panzanella salad

This is a great vegetarian dinner, very satisfying and addicting! I love to make this in summer to use up extra basil from the herb garden. The idea here is to cut all the salad elements into the same size pieces, about the size of dice.

serves 4 as an entree or 6 as a starter

1 baguette, cut into large cubes
1 10-oz container grape or cherry tomatoes, cut in half
1 cucumber, peeled, seeded, and chopped into large chunks
16-oz mozarella, chopped into large chunks
1 bunch fresh basil leaves in chiffonade
6 green onions, thinly sliced
1 cup perfect vinaigrette
salt and pepper to taste
olive oil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Toss bread chunks with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and spread out on a baking sheet in a single layer. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until crisp and toasted. While bread cools, toss vegetables and cheese with vinaigrette in a large salad bowl. Add cooled bread and mix. Refrigerate for at least 20 minutes before serving to allow bread to soak up vinaigrette and flavors to combine.