BLT Panzanella is the ultimate summer salad! Imagine crispy fried bread, fresh arugula, juicy tomatoes, and savory bacon all tossed together with a simple balsamic dressing. Here’s how you make it:
Start by halving 2 pints of cherry tomatoes and thinly slicing a shallot. Toss them in a mix of olive oil and balsamic vinegar and set them aside to marinate. Next, fry 5-6 slices of bacon until they’re perfectly crispy and set them aside on a paper towel, but keep the bacon grease in the pan. Cut 4 thick slices of ciabatta bread into cubes and fry them in the bacon grease until they’re golden and crunchy.
Once your bacon is cool enough to handle, crumble it up. In a large bowl, gently mix the crispy bacon, fried bread cubes, chunks of avocado, arugula, and fresh basil strips. Add a bit more olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt, and pepper to taste.
For a little extra flavor, you can slice the shallot really thin with a mandoline slicer or add a grated clove of garlic into the mix. Either way, it’s delicious. Now, just toss everything together and serve up this tasty dish. Enjoy your meal!
