Get ready to fall in love with this Gluten Free Greek-Style Panzanella Salad, made with the freshest of tomatoes & cucumber, along with other veggies, homemade croutons & delicious creamy greek dressing!
This post is sponsored by Pure Flavor®. All opinions are my own.
Thank you to Pure Flavor® for partnering with me on this Gluten Free Greek-Style Panzanella Salad recipe. It was such a blast creating and I couldn't have picked fresher & brighter ingredients to use than your Organic Mini Cucumbers and Organic Sangria® Medley Tomatoes. They are divine in flavor and texture!
Let's clarify: this is not your authentic greek salad or panzanella salad. This is simply my variation of a salad that combines both the flavors of a classic greek salad + the components of a panzanella salad + a couple other fun ingredients (avocado + beets)!
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Components of This Salad:
- Gluten Free Bread Croutons - Yes, we make homemade croutons made from gluten free bread, and they're to-die-for!
- Veggies - The key veggies used in this recipe are incredibly fresh & can be found at your local supermarket: Pure Flavor Organic Mini Cucumbers and Organic Sangria® Medley Tomatoes. I've additionally added, blanched asparagus, kalamata olives, beets and avocado for extra color & flavor.
- Creamy Greek-Style Dressing - This dressing is one of my new favorites because of its insanely good taste and incredibly creamy texture. This recipe uses 3 kinds of fat to kind the dressing: olive oil, dairy-free yogurt, and mayonaisse. If you're hesitant about using mayo, feel free to swap in a bit more olive oil.
How to Make this Salad:
Start with preparing the gluten free croutons. I like to cut each slice of bread into 6 cubes, making them on the larger size.
Then, lay them on a sheet pan that's lined with parchment paper & drizzle with olive oil + sprinkle salt, pepper and garlic powder.
Next, bake these croutons until golden brown. They might be slightly darker on the bottoms; this is ok!
Be sure to let the croutons cool enough so that they don't become super soggy when mixed with the dressing.
Next, prepare the dressing! This happens super easily in a container, old olive jar, or simply a bowl. Add all the dressing ingredients together and whisk or shake (if using a container/jar with a lid).
It's salad assembly time! At this point, you'll blanch the asparagus in boiling water for only 1-2 minutes, and shock in ice water, then patting dry with a paper towel. Once asparagus is prepped, add all the salad ingredients to a bowl along with the homemade croutons & dressing. Toss until all the ingredients are coated in dressing!
The Salad is ready and it's time to dig in!
Important Tips for the Perfect Salad
Use your favorite gluten free bread that is at least 2-3 days old! It's always best to use slightly staler bread when making breadcrumbs, because we don't want them to contain too much moisture. No worries if you bread is fresh, but I highly recommend using slightly older bread so that the salad will last longer.
What kind of vegetables to use? Since this salad truly focuses on the depth of flavor within each vegetable, I recommend finding the best quality produce possible. I love using Pure Flavor® Organic tomatoes & cucumbers because they're always super fresh and filled with flavor.
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Gluten Free Greek-Style Panzanella Salad
Ingredients
For the Salad:
- 4 Pure Flavor® Organic Mini Cucumbers sliced into circles
- 1 container Pure Flavor® Organic Sangria® Medley Tomatoes halved
- 1 ½ cups chopped asparagus cut into 1 ½ “ pieces (remove the bottom 1-2 inches of stems first) (approx ¾ of a bunch)
- ¼ cup kalamata olives sliced
- 2 avocados cubed
- 2 cooked beet I recommend store-bought cooked, cubed
For the Croutons:
- 6 slices gluten free bread cut into 1 ½” cubes
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
Dressing:
- 2 clove garlic minced finely
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 ½ teaspoons dried oregano
- 2 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- ¼ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup dairy free yogurt I recommend the Silk Oat Yeah Vanilla yogurt
- ¼ cup mayonnaise regular or vegan
Instructions
Prepare the Croutons:
- Preheat the oven to 375°F and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
- Place bread cubes onto the pan and drizzle with olive oil, salt, pepper and garlic powder.
- Bake for 12-15 minutes, until golden.
- Once cooked, allow to cool on the pan completely, before adding to the salad.
Prepare the Dressing:
- In a medium container or bowl, mix together all the dressing ingredients until well combined and creamy. I like to use a container or glass jar, seal with the lid, and shake to emulsify all the ingredients.
Prepare the Salad:
- To blanch the asparagus, bring a pot filled with at least 4 inches of water to a boil.
- Carefully add the cut asparagus to the boiling water and cook for 2 minutes.
- Immediately, transfer the blanched asparagus to a bowl filled with ice cold water for 1 minute.
- Then, place the cold asparagus onto paper towels to dry.
- Next, in a large bowl, combine all the salad ingredients: sliced cucumber, halved tomatoes (both kinds), blanched asparagus, olives, avocado and beets.
- Mix in the cooked & cooled croutons.
- Before serving, drizzle ¾ of the dressing over the salad and toss until all ingredients are coated in the dressing. Taste and add more dressing if needed. Enjoy!
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