Can this salad be made ahead of time?

Sort of? You do need a half hour or so for the bread to soak up the tomato juice and the olive and vinegar, but you don't want to leave it too long so that the bread gets mushy. This is a recipe that is worth planning to make about 45 minutes before you serve it up.

Will any kind of tomatoes work for this recipe?

Heirloom tomatoes are the very best, and my second choice would be halved cherry tomatoes, which seem to keep their lovely tomato taste all year long. And after that, local non-heirloom tomatoes will also work!

What is the best kind of bread to use?

You want a pretty substantial bread that won't break down at the first drop of tomato juice! Italian bread, ciabatta bread and French baguettes are all good choices, and I love my almost no-knead bread for this recipe too.

Ricotta Panzanella Salad

Name: Ricotta Panzanella Salad
Prep time: 50 min
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 5 cups crusty bread, cut or torn into one each pieces; 1 pound ripe tomatoes, cut into bite sized pieces; 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar; 3 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for drizzling; Sea salt and fresh ground pepper; 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, torn; 2 cups fresh ricotta cheese

Ricotta Panzanella Salad

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This easy recipe for Panzanella, otherwise known as a tomato and bread salad, gets extra flavor from creamy ricotta cheese! The perfect summer side dish.

Author: Kate Morgan Jackson
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Marinating Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 0 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes
Yield: 4 1x
Category: Side Dish
Method: No Cook
Cuisine: Italian

Ingredients

Scale

5 cups crusty bread, cut or torn into one each pieces
1 pound ripe tomatoes, cut into bite sized pieces
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
3 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for drizzling
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, torn
2 cups fresh ricotta cheese

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Instructions

Preheat oven to 375. Spread bread on a baking sheet and toast until golden, about 15 minutes.
Combine tomatoes, vinegar and oil in a large bowl. Sprinkle on a little sea salt and pepper.
Add toasted bread and basil and toss to combine. Let sit for 20-30 minutes so bread can soak up the liquid.
Divide among plates and top with a generous spoonful of ricotta, a drizzle of olive oil, and a little more salt and pepper.

Equipment We Used to Make This Recipe

Notes

Need to add something to your kitchen equipment to make this recipe? Below are some of the items we used in the Framed Cooks kitchen to help cook this up. These are affiliate links to things we use and love, which helps to pay for all that bacon I keep buying (without any extra cost to you)! Thanks for using them to keep our kitchen cooking…xoxo!

Find it online: https://www.framedcooks.com/ricotta-panzanella-salad/