Father's Day

BLT Panzanella

by:
October  4, 2022
5
1 Ratings
BLT Panzanella
  • Serves 4
Author Notes

I loved the BLT's my mom made me when I was little, with tomatoes fresh from her garden. They were still warm from the sun, and when combined with the salty bacon and crispy lettuce, along with the crumbly white toast (what is it that's so comforting about toasted bread?) and a healthy dollop of mayo, it was like summer on a plate. Living in Manhattan, Greenmarket tomatoes are the closest I get to tomatoes from the garden. My husband wanted grilled steak for dinner, and I wanted a BLT. So I made the BLT into a side dish and we both got our way. Ahhh, marriage and the art of compromise... —Meredith Shanley

Test Kitchen Notes

What struck us immediately about Meredith Shanley's recipe was its cleverness. That and the fact that it calls for bacon. In a smart maneuver, Meredith not only uses cubed bacon in the salad, but she saves some of the drippings for the dressing, a bright lemony affair made creamy with Dijon mustard and a touch of mayo. The juices from the tomatoes meld with the dressing, helping to make a little go a long way, and peppery arugula keeps the salad from being too rich. Resist the temptation to use too much bread, or the salad won't be balanced the way it should be. - A&M —The Editors

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • For the Salad
  • 1/2 large loaf ciabatta bread, cubed
  • 3 small to medium sized tomatoes, largely diced
  • 3 ounces slab bacon, cut into cubes
  • 3 handfuls arugula, roughly chopped
  • Creamy Lemon Dressing
  • 1/2 lemon, juiced
  • zest of 1/4 lemon
  • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • 1 teaspoon leftover bacon drippings
  • 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 teaspoons mayonnaise
  • Salt and fresh cracked pepper, to taste
Directions
  1. Preheat oven to 350.
  2. In a single layer on a cookie sheet, place cubed bread. Toast in oven until golden and dried through completely.
  3. In a medium sized saute pan, cook bacon until slightly crispy and nicely browned. Remove to paper towels, reserve 1 tsp drippings.
  4. Combine the dijon, lemon juice, zest, salt and pepper to taste.
  5. Whisk together bacon drippings and olive oil, then add in a slow stream to Dijon mixture.
  6. Once dressing is emulsified, whisk in mayonnaise until fully incorporated and slightly creamy.
  7. Toss tomatoes, bacon, bread, salt and fresh cracked black pepper with dressing.
  8. Just before serving, toss in arugula. Check for seasoning, serve.
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  • TheLearningCook
    TheLearningCook
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    The force is strong with this one
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    boulangere
  • jifferb
    jifferb
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11 Reviews

za'atar
za'atar June 11, 2013
What a delicious salad! I will be making this all summer long.
 
TheLearningCook
TheLearningCook September 9, 2012
This was so good. I was so nervous to make this because I am not a fan of "soggy" bread. But this was perfect. It wasn't soggy at all, just delicious.
 
J3nn
J3nn June 26, 2012
Loooved this salad! I added just a bit of honey into the dressing to take the tang out. Great summer dish.
 
The F.
The F. March 25, 2011
Tasted the dressing when I made it and thought I made a mistake cause it was so tangy. But balanced so well when i tried it with the arugula! Awesome recipe!! Thanks!
 
boulangere
boulangere February 20, 2011
Ray, wonderful idea to toast the bread slightly!
 
RayInBoston
RayInBoston September 4, 2010
Will you be my woman? As a gay man, I don't often say this. This salad is a total home run. The dressing is lemony and creamy and is the perfect complement to the arugula and bacon. My only suggestion is to rip the bread into small chunks and toss it with a little olive oil and garlic and toast is lightly...so that it still is a bit chewy. Wow!
 
jifferb
jifferb June 13, 2010
Loved this!! My bread cubes were a little too big, will make them smaller next time. Also, I let this one sit too long in the dressing before serving and my big cubes of bread got a little too soggy. But it didnt really matter - the dressing and bacon were still delicious!
 
mariaraynal
mariaraynal November 10, 2009
Incredible. Rich, decadent, yet light and refreshing.
 
Tamio888
Tamio888 November 9, 2009
Just great! Made this for close friends, last night. We get a wonderful bacon from a smokehouse in NH, so just used large pieces of their sliced bacon. Big hit!
 
lastnightsdinner
lastnightsdinner October 30, 2009
This was so good. I think this will go into heavy rotation at our place come next summer :)
 
Leslie_
Leslie_ September 12, 2009
A superb salad: fun to prepare, well balanced, colorful, and exceptionally tasty! Yum!

Leslie