Avocado and Walnut Panzanella
If you’re craving a fresh and hearty salad that’s full of flavour, this avocado and walnut panzanella is the perfect dish to whip up. A tasty twist on the traditional Italian bread salad, this avocado and walnut panzanella combines the creaminess of ripe avocados with the crunch of toasted walnuts, all tossed with juicy tomatoes, refreshing cucumbers, and crispy bread pieces. It makes the perfect light lunch or a vibrant side dish for your favourite vegan main.
What you need
What you need- ciabatta rolls
- olive oil
- walnuts
- tomatoes
- cucumber
- red onion
- avocado
- jar of roasted red peppers
- black olives
- fresh basil
How to make avocado and walnut panzanella
How to make avocado and walnut panzanellaStart by chopping all of your colourful ingredients. Cut your tomatoes in half, slice the cucumber, red onion and avocado and roughly chop the roasted red peppers. I like to pick a variety of colourful tomatoes for even more colour.
Next, heat the olive oil in a large frying pan and toss in the torn up ciabatta chunks. Fry until crispy and golden and then set these aside. Add the walnuts to the pan and toast for a minute or two. Remove these first ingredients and add to a large salad bowl.
Next, add your chopped up tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, peppers and olives to the bowl to create a rainbow in a bowl.
Save the avocado to stir through at the end as it can become mushy. Stir to mix through.
Now to make your dressing, whisk together olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and Dijon mustard, and season with salt and pepper. This dressing is a versatile one you can double or triple and save in the fridge in a container for other salads.
Just before serving, add the avocado and drizzle over the dressing. Toss to coat evenly. Finally tear in the basil leaves on top, and serve.
This salad would be a perfect side for a BBQ or late summer side dish to a simple pasta. Why not try serving alongside my black bean burger or creamy tomato tagliatelle.
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Avocado and Walnut Panzanella
Ingredients
- 2 small ciabatta rolls (torn into cubes (use GF for GFO))
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 75 g walnuts (toasted)
- 450 g colourful tomatoes (halved (or cut into bite sized pieces if larger tomatoes))
- 1 cucumber (sliced)
- 1 red onion (cut in half and thinly sliced)
- 1 avocado (sliced)
- 1 320g jar (roasted red peppers, drained and roughly chopped (can substitute for 1 red pepper chopped))
- 1 handful Black olives (pitted)
- 1 handful fresh basil
Dressing
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 1 tbsp dijon mustard
- sea salt and black pepper
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan and toss in the bread chunks. Fry until crispy and golden and then set aside.
- Add the walnuts to the pan and toast for a minute or two. Remove and add to a salad bowl.
- Next, add the tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, peppers and olives to the bowl (leaving the avocado till last). Stir everything together to mix.
- Whisk together olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and Dijon mustard, and season for your dressing.
- Just before serving, add the avocado and drizzle over the dressing. Toss to coat evenly. Finally tear in the basil leaves and serve.
Notes
Nutrition
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One comment
Jen
Such a perfect late summer recipe. I made this for my family as a side and it was the hero of the meal. Everyone loved it. Thank you!