Cora’s Recipe for Panzanella Salad with SIMPLi

A Perfect Seasonal Summer Lunch

When summer finally comes here to Maine, all I want to do is eat locally grown produce that is bursting with flavor. We have such a short growing season here in Maine that it feels incredibly special to get to get hot weather vegetables, and I will immediately turn to our friend Clark who owns Fountain Farm for these. 

With the increasing challenges of climate change affecting growing seasons, they are leaning into greenhouses more and more. The bad news is that yes, climate change is very real and very much here, but the good news is that people are adapting and thinking of sustainable ways to combat its effects. 

Clark has been able to grow the most amazing tomatoes I have had outside of Italy right here in Downeast Maine using these greenhouses and some VERY good organic soil. As soon as I can get my hands on these, I start to make Panzanella. 

For those of you not familiar with it already, Panzanella is a bread salad that uses tomatoes, herbs, olive oil and vinegar to dress the bread. It is Italian in origin, and eating it takes me right back to Tuscany where I had it for the very first time. So here is my take on a Tuscan Salad that will take you right through summer eating beautifully! 

Ingredients:

Gigante Beans from SIMPLi *(how to cook below)

Day old sourdough bread (get the best bread you can, it will make a difference)

Fresh tomatoes

Red onions

Capers

Kalamata Olives

Red wine vinegar

Really good extra virgin olive oil

Fresh basil (some fresh oregano is also very good here)

Fresh mozzarella (optional)

Cucumbers (also optional)

*How to cook SIMPLi’s Gigante Beans from dry! 

Place the beans in water and let soak for 6 t0 8 hours….I try and do this overnight!

Drain from the water and place the beans in a pot with any tough herbs you have from the market or garden (thyme, rosemary, bay leaf, etc.)

Cover with a good amount of water, bring to the boil, then let simmer. About an hour into the process I add good amount of salt then let simmer for another hour and check in. Keep adding more water as needed to get the beans to cook to the tenderness you like!

Directions

Get out your favourite big bowl and pre-heat you over to 375 Fahrenheit.

Making sure to use a wooden cutting board (not plastic!), cut up your bread into bite sized pieces, coat with olive oil and a sprinkle of salt, then put in the oven to get toasty for about 15 minutes.

Get your white beans in a bowl, toss them with olive oil, some dried or fresh oregano, salt and pepper. Set them to the side so they can marinate a tiny bit. 

Finely slice the red onion and throw it in the bowl with a few dashes of red wine vinegar – let it macerate for a few minutes so it’s a bit less spicy. 

Throw in olives and capers and let sit a few more minutes – be sure to let some of the liquid get into the bowl as well. 

Cut your tomatoes into bite sized pieces and put them in the bowl, along with cucumbers if using. 

Take out the break, see if it’s a little crispy, and if so throw it right into the bowl with all the ingredients. 

Tear up the mozzarella is using, and place it in the bowl. I think tearing feels a little more rustic and family style here so that’s what I can do but you can of course cut it if you like. 

Finally, put in the fresh basil and coat the whole thing with a little more good olive oil and vinegar if it needs it, some sea salt to taste, toss and serve! 

One final reminder here – this salad will only ever taste as good as the ingredients that you get for it as it’s so incredibly simple. As it’s a meat free meal, if you have a little spare to spend please go for farmer’s market ingredients and a really good olive oil – I promise it will make all the difference! 

Learn More About SIMPLi

We love SIMPLi because they make Regenerative Organic Certified™ pantry staples with roots, cultivated in centuries-old fields and grown to truly nourish.

When you take care of soil, food takes care of you. Rooted in generations of farming wisdom, SIMPLi pantry staples are grown without pesticides or herbicides, and tested for heavy metals. Creating food so nutritious, one bite counts as three.

Quality starts in the soil. That’s why SIMPLi’s heirloom beans, ancient grains, and single origin oils are naturally more nutrient dense. Every batch is independently tested through 200+ ISO-certified lab tests, so what you feed your family is as pure as the soil it came from.

To learn even more about why this type of food is so incredibly nourishing and healing, listen to our podcast episode with their co-founder Sarela here! You will quickly see why we wanted to use their products for this version of a Tuscan Salad we hope will see you through summer.

To make this recipe for panzanella salad with their amazing products, I used the Gigante Beans and the Greek Extra Virgin Olive Oil!

Why do I choose SIMPLi’s gigante beans? Because they are proven to have more nutritional value!

Gut Health Boost: 26% More Fiber
*than other gigantes

Your Antioxidant Powerhouse: 47% More Manganese
*than other gigantes

Fuel Your Body: 58% More Niacin
*than other gigantes