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Prep time
5 minutes
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Cook time
25 minutes
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Serves
6 servings
Author Notes
One of my favorite quick recipes to throw together, whether I need a quick mid-day lunch, I’m tired and barely want to cook after work, or I’m hosting people over for dinner, is a bread salad like this one. Although it does require turning on both your oven and the stovetop, it’s not for long and it won’t feel like too much of a burden because all you’re doing is toasting bread and searing halloumi.
This is technically a panzanella, but I thought it was fun to call it a bruschetta salad! It has well-toasted bread, plump tomatoes, basil, garlic, and of course, balsamic vinegar. With that being said, because my current fixations include both cannellini beans and halloumi, I thought I’d add those in to make it more of a well-rounded, filling dish that you could have on its own rather than just as a side.
Tips & Tricks
• You can also make this a day in advance and chill it in the fridge until ready to serve. The crusty-gone-soggy bread tastes delicious to me, but if you don’t like that, you can wait to toss the bread in until you serve it.
• Don’t like halloumi or white beans? Leave them out or swap it with something like kidney beans, cucumber, avocado, or even corn.
• If you don’t have heirlooms, use regular beefsteak tomatoes or swap for halved cherry tomatoes instead. —Nea Arentzen
Test Kitchen Notes
This recipe is part of our August Tomato-thon, where we’re encouraging our community to try our favorite tomatoey recipes. Tell us what you loved and what you tweaked on Instagram or TikTok—tag us at @food52 and include the hashtag #f52tomatothon. —The Editors
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Ingredients
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3
thick slices (8 ounces) sourdough bread, torn into 2-inch pieces
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7 tablespoons
extra-virgin olive oil, divided, plus more for drizzling
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2 1/2 teaspoons
Diamond crystal kosher salt, divided
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5 tablespoons
balsamic vinegar
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3
cloves garlic, chopped
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1 (8.8-ounce)
piece of halloumi, cut into ¼-inch thick slices
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4 to 5
large heirloom tomatoes, sliced into 1-inch pieces
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1 (14 ounce)
can white cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
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1
shallot, finely chopped
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1/2 cup
basil, finely chopped or chiffonade, plus more for serving
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Freshly ground black pepper
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Flaky sea salt
Directions
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Preheat the oven to 400ºF with a rack in the center position. Tear the bread into 2-inch pieces and toss with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and ½ teaspoon salt on a rimmed baking sheet. Toast until deep golden brown, 10 to 12 minutes.
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Meanwhile, heat a medium nonstick skillet over medium and drizzle with a little olive oil. Cook the halloumi until deep golden brown on both sides, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate to cool slightly.
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In a small bowl or measuring cup, whisk together the remaining 5 tablespoons olive oil, balsamic vinegar, garlic, and remaining 2 teaspoons salt. Set aside.
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In a large salad bowl, add the tomatoes and season with an additional generous pinch of salt. Add the toasted croutons, beans, shallot, and basil, then tear in the halloumi in 1-inch pieces. Pour the dressing across the salad, then gently toss until all the bread and tomatoes are coated. Season with freshly ground pepper and more salt to taste. Garnish with more basil and flaky salt, if desired. Serve immediately or chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
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