This panzella is a sweet-savory twist on the Italian classic salad with juicy sliced peaches and roasted, smoky corn in addition to the usual tomatoes and basil. It still has the typical panzella texture with big, crunchy croutons and is a delicious, light side-salad perfect for summer.
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I love this side salad in summer not only because it’s sweet and light, but because it’s seasonal – a great way to enjoy summer peaches when they are at their cheapest and best, plus you can use up old bread with the croutons. It’s colorful and looks beautiful too – and in my experience a great way to impress your guests with very little effort! Serve it alongside my other Italian-inspired salads like my Heirloom Tomato Salad (which is even easier than this recipe but so pretty when plated properly) or for a more filling option, my Lemon & Chickpea Orzo Pasta Salad.
Make Sure to Choose the Right Ingredients
This is an easy salad to make, but because it’s so simple, you need to be selective with the quality of ingredients (except for bread IMO). Here are some pointers from my experience:
- Peaches: Too firm and the salad tastes flat; overripe and they turn mushy. Go for ripe but still holding their shape, similar to what you’d slice for a fruit tart. White or yellow peaches both work; nectarines can be substituted in a pinch.
- Corn: Fresh corn gives the sweetest flavour and the best char once roasted. Frozen corn is the next best option; thaw it fully, pat it very dry then follow instructions in the recipe card as written. Don’t use canned – it’s already cooked and too soft, it won’t char and you’ll miss out on smoky flavor.
- Bread (for croutons): Traditional panzanella uses rustic breads like sourdough or ciabatta… but I have committed a sin and used plain white bread too (cue nonna’s gasping ha) but it works fine. The trick is to avoid very fresh, soft bread – slightly stale bread, cut into larger cubes, gives the best crunch.
- Tomatoes: Watery tomatoes dilute the dressing. Small vine-ripened, grape, or cherry tomatoes give better flavour and texture than large, underripe ones.
- Olive oil and vinegar: A dull olive oil or harsh vinegar throws off the balance. Use a fruity extra-virgin olive oil and a decent red wine vinegar; sherry vinegar works nicely too if you like a slightly rounder acidity.
- Basil: Bruises and turns limp VERY quickly so make sure to add this right before assembling. Serve the salad immediately.
Instructions
Step One: Roast the corn until tender with a little color, then let it cool slightly and slice the kernels off the cob.
Step Two: Toss the bread cubes with oil and seasoning, then bake until lightly golden and crisp on the edges.
Step Three: Thinly slice the shallots and whisk them with the remaining dressing ingredients in a large bowl.
Step Four: Slice the peaches and tomatoes, then add them to the bowl and gently toss to coat in the dressing.
Step Five: Assemble just before serving by layering the dressed fruit and tomatoes with the corn, croutons, and fresh basil. Drizzle any remaining dressing over the top and serve.
Storage
This is not the kind of salad that keeps well – it’s best served fresh (like, literally the same minute after assembling). The basil bruises and wilts within minutes. It’s safe to eat leftovers if kept in the fridge, but just know they’ll be watery and soggy – I don’t recommend keeping them. Expect to eat this salad in one sitting.
Expert Tips
If you have the time, let the sliced shallots sit in the vinegar for a few minutes before adding the rest of the dressing – it softens their bite and gives the whole salad a smoother, more balanced flavor.
FAQ
I’m sure an Italian would swear by traditional breads only but I personally find you can get away with white bread too as long as it is stale or toasted. Just keep in mind that a sturdy, crusty bread like a white loaf or focaccia will hold up better with the dressing, some sandwich breads are too soft and will fall apart.
Serve immediately after tossing for the best texture and keep in mind the bread is supposed to absorb a little bit of the dressing, it will soften a little.
Leftovers will be soggy and wet, I don’t recommend saving them. Expect to eat this in one sitting.
More Salad Recipes
Peach and Corn Panzella Recipe
Ingredients
Salad
- 2 cups kernels (≈300 g)
- 2–3 medium peaches sliced; approx. 450 g total
- 4–5 small tomatoes chopped; approx. 350 g
- ½ cup fresh basil leaves thinly sliced; approx. 10 g
Dressing
- 2 medium shallots thinly sliced; approx. 80 g
- ½ cup olive oil plus extra for brushing corn; approx. 120 ml
- 1 tsp dried oregano approx. 1 g
- ¼ cup red wine vinegar approx. 60 ml
- 2 tsp maple syrup approx. 10 ml
- 1 tsp fine sea salt approx. 6 g
- ½ tsp ground black pepper approx. 1 g
Croutons
- 3 cups bread cubes approx. 150 g
- 1 tbsp olive oil approx. 15 ml
- 1 tbsp nutritional yeast approx. 5 g
- ½ tsp smoked paprika approx. 1 g
- ¼ tsp fine sea salt approx. 2 g
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F/200 C. Line a pan with aluminum foil.
- Clean corn and brush with oil then place in pan. Roast for 20 minutes. If more char flavour is desired, turn the oven to broil for the last 5 minutes.
- Allow to cool enough to handle and slice off the cob.
Make the croutons:
- Line a baking sheet with parchment or foil.
- In a bowl, toss the bread cubes with 1 tbsp/15ml olive oil, nutritional yeast, smoked paprika, and 1/4 tsp/2g salt.
- Spread out on baking sheet. Bake for 7-10 minutes (in the same 400°F/200 C oven as the corn) until just crispy on the sides and golden.
Prep the dressing:
- Slice the shallot as thinly as possible.
- Combine all dressing ingredients in a large bowl. Whisk until blended.
- Taste and adjust salt as desired (make it a little saltier than you think as it will cover a large amount of vegetables).
Assemble the salad:
- Slice the tomatoes into 6 or 8 pieces depending on size. Slice peaches into 12 to 16 segments.
- Wash, dry, and slice the basil finely. This is easiest if you create a stack of basil leaves before cutting.
- Add the tomatoes and peaches to the dressing bowl and toss.
- Assemble directly before eating to prevent the croutons from going soggy.
- Layer on plates or in a large serving bowl with croutons, corn, and basil. Drizzle dressing from the bottom of the bowl on top.
- Dressing can be prepared up to 1 day in advance. Peaches and tomatoes can be sliced in advance but peaches may brown. Croutons can be made up to 5 days in advance. Store in an air tight container at room temperature.
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