This roasted bell pepper salad has a mix of red, yellow and orange peppers with Kalamata olives, cucumbers and red onions. The toasted bread gives the salad something crunchy and is inspired by a classic panzanella. Try vegetables as a base for your next salad instead of lettuce. No offense to leafy greens, but this salad delivers on crunch and flavor in the best way.
This salad is like a panzanella except it has peppers instead of tomatoes. I love a bread salad. And that bread needs to be toasted into croutons, so you get crunch and texture able to hold up to the dressing and the rest of the ingredients.
You might never go back to buying jarred roasted peppers. The recipe calls for roasting peppers under the broiler in the oven. Yes, you can buy them at the grocery, but you should try this at home. It’s much less expensive, and the flavor of freshly roasted peppers is excellent.
It has a fantastic Italian vinaigrette. With a mix of garlic, oregano and other dried seasonings and red wine vinegar, this simple dressing really makes the salad. The acidity and herby taste of vinaigrette is beautiful with the sweetness of the roasted bell peppers.
If you’ve never roasted peppers at home, the best way to do this is under the high heat of the broiler in the oven. I know I can’t be the only one who’s seen chefs on TV do it right on the flame of a gas burner on the stove, but the oven is less messy and more consistent. Also, you can roast all the peppers at once.
To roast bell peppers:
This is what you need:
Preheat the broiler on high.
1. Roast the bell peppers under the broiler. Turn them every 2-3 minutes until they are charred all over. Then put them in a bowl and cover it. Wait 15 minutes before you rub off the skins, deseed them and slice them into strips.
Switch off the broiler and preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Toast the bread in the oven. First toss it with olive oil, salt and pepper and spread it across a sheet pan. Toast it until it’s golden brown and crispy, about 12-15 minutes.
3. Make the vinaigrette. Whisk the garlic, mustard, honey, oregano, red pepper flakes, salt, pepper, vinegar and oil in a small bowl.
4. Assemble the salad. Combine the peppers, olives, cucumbers and onions in a large mixing bowl. Drizzle in the vinaigrette, stirring to combine. Then fold in the bread, Parmesan and basil.
Since it’s base is veggies and not lettuce, you can serve this recipe like a salad or the perfect side dish with roasted or grilled chicken, salmon or steak. It’s also great with vegetarian pastas such as Fresh Herb Pappardelle, Arugula Pasta, Lemon Garlic Mushroom Spaghetti, Mushroom Corn Pasta and Burst Cherry Tomato Pasta.
With any salad that has croutons, leftovers can be a challenge, but they don’t have to be. You just need to think ahead. If you are planning to save some of the salad to eat another time, don’t add all the toasted bread. Instead, store the rest of the croutons in an airtight container at room temperature.
The salad will stay fresh in the fridge up to 3 days. Again, don’t add all the croutons if you want to save the salad. If you do unexpectedly have leftovers, try to spoon out as much of the toasted bread as you can. You can re-toast it in a 350-degree F oven for a few minutes to remove any moisture that got on them from the dressing. Then store them separately from the salad.
You can roast the peppers up to 2 days in advance. Store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator until you are ready to make the salad.
The bread can be toasted up to 5 days in advance. Keep them in a sealed container in your kitchen, so they don’t lose their crunch.
As much as I recommend roasting your own for this pepper salad, you can use store-bought roasted peppers. They are in the Italian food section at the grocery with the olives and other antipasti.
Yes, you can grill peppers instead of roasting them. They will be more crisp, and they will have good smoky flavor.
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Recipe originally published May 31, 2021. Updated: May 22, 2023.
Love bread salad