Easy Panzanella Salad with Burrata
By Sammi Brondo — July 28, 2025
If you love tomatoes, you have to make this Easy Panzanella Salad with Burrata. And honestly even if you don’t like tomatoes, you still have to make this salad.
In season tomatoes are probably one of my favorite foods. They are SO delicious when they’re in season and perfectly ripe.
And trust me on this one, I used to hate tomatoes. Like, I think they used to be one of my least favorite vegetables.
But there’s something about produce when it’s in season that makes it infinitely more delicious.
It’s often grown more locally. It doesn’t have to travel as far to reach you. And because of that, it retains more of its flavor and nutrients than if it did travel far.
Don’t get me wrong – you don’t have to eat seasonally all the time (my kids love a good honey crisp apple no matter the time of year), but eating seasonally is a great way to reap the benefits of produce and/or try something new.
Like tomatoes, for example. I really didn’t think I liked them until I tried them while they were in season. Game changer!
If you’re not a fan of tomatoes, I want to challenge you to try this salad. Instead of mushy or mealy, flavorless tomatoes, this salad utilizes peak tomatoes: the heirloom.
They’re juicy, flavorful, and so ripe and delicious. Paired with sourdough bread, creamy burrata cheese, and lots of salt, their umami flavor is to die for.
In the recipe, the tomatoes are first salted to help release their juice and bring out their flavor.
Then, delicious, crusty sourdough is added to the mix.
Everything is mixed with a light and refreshing dressing. And lastly, topped with creamy burrata cheese.
So, yeah, it’s a lot of tomato, but I promise, they’re prepared in such a delicious way.
Serve this salad with easy summery proteins, like grilled chicken, salmon, or shrimp, and you’ve got an ideal summer meal in no time.
Prepare ingredients
Gather your ingredients. Preheat the oven to 350 F.
Prep the tomatoes
Wash and cut tomatoes into 1-inch pieces. Add the tomatoes to a colander over a large bowl and add salt. Mix to combine and let the tomatoes set for about 15 minutes, tossing them occasionally, so that their juices get released into the bowl. Set aside.
Slice the bread into cubes
Slice the bread into small cubes. Toss with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, salt, and pepper and spread on a baking sheet.
Toast the bread
Toast the bread in the preheated oven for about 15-20 minutes, shaking the pan to stir about halfway through.
Make the dressing
In a small bowl, add the juice from the tomatoes, remaining 3 tablespoons of olive oil, red wine vinegar, minced garlic, Dijon mustard, honey, basil, and salt. Whisk well.
Assemble the salad
In a large bowl, add the salted tomatoes, and toasted bread.
Toss the salad with dressing
Pour the dressing on top and toss to combine.
Optional: let the dressing set for at least 10 minutes before adding cheese and eating.
Add burrata
Gently cut the burrata into small pieces. Top the salad with the burrata.
Garnish and serve
Add fresh basil to garnish.
Notes
- Tomatoes: Heirloom tomatoes are a summertime star, imo. But one of the lovely things about panzanella is that any tomato will work. Try cutting large beefsteak or roma tomatoes into cubes. You can also halve cherry or grape tomatoes.
- Sourdough bread: This recipe is a great way to use bread that’s gone a little stale. A thick, crusty sourdough really works best.
- Burrata cheese: While traditional panzanella salads don’t have burrata cheese, I love the added creaminess and savory flavor this provides. You can try without or you can swap it for fresh mozzarella cheese too.
- Additional add ons: Panzanella salads often have red onion and cucumber added. Try adding those and/or diced avocado!
- Let the dressing sit: If you have time, let the salad sit for about 30 minutes after adding the dressing so that it really seeps in to the tomatoes and bread. But if not, it’s totally fine to skip ahead and eat or serve as is.
- Storage: To make this salad in advance, prepare the tomatoes, bread, and dressing. Before serving, add the dressing to the salad and add the cheese. Panzanella salad is best within a day or so of making it.
Ingredients
- 3-4 medium-size heirloom tomatoes
- 2 large slices sourdough bread
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 8 oz. burrata cheese
- Salt
- Pepper
- Fresh basil to garnish
Dressing
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh basil chopped
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 F.
- Wash and cut tomatoes into 1-inch pieces. Add the tomatoes to a colander over a large bowl and add salt. Mix to combine and let the tomatoes set for about 15 minutes, tossing them occasionally, so that their juices get released into the bowl. Set aside.
- Slice the bread into small cubes. Toss with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, salt, and pepper and spread on a baking sheet. Toast the bread in the preheated oven for about 15-20 minutes, shaking the pan to stir about halfway through.
- Make the dressing. In a small bowl, add the juice from the tomatoes, remaining 3 tablespoons of olive oil, red wine vinegar, minced garlic, Dijon mustard, honey, basil, and salt. Whisk well.
- Assemble the salad. In a large bowl, add the salted tomatoes and toasted bread. Pour the dressing on top and toss to combine. (Optional: let the dressing set for at least 10 minutes before adding cheese and eating).
- Gently cut the burrata into small pieces. Top the salad with the burrata and add fresh basil to garnish.
