Grilled Panzanella Salad is the ultimate summer salad! Made with grilled veggies, toasted bread, and a delicious vinaigrette, this version of panzanella salad is light, fresh, and filled with flavor. Throw in some grilled chicken sausage or grilled chicken, and you have a hearty meal that will fill you up without weighing you down.
When the temperatures begin to warm up, I stop craving cozy casseroles and hearty soups and begin to want salads--all the salads! From a Buffalo Chicken Salad to a BBQ Chicken Salad to this Panzanella Salad, when salads taste THIS good, I can't get enough!
But if I was honest with you, the salad recipe I find myself making over and over again in the summer is THIS Grilled Panzanella Salad. We LOVE it and I think you will too!
Reasons This is the Best Panzanella Salad
- Smokey Flavor and Tons of Texture. Unlike a traditional Panzanella salad that is made with stale bread and rarely features lettuce, this grilled salad is made with grilled bread, along with freshly grilled vegetables. It is smokey, hearty, and utterly satisfying.
- Family-Friendly Salad Recipe. My family devours this salad. And begs me to make it again and again.
- Versatile Recipe. Swap out the veggies, swap out the type of bread. Add chicken sausage, grilled chicken, grilled steak, or keep it vegetarian and add in some chickpeas for plant protein. The options are endless.
- Easy to Make. This is one dinner recipe I always make when we are staying at a VRBO or condo for vacation. I can find all the ingredients at any grocery store, it comes together in minutes, and even if there is no grill the broiler works in a bind. Plus I know, everyone will enjoy it. It is the perfect meal after a day at the beach.
How To Make Grilled Panzanella Salad
The following tips are provided to help you achieve perfect results. You will find the detailed instructions in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Prepare Vinaigrette
The homemade dressing for this salad is as simple as it gets. Lemon juice, olive oil, oregano, salt and pepper. We are going to season the vegetables before grilling them, which adds tremendous flavor to the salad.
Season the Vegetables and Bread
Drizzle sliced vegetables with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper and brush the bread the olive oil.
Grill the Components for the Salad
I recommend grilling chicken sausages alongside the vegetables and add the bread to the top rack of the grill. The bread will toast as the vegetables caramelize. If you feel brave, cut your hearts of romaine in half lengthwise and throw on the grill as well. The romaine gets a little charred and wilted and SO good!
Chop Everything
Once the peppers, onions, zucchini, bread, and sausage are grilled, remove it from the the grill and dice everything into bite-sized pieces. Toss with fresh romaine (if you didn't grill your romaine), diced tomatoes, and the vinaigrettes.
Serve Salad with Parmesan
If desired, finish the panzanella salad with freshly grated parmesan for an added rich salty flavor.
More Recipes for Grilling
- Grilled Jalapeno Poppers
- Grilled Peaches
- Grilled Jerk Chicken Kabobs
- Grilled BBQ Chicken Breasts
- Grilled Teriyaki Chicken
- Grilled Shrimp Skewers
- Grilled Vegetable Kabobs
If you gave this Panzanella Salad a try, I would love for you to leave a review and comment below.
Grilled Panzanella Salad
Ingredients
For Vinaigrette
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 medium lemon juice and zest
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 tsp oregano dried
For Panzanella Salad
- 10 ounces precooked Italian chicken sausage
- 8 small mini bell peppers or 2 large red and orange bell peppers
- 8 oz Italian Bread
- 4 small zucchini
- 1 large Vidalia onion
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon each of kosher salt and pepper
- 1 large head of romaine
- 1 pint grape tomatoes sliced in half
- freshly grated Parmesan cheese for serving optional
Instructions
Salad Dressing
- Prepare the vinaigrette by whisking all the ingredients together, until well combined and set to the side.
Grilled Panzanella Salad
- Preheat grill or grill pan to medium.
- Prepare vegetables by cutting head of lettuce in half, peppers in half, zucchini in half lengthwise and onion in large slices. Drizzle vegetables with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
- Slice bread into ½ inch thick slices. Lightly brush with olive oil.
- Place sausage, peppers, zucchini, and onions on the main part of the grill. Add the bread slices to the top rack of the grill. Cover and grill for 3-4 minutes. Open grill and flip the veggies, sausage and bread. Cover and grill for another minute or two and then remove bread slices. Allow vegetables and chicken sausage to finish grilling, for about another 2-3 minutes. Remove vegetables and sausage from the grill. If desired, grill the halved romaine lettuce head for 2-3 minutes.
- Remove everything from the grill and dice up into small bite size chunks.
- Toss with tomatoes, vinaigrette, and grate fresh Parmesan over the entire salad. Serve immediately or after 1 hour to allow the bread to soften.
Karena
Is there something that can be used in place of the zucchini? Potatoes maybe?
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Karena! I would use additional peppers or yellow squash. The potatoes would need to be parboiled, then grilled, adding a lot of prep time to this salad.
Shiho
I have been looking for a salad recipe that can be a main meal for me! This panzanella salad is great! Hearty and will fill me all day, great for lunch to take. Thank you!
Kristen Chidsey
My kids took it for lunch today themselves--our entire family LOVES it!
Justine
M'mmm.....we loved it! This will be a great addition to our summer cook outs!
Caroline
I love the idea of a grilled panzanella, and the addition of sausage definitely makes it a meal. Yum!
Kristen Chidsey
Thanks Caroline, it is a great family meal for sure!
Denise Wright
This looks great! I love panzanella salads but never thought to add chicken sausage. Delicious!
Kristen Chidsey
Thanks Denise. It makes my favorite salad a hearty meal for my family!
The Ninja Baker
Very beautiful, Kristen! Viva Italia and viva scrumptious panzanella salads =)
Kristen Chidsey
Thanks so much 🙂
Hezzi-D
Love Panzanella salad and the chicken sausage sounds delicious!
Kristen Chidsey
Thanks so much Hezzi!