Recipe: Roasted Vegetable Panzanella Salad

If Summer and Winter had a tumultuous love affair.

This dish would be their love child.

When I think of roasted vegetables, it always screams Winter to me. Although it shouldn’t have to. As long as you’re brave enough to turn your oven on in the summertime, then why the heck shouldn’t you roast some of summer’s very best bounty?

And if you tend to go, um, overboard when greeted with fresh-from-the-ground vegetables at your local farmer’s market, this is the perfect way to use up a bunch of them.

Not that I would know anything about that.

Ahem.

And Panzanella? Well, it just isn’t summer if we haven’t had Panzanella. Ripe tomatoes. Fresh basil. Toasted bread goodness.

Thank you and amen.

So THIS new recipe takes the beauty of summer (toasted bread pieces from panzanella) and the very best of winter (the very act of roasting vegetables) … and combines it all.

Into one very delicious bite.

Like I could live on this for a week and be quite happy.

Several weeks, really.

Super simple. Healthy up the wazoo. And totally guilt-free.

Go on and celebrate the last burst of summer veggies, and get going with your Roasted Vegetable Panzanella Salad bad self.

You’ll thank me.

Swear.

Roasted Vegetable Panzanella Salad
Recipe courtesy of Cate O’Malley

Salad ingredients:
1 zucchini, chopped into bite size pieces
1 eggplant, peeled and then chopped into bite size pieces
3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1/2 pint cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
1/2 red onion, roughly chopped
half of a whole wheat baguette, sliced and then cut into bite size pieces
extra virgin olive oil
balsamic vinegar
salt pepper

Dressing ingredients:
1/4 cup Nakano rice wine vinegar
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons capers

Directions:
Heat oven to 425 degrees. Spray baking sheet with non-stick spray. Put the zucchini, eggplant, garlic, tomatoes, onions, and bread on the baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt, and pepper. Use your hands and mix to combine. Make sure all the pieces are laying flat. Bake for 30 minutes.

While it’s baking, mix up your dressing ingredients in the bottom of a large bowl. Once your vegetable mixture is done, add to bowl, and stir to combine.

Notes: This recipe is super flexible, so feel free to mix and match with your favorite vegetables.

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