There’s no denying that panzanella made with peak-season juicy tomatoes and crispy-gone-soggy bread is one of summer’s greatest dishes. But we don’t think we should have to wait until the weather warms to enjoy such an iconic dish. Enter this herbaceous, crunchy version that features all of our favorite spring vegetables, a tangy buttermilk dressing, and slabs of bread fried in olive oil. You be the judge, but we think it’s just as satisfying and delicious as the original. (Can’t find some of the vegetables? No problem! Double up on what’s available—just aim for about the same amount of green things overall.)
Ingredients
4 servings
1
2
¼
8
1
4
6
2
1
1
4
Preparation
Step 1
Finely grate garlic and the zest of 1 lemon into a large bowl. Slice both lemons in half and squeeze their juice into the bowl. Add buttermilk and 6 Tbsp. oil and whisk to combine. Season dressing with salt and lots of pepper.
Step 2
Lightly crush cucumber on a cutting board with a rolling pin or wine bottle. Add cucumber, scallions, and peas to dressing and toss well to combine. Let sit while you fry the bread and asparagus.
Step 3
Pour remaining 2 Tbsp. oil into a skillet large enough to fit both slices of bread in a single layer. Add bread and set over medium heat. Cook, undisturbed, until golden brown and crisp underneath, about 5 minutes. Turn bread over and cook just to lightly fry on the other side, about 2 minutes. Season both sides of bread with salt. Transfer to a plate.
Step 4
Arrange asparagus in same skillet, season with salt, and increase heat to medium-high. Cook, tossing occasionally, until bright green and blistered in some spots, but still crisp-tender, about 3 minutes. Add to salad.
Step 5
Tear bread into 1½” pieces and add to salad. Toss to evenly coat and help bread soak up some of the dressing. Taste and season with more salt and pepper as needed. Add herbs to salad and toss once more.
Step 6
Divide salad among shallow bowls, reserving any dressing and juices that pool at the bottom of bowl. Break feta into large pieces and nestle into salad in each bowl. Drizzle reserved dressing and juices over.
Leave a Review
Reviews (44)
Back to TopWonderful dinner salad. However, I think one lemon is enough, and two large garlic cloves add the perfect touch.
verner
West Palm Beach
7/14/2022
So bright, fresh and delicious! Perfect meal for when it's too hot to have the oven on. The store didn't have asparagus so I subbed with green beans and it was great. The lemons I had were large so I only used 1. Will definitely make again.
Alison
Philadelphia, PA
4/16/2022
I love this salad and I’m not a big salad person. So much flavor. I like to do mine more classic with tomatoes and cucumbers and I add prosciutto and burrata!
Kari
Napa, CA
3/18/2022
It may not look like much, from the ingredient list, but this dish is amazingly good. The dressing is light and tasty, and all the veggies are perfect together. We've made it twice now. Both times used ½ basil, ½ flat leaf parsley. The lemon was pretty big so I only used one, and the garlic seemed a little small so I used two. Yum.
JC
Eugene, OR
7/4/2021
Hi Molly, me and louise both loved the dish tremendously. We both love you and your fun personality. Sorry that BA are all racist scum :( keep it up with the aspergus
Panza Nella
Italy
5/7/2021
So yummy! Our small grocer was out of buttermilk, so I used plain yogurt with a splash of milk to loosen it up a bit. Cut back on the lemon and only used the juice of half, mostly because my husband hates lemon and also because prior reviews noted it was a bit too tangy. For herbs we used a lot of dill, basil and parsley, and a little mint. Super fresh and delicious, and enough to fill our family of 3 for dinner.
Rebecca
Chicago
4/15/2021
This recipe was amazing! I was doubtful, I didn't think it would be anything special, but the dressing and the bread made it so satisfying. The cucumbers and the feta was the perfect pairing. I recommend using a large garlic clove, or two small ones, the garlic added such a nice touch. Like others, I only put the juice of one lemon, not two. To make it a meal, I added faro (italian grain) and roasted almonds. Will 100% do it again :)
Anonymous
Ottawa, Canada
3/27/2021
Really enjoyed this salad, I went dill and parsley for my herbs, and only used 1.5 lemons for juicing, as that's all I had on hand. Otherwise made the salad to the recipe and it was bright and fresh, with some wonderful moments with the chewy fried bread. I would make again, especially when looking for a way to use up the veggies in my fridge.
Anonymous
Richmond, Virginia
3/17/2021
Subbed buttermilk with plain yogurt and it's soooo good.
Anonymous
7/26/2020
Simple and delicious! Now that we're all baking at home this was a nice way to use up some stale bread. Used only one lemon and half of a (big juicy) cucumber per the suggestions in the comments. Great dressing and bread prep that seems super riffable with many veg and herb combos, will definitely use it again.
Anonymous
Berkeley, CA
6/12/2020
This was a great way to use up a couple of heels of sourdough bread, a ton of herbs, and a half a container of feta cheese. The choice of veggies here doesn't seem super important so I think you can sub out for your favorite spring green things. Next time i'll skip the cucumber since this is otherwise a hearty enough salad to last a couple of days. I also second the comments that it was a bit heavy on the lemon juice (and I love high-acid salad dressings!) and extra bread is a welcome addition.
Anonymous
Seattle
6/8/2020
yum! my boyfriend thought it was a bit unbalanced - too bright - so next time I might halve the lemon juice. I thought it was delicious though!
cece.so.fly
UK
6/8/2020
Very delicious! Lots of flavor for such a green salad. Don’t know if we misunderstood, but the cucumbers were huge, at 1.5”. Would have quartered the cucumber and cut them smaller. Used basil and mint which were good complements.
Anonymous
Brooklyn, NY
6/6/2020
I made this for a picnic on the weekend and I'm obsessed. I'm already planning to make it again this weekend. I used basil, mint, and parsley as my herbs (not a dill fan) and I'd probably leave out the parsley next time, the flavour didn't seem to mesh as well as the other herbs did.
Anonymous
Toronto
6/5/2020
Extremely refreshing, love this one. Would reduce the cucumber if it isn't your favourite flavour, it tasted slightly overpowering.
E^B^R
London
6/1/2020