , there’s an entire section on gifts that give back.
- Be My Eyes I just heard about this app after it was featured on iTunes App Store, then again highlighted on Twitter. Be My Eyes is an app that you download where you can be a seeing person who volunteers to assist a blind or visually impaired person. It works via video chat and helps the blind/visiually impaired person in several ways using disability friendly settings for them. Something as small as “is this milk expired?” to “what does my pregnancy test say?” and all it takes it to answer the video, help the person, then move on. This reminds me that giving back shouldn’t be a limited term. There are so many other ways to help others out. I’ve signed up for this app and can’t wait to help someone on it.
- FreeRice.Com My brother told me about this app. Freerice has two goals: Provide education to everyone for free. Help end world hunger by providing rice to hungry people for free. They have games based on different subject areas – think English Vocabulary, Geography, Math, Sciences etc. and you play them. For every right answer, 10 grains of rice are donated through the World Food Programme. What an incredible website. If you have a free hour, you can spend it playing on freerice.com, learn something new, and give back at the same time.
- Charity Miles Do you was, run or bike? Then Charity Miles is for you and for me. Their whole mission is “get fit and make an impact.” All you need to do is to download it, chose a charity and get moving. For every mile you log, you help to earn money for your chosen charity. This is an incredible and free way to give back while helping to improve yourself, too.
- Using Amazon Smile Amazon Smile features the same products, prices and shopping features of Amazon.com. The only difference is that when you shop through smile.amazon.com, Amazon will donate 0.5% of your purchase price to the charity of your choice. I love this method because it takes nothing out of you to give back to your charity, and it adds up. I’ve spent a pretty penny on Amazon and to know that it’s going back to the charity of my choice makes it even better. I currently give back to a Partnership Against Domestic Violence – PADV. Since February 2018, All charities on Amazon Smile have received $80,134,317.33 USD. This is the perfect example of how your small step can make a huge difference.
