Ina Garten's Greek panzanella salad will transport you to Greece, no passport required

Jul 30, 2026 12:08 AM - 14 hours ago 2

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I made Ina Garten's Greek panzanella salad, and it's cleanable for summer. Nathan Congleton/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images via Getty Images

As the kid of Greek immigrants, the classic Greek salad has ever been a staple of my family's meal table.

And that crockery has followed maine nary matter wherever I've lived. Sometimes it's the cleanable table lunch. Other times, it's a speedy and patient dinner.

While location are immoderate rules I'll ne'er break erstwhile it comes to the look — extremity adding lettuce! —  I emotion trying caller twists, like Ina Garten's Greek orzo salad (a immense deed pinch my parents).

When I stumbled connected Garten's Greek panzanella salad, I instantly headed to the market shop for the ingredients. Turns out, it's 1 of her best summertime dishes.

Garten's Greek panzanella crockery adds a caller twist to the classical Italian dish.

Ingredients for Ina Garten's Greek panzanella salad

Ingredients for Ina Garten's Greek panzanella salad. Anneta Konstantinides/Business Insider

To make Garten's Greek panzanella crockery astatine home, you'll need:

  • Good oliva oil
  • 6 cups of "rustic" aliases French bread, diced into 1-inch cubes
  • 1 hothouse cucumber, unpeeled and seeded, halved lengthwise and sliced ½-inch thick
  • 1 reddish doorbell pepper, large-diced
  • 1 yellowish doorbell pepper, large-diced
  • 1 pint of cherry aliases grape tomatoes, halved
  • ½ reddish onion, thinly sliced into half-rounds
  • ½ lb of bully feta cheese, trim into ½-inch cubes
  • ½ cup of kalamata olives, pitted

To make the vinaigrette, you'll need:

  • 2 cloves of garlic, minced
  • ¼ cup of bully reddish vino vinegar
  • 1 spoon of dried oregano
  • 1 spoon of salt
  • ½ spoon of Dijon mustard
  • ½ spoon of freshly crushed achromatic pepper

One point to note: I couldn't find French aliases "rustic" breadstuff astatine my section supermarket, truthful I opted for immoderate thick-sliced achromatic bread. The croutons still came retired great!

Before assembling the salad, I needed to make the homemade croutons.

Cutting handmade croutons for Ina Garten's Greek panzanella salad

Cubing breadstuff for Garten's homemade croutons. Anneta Konstantinides/Business Insider

After cutting my breadstuff into cubes, I added ¼ cup of oliva lipid to a ample sauté cookware and allowed it to power up.

I knew the cookware was fresh by utilizing a instrumentality I learned from Martha Stewart. If you sprinkle a fewer drops of h2o connected apical and the lipid originates to sizzle, it's basking enough.

I added my breadstuff cubes to the cookware and seasoned them pinch brackish and pepper.

Making croutons for Ina Garten's Greek panzanella salad

Making the homemade croutons. Anneta Konstantinides/Business Insider

Garten recommends cooking the breadstuff cubes complete debased to mean heat, tossing frequently, until they're lightly browned.

Don't beryllium acrophobic to adhd much oliva lipid if you need.

While the croutons were cooking, I began chopping my veggies.

Chopping veggies for Ina Garten's Greek panzanella salad

My chopped doorbell peppers. Anneta Konstantinides/Business Insider

I seeded and diced my doorbell peppers, sliced my cucumber and reddish onion, and halved my tomatoes.

After astir 10 minutes, my croutons were ready.

Homemade croutons for Ina Garten's Greek panzanella salad

My homemade croutons. Anneta Konstantinides/Business Insider

My croutons had turned a beautiful aureate brown. I knew they would look beautiful successful the salad.

It was clip to combine the Greek panzanella salad.

Adding chopped veggies to a vessel for Ina Garten's Greek panzanella salad

Adding the prepared veggies to a crockery bowl. Anneta Konstantinides/Business Insider

I threw the cucumbers, doorbell peppers, tomatoes, and reddish onions into a ample vessel and tossed everything together.

Then I whipped up the vinaigrette.

Making the dressing for Ina Garten's Greek panzanella salad

Making the vinaigrette for the salad. Anneta Konstantinides/Business Insider

I added the reddish vino vinegar, minced garlic, dried oregano, and Dijon mustard to a mini bowl, sprinkling 1 spoon of brackish and ½ spoon of freshly crushed achromatic capsicum connected top, past whisked everything together.

As I continued to whisk, I slow added ½ cup of oliva lipid to make an emulsion.

I poured my vinaigrette complete the veggies, past added the feta, olives, and croutons. My crockery was almost ready!

Ina Garten's Greek panzanella salad

Ina Garten's Greek panzanella salad. Anneta Konstantinides/Business Insider

I lightly tossed everything together and fto the crockery beryllium for 30 minutes truthful the flavors could develop. Then it was clip to excavation in.

Garten's Greek panzanella crockery is simply a beautiful creation of spirit and texture. It's crunchy, juicy, and truthful colorful, making it a cleanable summertime dish. The homemade croutons were worthy the other effort, and I urge adding smoked kalamata olives for an moreover bigger burst of flavor.

I've made this for 2 different potlucks pinch friends, and it's ever been a crowd-pleaser. I can't hold to spot if my parents emotion it arsenic overmuch arsenic Garten's Greek orzo salad.

As a Greek American who conscionable sewage backmost from Greece, I tin confidently opportunity the Barefoot Contessa knows really to grant our cuisine.

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Anneta Konstantinides is simply a manner analogous astatine Business Insider, pinch a attraction connected nutrient and travel. She loves taking readers inside Michelin-starred kitchens and exploring the world of fine-dining, and she's ever trying to find the best Ina Garten and Gordon Ramsay recipes. Her 2nd location is LAX, wherever she's often catching a formation and reviewing airlines.Anneta has besides been reporting connected the pageant manufacture for the past six years and has interviewed each Miss USA and Miss Universe victor since 2019. She was a finalist astatine the LA Press Club Awards for her investigation into the  2022 Miss USA ungraded and was featured successful The New York Times Presents section "How to Fix a Pageant" connected Hulu successful September 2023. After graduating from UCLA pinch a B.A successful English Literature and a insignificant successful movie & television, Anneta worked arsenic a journalist successful London, Sydney, New York City, Los Angeles, and Washington, DC. You tin scope Anneta astatine [email protected]

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