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Summer Panzanella Salad with Fresh Tomatoes and Basil

I am calling this the salad of the summer.

This is the perfect tomato panzanella salad! It's full of juicy, bursting, sweet tomatoes, toasted sourdough bread cubes, fresh herbs, grilled corn, sliced avocado and an incredible homemade dressing that blankets everything in deliciousness.

This tomato panzanella has become the most made salad in my kitchen lately, even outshining the cheeseburger salad, the poppyseed chicken salad and our old house salad. It’s essentially my new go-to—fresh, satisfying and endlessly adaptable.

This is the perfect tomato panzanella salad! It's full of juicy, bursting, sweet tomatoes, toasted sourdough bread cubes, fresh herbs, grilled corn, sliced avocado and an incredible homemade dressing that blankets everything in deliciousness.

For summer dinners I’m happiest with tomatoes, basil, corn and maybe a bit of burrata — sometimes drizzled with balsamic glaze. Combine those flavors and add some toasted bread, and you’ve got something that tastes like warm nights and sunshine.

This is the perfect tomato panzanella salad! It's full of juicy, bursting, sweet tomatoes, toasted sourdough bread cubes, fresh herbs, grilled corn, sliced avocado and an incredible homemade dressing that blankets everything in deliciousness.

I may have previously crowned the chicken poppyseed salad “the salad of the summer” — which was true for early summer — but this panzanella is the one I want on repeat for the rest of the season.

This is the perfect tomato panzanella salad! It's full of juicy, bursting, sweet tomatoes, toasted sourdough bread cubes, fresh herbs, grilled corn, sliced avocado and an incredible homemade dressing that blankets everything in deliciousness.

When tomatoes are at their peak — bursting with color and sweetness — they become like vegetable candy. That’s the perfect time for panzanella.

This is the perfect tomato panzanella salad! It's full of juicy, bursting, sweet tomatoes, toasted sourdough bread cubes, fresh herbs, grilled corn, sliced avocado and an incredible homemade dressing that blankets everything in deliciousness.

I first found this version last year and based my approach on a classic panzanella method. Toasted bread soaks up a dressing made from the tomato juices, paired with the ripest tomatoes — pure summer bliss.

This is the perfect tomato panzanella salad! It's full of juicy, bursting, sweet tomatoes, toasted sourdough bread cubes, fresh herbs, grilled corn, sliced avocado and an incredible homemade dressing that blankets everything in deliciousness.

Here’s how it works: salt the tomatoes and let them rest in a colander over a bowl so their juices collect. Those juices form the base of the dressing — simple, bright and brilliant.

I usually add a few extras: grilled sweet corn and sliced avocado make the salad more substantial. If you want to bulk it up further, chicken, chickpeas or tuna are great options.

This is the perfect tomato panzanella salad! It's full of juicy, bursting, sweet tomatoes, toasted sourdough bread cubes, fresh herbs, grilled corn, sliced avocado and an incredible homemade dressing that blankets everything in deliciousness.

The dressing benefits from a touch of shallot for brightness — I don’t typically love raw onions in salad, but a little shallot here is perfect. Fresh basil, oregano, chives and garlic finish the dish and make it feel like a true celebration of summer produce.

It’s indulgent in the best possible way: fresh, vibrant and utterly satisfying.

This is the perfect tomato panzanella salad! It's full of juicy, bursting, sweet tomatoes, toasted sourdough bread cubes, fresh herbs, grilled corn, sliced avocado and an incredible homemade dressing that blankets everything in deliciousness.

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The Best Summer Panzanella Salad

Yield: 4 people
Total Time: 1
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4.97 from 31 votes

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Ingredients

  • 1 loaf sourdough bread cut into cubes
  • 1/3 cup olive oil + 2 tablespoons
  • 3 cups cherry and/or grape tomatoes halved or quartered
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 3 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 shallot minced
  • 1/2 teaspoon dijon mustard
  • 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
  • fresh ground black pepper
  • 1/2 cup fresh basil chopped
  • 1 avocado thinly sliced
  • 2 ears corn kernels cut from the cob (grilled or fresh)
  • fresh oregano and basil leaves for serving

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spread the sourdough cubes on a baking sheet, toss with 2 tablespoons olive oil, and bake 15–20 minutes until lightly toasted. Set aside to cool.
  • Place the halved tomatoes in a colander set over a bowl. Sprinkle with kosher salt and toss. Let sit 15–20 minutes so the juices collect in the bowl, tossing occasionally.
  • Whisk the collected tomato juices with the garlic, minced shallot, dijon mustard, apple cider vinegar and fresh ground black pepper. Slowly stream in the 1/3 cup olive oil while whisking until the dressing emulsifies.
  • Combine the toasted bread cubes, tomatoes and chopped basil in a bowl. Pour about half the dressing over the mixture and toss so the bread soaks up the dressing. Taste and adjust salt and pepper. Let sit 30 minutes to meld.
  • Transfer the mixture to a large serving plate, add the corn and sliced avocado, drizzle more dressing if desired, and gently toss. Top with extra fresh oregano and basil and serve.

Notes

Adapted from a classic panzanella method.
Course: Salad
Cuisine: American

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This is the perfect tomato panzanella salad! It's full of juicy, bursting, sweet tomatoes, toasted sourdough bread cubes, fresh herbs, grilled corn, sliced avocado and an incredible homemade dressing that blankets everything in deliciousness.

P.S. It’s beautiful.