Chickpea panzanella is a super-simple and delicious dish ideal for summer nights when you don’t want to do much cooking. Chickpeas are quick-marinated in a Dijon vinaigrette and then tossed with fresh peaches, tomatoes, cucumbers and toasted sourdough cubes. Finish with avocado, a handful of arugula and some torn fresh basil. If you can toast bread, you can make this dish.
Panzanella − Toasted Bread Salad
Panzanella is just a type of salad that features toasted or stale bread cubes tossed with other ingredients in some sort of vinaigrette (oil and vinegar combination). The toasted bread cubes absorb some of the flavorful vinaigrette which makes them chewy without being soggy. A panzanella is perfect for a night when you want something light but a plain salad is not enough to fill you up.
I’ve been making versions of panzanella for years. My Simple Summer Panzanella is essentially the same recipe using shredded rotisserie chicken as the protein.
This chickpea panzanella recipe is a vegetarian twist on the classic.
Chickpea Panzanella
Other than chopping up some ingredients, there are two basic steps to making a chickpea panzanella. First, quick-marinate a 1/2 can of drained and rinsed chickpeas in a mixture of Champagne vinegar and Dijon mustard. If I have a shallot or red onion on hand, I add some super-thin slices to the vinaigrette as well.
“Quick-marinate” just means let the chickpeas soak while you prepare the other ingredients. That is just long enough to let them absorb some flavor so they don’t taste straight from the can. It also tones down the red onion.
The second part of making a chickpea panzanella is to toast your bread cubes. I use sourdough but you can use whatever you have on hand. A panzanella is the perfect way to use up the last part of a fancy bread loaf that has gotten too hard to use for sandwiches. You can use regular sandwich bread but I highly recommend something with more heft.
Cut your bread into large chunks and bake on a baking sheet at 325℉ for 15 to 20 minutes. You want them to be crunchy but not as hard as a crouton.
Panzanella Bread Cubes
If you are feeling lazy, just throw the bread in the oven. If you want to make things a little sexier, you can lightly coat the bread in cooking spray or toss lightly with some olive oil and season with salt and pepper for a more refined result.
If you want to get really sexy, toss the bread with some dried herbs like thyme or an Italian spice blend. Taking this simple step does make a difference in the final chickpea panzanella dish.
Get It On the Table
While your bread is baking, you have plenty of time to chop up your other ingredients. Add the tomato, cucumber and peaches to the bowl with the marinated chickpeas and toss. I keep the avocado, arugula and basil on the side until I’m ready to serve just so they don’t wilt.
Once your bread is ready, don’t let it cool down. Throw it in the bowl and toss everything thoroughly using two forks. Finish with the avocado, arugula and basil and serve immediately. It gives the chickpea panzanella a more dinner-like feel to have warm bread.
This chickpea panzanella recipe will make 2 generous portions for dinner. Eat it all up because panzanella does not work as leftovers.
Ready to give it a try?
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp Champagne or white wine vinegar
- 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- salt and pepper
- 1 tbsp shallot, thinly sliced optional
- 1/2 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1.5 cups sourdough bread chunks, ideally already stale
- olive oil cooking spray
- salt and pepper
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp dried thyme or other herbs
- 1 medium tomato, cut into chunks (or about 8 cherry tomatoes halved)
- 1 medium peach, sliced
- 1 small cucumber, peeled and cut into half moons
- 1 avocado, diced into large cubes
- 1 cup fresh arugula, roughly chopped
- 1/4 cup fresh basil, torn into pieces
Instructions
Quick-Marinate the Chickpeas
- In a large serving bowl, whisk together the vinegar, Dijon mustard and olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Add a 1/2 can of drained and rinsed chickpeas. If using, add the sliced red onion. Stir to combine and coat the chickpeas. Set aside to marinate while you prepare the rest.
Make the Sourdough Croutons
- Preheat oven to 325°. Cut bread into 2-inch chunks, place in a baking dish in a flat layer. Spray with olive oil cooking spray and toss. Season with salt, pepper, garlic powder and any other dried herbs you have on hand. Toss again. Bake 10-15 minutes until golden (if using fresh bread it may take a little longer to be totally dry).
Salad
- While the bread is baking, chop the peaches, tomatoes and cucumber. Add them to the chickpeas and toss to coat. As soon as the bread is done, add that to the bowl and toss well using two forks. You want a little of the vinaigrette to touch each bread cube.
- Add the avocado cubes, arugula and fresh torn basil. Toss lightly and serve immediately.
Nutrition
If you love recipes like this, try Carne Asada and Grilled Corn Panzanella or Halloumi Panzanella next.
