Fall Panzanella Salad

In the gardens here in the frigid tundra of Minnesota, fall brings a time when vegetables such as squash are at their prime for picking. I'm not quite ready to make the switch to the soup, stew & roast focused menus that become popular this time of year. This Fall Panzanella Salad is a great last ditch effort to hang on to salad season, while utilizing some of the great vegetables that are just coming into season now.

Panza-what?

Panzanella is an Italian based salad featuring toasted bread, vinaigrette & a variety of vegetables. I was first introduced to this salad in it's more traditional version made with fresh tomatoes, cucumber & basil. Our family loves this version during the hot summer months, but I wanted to come up with a new recipe that would transition well into the fall season. The vegetables in this Fall Panzanella Salad take on such a great flavor when roasted and the balsamic vinaigrette & goat cheese tie everything together perfectly.

Roasting the Veggies

Start the Fall Panzanella Salad by getting the veggies ready to roast. First, peel  and dice butternut squash and cut into 1 inch cubes. You should end up with about 3 cups. Trim ends of brussels sprouts and cut them in half. You should get about 3 cups of these as well. Next, cut broccoli into bite-size florets to yield about 2 cups. Finally, slice half a red onion into thin slices.

Place the veggies on large baking sheet and coat with olive oil, salt & pepper. Roast in oven 20-25 minutes until vegetables are tender. Remove from oven and set aside to cool to room temperature. To save time, the vegetables could be roasted ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator until ready to use.

Homemade Croutons

You will want your oven to remain at 400 degrees so don't turn it off if you are going right to this step after roast the veggies. 

Take Italian loaf and cut in half. Most are about 16 oz. for a whole loaf, so you want to aim for about 8 oz. of crusty bread. Cut into 1 inch cubes.

In large cast iron skillet, add butter & 2 Tbsp. olive oil. When butter is melted, add garlic and cook for a minute. Add in cubed bread and stir to thoroughly coat. Place skillet in oven and cook croutons for 18-20 minutes until bread lightly browns and turns crispy. If you don't have a cast iron skillet, follow the steps on the stovetop in a regular skillet and transfer onto baking sheet to toast in the oven. Remove from oven and set aside to cool. These croutons are SO good! Try not to eat too many right out of the pan!

Assembling the Fall Panzanella Salad

When the veggies and bread are cooled, time to make the Fall Panzanella Salad! 

In a mason jar, combine all of the dressing ingredients. Give the jar a good shake to combine. The dressing could also be made in a small bowl and whisked together, but I think the mason jar is so simple and fun!

Add the roasted vegetables to a large bowl. Pour in vinaigrette and mix to coat well. Add in croutons and stir together. Finally, crumble goat cheese into bowl and add the dried cranberries. Gently mix everything together, being sure not to squish the vegetables and cheese too much. Let sit about 10-15 minutes to let the flavors marry together. 

This salad just screams fall without being too heavy like the soups & stews we traditionally lean on this time of year. I hope this Fall Panzanella Salad will be one you use to hold onto the last bit of warm weather before it's gone!

Fall Panzanella Salad Recipe Notes

• You won't want to assemble the salad more than about 45 minutes before serving. After that, the veggies and croutons may start to turn mushy.
• Serve with fresh fruit for a nice lunch option or pair with a protein like steak or chicken for a more hearty dinner.
• Pearl mozzarella could be used instead of the goat cheese. I've just recently come around to the flavor of goat cheese, so if you aren't sure about it I encourage you to give it a try. The flavor is perfect in this salad!
• Feel free to switch up the veggies! Other vegetables like sweet potatoes, carrots or even beets would be excellent choices!

Other popular salad recipes:

Grilled Caesar Salad

Grape Chicken Salad

Taco Salad with Chipotle Ranch

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📖 Recipe

Ashley Leonard

Fall Panzanella Salad

5 from 1 vote

A delicious fall salad with roasted vegetables, homemade croutons & goat cheese topped with balsamic vinaigrette & dried cranberries.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 45 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 15 minutes mins

Servings: 6

Course: Salad

Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x?

Salad

• ½ loaf italian bread 8 oz.
• 4 tbsp. olive oil divided
• 6 tablespoon butter
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 1 medium butternut squash peeled & diced, about 3 cups
• 1 16 oz. bag brussels sprouts trimmed & halved, about 3 cups
• 1 head broccoli cut into florets, about 2 cups
• ½ red onion thinly sliced
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 4 oz. goat cheese
• ½ cup dried cranberries

Dressing

• ½ cup olive oil
• 3 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
• ½ tsp. dijon mustard
• ½ tsp. salt
• ¼ tsp. black pepper

Equipment

• Sheet Pan
• Pint Mason Jars

Method

 

Roasting Vegetables

1. Preheat oven to 400°.
2. Place squash, brussels sprouts, broccoli & onion on large baking sheet. Drizzle with 2 Tbsp. olive oil, salt & pepper. Toss well & roast 20-25 minutes until vegetables are tender. Remove from oven and set aside to cool.

Making Croutons

1. Cut Italian bread into 1 inch cubes.
2. In cast iron skillet over medium-high heat, place 2 Tbsp. olive oil & butter. Once butter is melted, add garlic. Stir in cubed bread, coating thoroughly in olive oil & butter.
3. Place skillet in 400° degree oven and cook for 18-20 minutes, stirring once halfway through until bread is nicely toasted.
4. Remove from oven & set aside to cool to room temperature while making vinaigrette.

Vinaigrette

1. In mason jar, put all vinaigrette ingredients. Shake until well combined. This could also be done in a small bowl and whisked together.

Assembling the Salad

1. When cooled to room temperature, add roasted vegetables to large bowl.
2. Pour vinaigrette over vegetables and toss to coat.
3. Add croutons and mix well.
4. Crumble goat cheese and add to salad along with dried cranberries. Gently mix together.
5. Allow salad to sit for about 15 minutes before serving to combine flavors. You won't want to assemble the salad more than about 45 minutes before serving.

Notes

• You won't want to assemble the salad more than about 45 minutes before serving. After that, the veggies and croutons may start to turn more mushy.
• Serve with fresh fruit for a nice lunch option or pair with a protein like steak or chicken for a more hearty dinner.
• Pearl mozzarella could be used instead of the goat cheese. I've just recently come around to the flavor of goat cheese, so if you aren't sure about it I encourage you to give it a try. The flavor is perfect in this salad!
• Feel free to switch up the veggies! Other vegetables like sweet potatoes, carrots or even beets would be excellent choices!

Tried this recipe?

Let us know how it was!