It's easy enough to fall in love with tomato and bread salads, but when sausage is added? You'll be obsessed with this Sausage Panzanella salad this summer!
(This recipe for Sausage Panzanella was originally published in January 2011, but was updated with new photos and content in 2020).
If I had my way, I'd eat juicy red tomatoes and fresh aromatic basil all summer long. OK fine, maybe with some nice crusty bread. And/or mozzarella. And/or good olive oil and vinegar. But as long as I have fresh tomatoes and basil, I'm a happy camper.
While I am perfectly happy eating a traditional panzanella salad for dinner, I know lots of people would like a little protein added in. And some people don't consider a dinner a dinner without meat. Enter sausage panzanella salad.
This summer salad lets you get your fill of fresh tomatoes and basil with a healthy dose of carbs and sausage. I highly doubt you'll hear any complaints if you serve this for dinner.
Ingredients in Salad
My favorite thing about this sausage panzanella is that it's packed with simple, fresh ingredients. If you don't want to go to a grocery store, you can probably find almost all of these items at your local farmer's market (or already in your pantry).
You'll need:
- Fresh tomatoes
- Red onion
- Garlic
- Salt and pepper
- Italian bread
- Olive oil
- Italian sausage (sweet or spicy)
- Red wine vinegar
- Parmesan cheese
- Fresh basil
Sausage Panzanella Salad Recipe
Panzanella salads are pretty simple to make and though you'll need to toast your bread and cook your sausage on the stovetop, you won't have to turn your oven on at all. Perfect for a hot summer day!
To make, chop the tomatoes to whatever size you like. I like to keep them a little bit bigger, but still bite-sized.
Combine the tomatoes, red onion, and garlic in a large bowl.
Combine tomatoes, red onion, garlic, salt, and pepper in a large bowl and toss to combine. Let rest for about 15 minutes so the flavors can marry. Here comes the bride...
While the flavors are marinating, toast up your bread. Brush both sides of bread slices with olive oil (using about 2 tablespoon of the olive oil).
Toast in grill pan over medium heat for about 3 minutes (can also use regular pan or toast on grill).
Flip the bread and cover the toasted side with half of the parmesan cheese. Let toast for another 2 minutes, until cheese starts to melt.
Remove from grill and let cool before cutting into bite-sized cubes.
Now, pierce sausage with a fork or knife and cook it over medium on grill pan until cooked through. Let cool slightly before slicing.
You can use either sweet or spicy Italian sausage, but I almost always choose spicy. I think it adds a nice kick to an otherwise mild salad.
Add red wine vinegar, remaining 2 tablespoon olive oil, basil, sliced sausage, and bread cubes into tomato mixture and toss to combine.
Don't you just want to dive into this bowl of sausage panzanella?!
Serve on plates or in bowls and top with the remaining parmesan.
The flavors are obviously all perfect together and I could eat this for breakfast, lunch, and dinner throughout the summer.
While I'm perfectly happy eating sausage panzanella salad as a meal, you could also serve this as a side dish to any number of summer entrees.
I highly recommend eating this outside, while enjoying the hot evening air and the setting sun. Because summer really is too fleeting and fresh tomatoes and basil plants on your windowsill won't last forever. Sob.
But if you need more ways to use those fresh tomatoes, you should also try this burrata caprese!
For anyone asking, "doesn't the bread get soggy in panzanella salad?" Well, since you're toasting the bread, it does retain a little crusty crunch. Of course, if you keep this salad for leftovers, the bread will certainly be soggy by the next day. But that isn't a problem with me.
In addition to the parmesan cheese toasted into it, the bread soaks up some of the tomato juices, as well as the olive oil and vinegar and tastes just heavenly, no matter its consistency.
I love everything about this sausage panzanella salad!
When it's 90 degrees out and tomatoes and basil are at their freshest, I'm pretty sure I could happily eat panzanella for dinner every night. Luckily, there are a million variations on it and always room to try something new.
What's your favorite summer entree salad?
For another fun twist on panzanella, try my Watermelon Panzanella Salad. And for another delicious summer salad option, try my Steak and Strawberry Salad. I also can't wait to try this Peach Salad with Burrata and Basil from Sip and Spice!
📖 Recipe
Sausage Panzanella
Ingredients
- 3 medium vine-ripened tomatoes, chopped
- ½ cup diced red onion
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 5 slices Italian bread (about 1" thick)
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided
- 4 links Italian sausage (sweet or spicy)
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- ½ cup grated parmesan cheese
- ¼ cup fresh bail leaves, chiffonaded
Instructions
- Combine tomatoes, red onion, garlic, salt, and pepper in a large bowl and toss to combine. Let rest for about 15 minutes.
- Brush both sides of bread slices with about 2 tablespoon olive oil. Toast in grill pan over medium heat for about 3 minutes (can also use regular pan or toast on grill). Flip the bread and cover the toasted side with half of the parmesan cheese. Let toast for another 2 minutes, until cheese starts to melt. Remove from grill and let cool before cutting into bite-sized cubes.
- Pierce sausage with a fork or knife and cook it over medium on grill pan until cooked through. Let cool slightly before slicing.
- Add red wine vinegar, remaining 2 tablespoon olive oil, basil, sliced sausage, and bread cubes into tomato mixture and toss to combine.
- Serve with remaining parmesan cheese sprinkled over the top.
Kerstin says
I love organizing so that looks like a fun project 🙂 Adding meat to a panzanella to make it a main dish is such a fabulous idea too!
Erika K says
These flavors are perfect together, and I've been enjoying my rather rambunctious basil plant this summer. Need to find a great sausage my family likes and I can pull this all together. My tomatoes are lagging behind, but I won't wait for them to try this.
Thanks
Erica says
Panzanella is one of my most favorite salads. I mean toasted chunks of bread in a salad? What could be better. Good luck on the project!!
Joanne says
I have recently fallen in LOVE with panzanella! This looks absolutely delicious! I really need to start a food magazine organizing project also. They are taking over my apartment!
Simply Life says
oh this looks fabulous!
Cara says
This looks awesome! I love panzanella during summertime but never would have thought to add meat to it! I hear you on the recipe organizing, I was ripping apart magazines last night!
Jenn's Food Journey says
The panzanella looks and sounds wonderful! Definitely a fantastic meal for the summer 🙂
I think I try and organize my magazine recipes once a year... it's so daunting most times!!
Mal says
I'm with you, fresh summer tomatoes and basil are just amazing! This salad looks so incredible. I love anything that doesn't require the oven to be on in the summer.
Daisy says
what a unique summer meal! I love it!!
Lexi says
I'd love to hear more about this project! I am doing the same thing. I've been pulling recipes from mags and then copying them onto recipe cards, for the box, but now my recipe card box is full and I need a new one! How are you organizing?
Emily @ A Cambridge Story says
Love this take on panzanella! I can taste the garlic now 🙂
Jihane @Sinful Sundays says
That looks really good! And, your version looks a lot better than the picture in the magazine.
Erica @ In and Around Town says
Great idea for a panzanella addition - it really is such a fun salad that needs more attention!
Barbara says
A couple years ago when I had surgery, I went through my recipes files. What a terrible job!! But I sorted and saved. Of course, I haven't looked at it since. 🙂
We're fond of panzanella here, but I've never added meat of any kind. This looks really delicious. (Why is is I always eat the bread first?)
Ruth says
This looks fantastic - I love panzanella and I love sausages, so its perfect!
Monique says
I love love love panzanella! that looks amazing!
I save my mags too and then i end up tossing them - the horror!
Kathryn says
I do the same thing with my garlic! I like to leave it in larger pieces and I generally add at least 1 extra clove to every recipe! The finished product looks super delicious- I've never actually made panzanella before.
Shannon says
oh wow, that looks amazing!! and love not having to turn on the oven 🙂 grow basil grow!
Michelle Collins says
This is a great recipe for summer!
megabrooke says
mmm sounds yummy!
maybe you could do a post on how you're organizing all your recipes?! i have tons too... and i've been keeping them on index cards- rewriting them!, and then putting them in a photo typle album. this works pretty well, but sometimes it's nice to see the original recipe from the magazine too! how are you sorting yours out?
CookiePie says
YUM - that salad looks fantastic! Love the basil pic! I'm growing some too -- and it's actually growing, even though I'm the worst gardener 🙂
Jill says
I would LOVE a blog post on how you're organizing your recipes!
Alexis @ There She Goes says
LOVE this beefed up panzanella- if i could only eat tomatoes and basil everyday i would be a happy girl
emily @ the happy home says
YUM. i am totally ob-sessed with the tomatoes coming out of our garden right now. minus the sausage, i am ON this!
Kelly says
I love the arts & crafts meets recipes feel of this. I will admit that I have a slightly different approach. I have a software program (macgourmet) that I transfer them all into. It's not quite as cute and crafty but it makes things oh so accessible. It also has an iphone app. I may be a bit obsessed.
Claudia says
I am doing this. I have tomatoes, basil and fresh mozz for lunch all summer long - because when the basil and tomatoes are gone - they're gone for 9 months! Love adding the sausage and making this a dinner.
Michelle says
I have recipe binders where I put recipes I've tried in clear coversheets and recipes I've clipped and want to try in folders. As we get ready for our move, I've been going through all of my cooking magazines and tearing out recipes. These binders are so full now! I can't wait to use my new kitchen to try these recipes out!
Holly says
Sues we are so much alike! I have a MOUNTAIN of recipes from magazines!! I love going to my Moms cause she does the same thing, she's always giving me another pile of them : ) This Rachel Ray dish sounds really good!
peachkins says
I guess I better start my own project huh? The Panzanella with sausage looks really fantastic!
Sutapa says
I like both your bride and groom and they way you make the flavors marry and later when you mix the whole relationships into a super deliciousness .... a successful celebration!!
Susan says
Panzanella is one salad I have never tried but I have always thought they look delicious - this one I'm sure my hubby would love with the sausage in it too. There is nothing than fresh basil either!
I used to do the same thing as you with cut-out recipes but now I have a scanner that can create PDF files so I store them on my external hard drive.
Betty @ scrambled hen fruit says
Organizing your magazine recipes sounds like such a good idea, and it's something I really need to do because I have way too many magazines and have forgotten now what's in each of them. It would be so much more useful to just take out the recipes I'm interested in making. This panzanella does look like a lovely summer meal- fresh tomatoes and basil make this irresistible to me! 🙂
oriana says
I was missing this version and discovered your blog thatnks to thi meaty version. I collect different versions of Panzanella!
sharon (umommy) says
So glad to see I'm not the only person with a magazine recipe organization project! Sausages on the grill is in regular rotation at our house during the summer. This recipe is just what I need to mix things up! Thanks for sharing.
Jessi @ Quirky Cookery says
!!! As a kid, I used to cut recipes out of magazines and then glue them to index cards to make my own little recipe box. I couldn't even cook yet for the most part or was just learning, but they were things I wanted to make in the future nonetheless. I've never seen anyone else do anything similar! <3
Jessi @ Quirky Cookery says
Oh, and magazines are so much better for it now. I remember getting so frustrated when a recipe would continue on the back of a page so that I couldn't cut it or glue it correctly. And the lack of pictures was often frustrating, too.