Grilled Vegetable Panzanella with Butter Beans
It’s not summer without panzanella. In this grilled vegetable panzanella, I keep the juicy tomatoes and crunchy bread pieces, but I also add grilled zucchini, bell peppers, and some tender butter beans to make this salad extra satisfying. Grilling the crusty bread slices alongside the vegetables gets most of the work done in one move. Ready in about 40 minutes with simple ingredients! A little marinated and grilled tempeh on the side would make for a beautiful summer dinner.
Working on this recipe was such a joy for me! One of my fave earlier recipes that I’ve shared on the blog was a peach and tomato panzanella (posted in 2012!). Capturing this new version brought me back to that simpler time. To me, it’s one of the greatest salads of all time (guaranteed at least 33% bread haha). I wanted to share a version that’s a bit more hearty and filling, so: enter the butter beans and extra veg.
I love the plush and creamy texture of butter beans. They work perfectly with tomatoes! The red wine vinegar-based dressing leans a bit more acidic because of the bean addition. It all balances out, trust.
To skip turning on the oven, I had the idea to just grill some sourdough bread slices and then rub them with a halved garlic clove hot off the grill. The smell of the garlic and toasted bread will make you salivate! Such a simple, high impact step.
I tried a version of this grilled vegetable panzanella with grilled red onions (I love them!), but found the overall impression a bit too oniony with the shallots in the dressing. Sweet charred bell peppers and slightly jammy browned zucchini are all you need. This is rustic, late summer weeknight cooking at its best!
Grilled Vegetable Panzanella with Butter Beans
Garlic-rubbed grilled bread is the trick behind this grilled vegetable panzanella, tossed with charred zucchini and peppers, juicy tomatoes, and butter beans for extra heartiness.
Servings 4 -6
Ingredients
Dressing
- 1 small shallot, peeled and diced
- 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 2 teaspoons maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vegan Worcestershire sauce
- ½ cup olive oil
Salad
- 1 large bell pepper
- 1 medium zucchini
- 3 slices sourdough bread
- olive oil, for drizzling
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 1 clove garlic, peeled and halved
- 398 mL can (13.5 oz) butter beans, drained
- 1 ½ cups cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 cup fresh basil leaves (not packed), chopped
Notes
- The quality of the tomatoes and basil is important in this recipe. I don’t recommend making it outside of the prime summer season!
- Only toss with dressing right before serving. Of course the grilled bread pieces that have soaked up a bit of dressing and the juicy tomato are the best part, but you don’t want them getting TOO soggy.
- My red bell pepper was on the small side, so I threw in a couple sweet banana peppers as well.
Instructions
Make the dressing.
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Combine the shallot, red wine vinegar, salt, pepper, maple syrup, Worcestershire sauce, and olive oil in a jar. Using a stick blender, blend until completely smooth. Set aside.
Grill the vegetables and bread
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Preheat your grill to medium-high.
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Cut around the core of the bell pepper so that you have nice big pieces that are fit for grilling. Trim the zucchini and cut it into quarters lengthwise.
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Place the bell pepper pieces, zucchini spears, and bread slices on a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Flip everything over and repeat the oil drizzle and seasoning.
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Pop the halved garlic clove on your baking sheet as well!
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Place the vegetables on the grill. Let them char and cook for a few minutes before flipping over. Let the veg char on the other side before removing and placing back on the baking sheet.
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Place the bread on the grill as well and let it get charred/toasty on the one side. Flip the pieces over and let it char on the other side.
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Transfer the bread to the baking sheet. Quickly rub both sides of the hot grilled bread with the halved garlic clove. You should smell the garlic immediately. Turn off the grill.
Assemble the salad
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Chop the vegetables and bread into bite-sized pieces and place in a large serving bowl. Chop the grilled bread into cubes and add that to the bowl as well.
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Then, go in with the butter beans, cherry tomatoes, basil, and all of the dressing. Season with salt and pepper and toss to combine. I like to garnish with a big, pretty sprig of basil on top. Serve immediately!
