That's right, this Low Carb Panzanella Salad is made with bread! What? Bread is not keto! You can't eat bread on keto? Doesn't it spike your blood sugars? You're diabetic!
There are many ways to eat bread while following a ketogenic and low carbohydrate diet.
I don't believe food needs to be labelled as keto or not. In most cases, someone could eat a spoonful of sugar every day and still be considered "keto" as long as they eat zero carb foods rest of the day.
Labelling my recipes as keto or low carb is simply to differentiate them from traditional recipes. However, saying "that food is not keto" usually depends on the context of how much of it they are eating and what else they are planning to eat.
Rest assured, Carbonaut bread was used for this Low Carb Panzanella Salad recipe. It is new to the market and I find it actually tastes like bread, rather than the other ones I've had in the past.
What is a Panzanella Salad?
A panzanella salad is a Tuscan chopped salad usually made with with tomatoes and bread. Often added to this salad is some fresh basil, mozzarella and olive oil.
How do you make a Low Carb Panzanella Salad?
To make this Low Carb Panzanella Salad you would simply need some fresh ingredients like the tomatoes, basil and mozzarella. Most importantly if you are following a ketogenic diet you would need bread that is low in carbohydrates. There are many types of low carb breads on the market. Find which one you enjoy the most and use it in this recipe.
What to serve with a Low Carb Panzanella Salad?
This salad goes well with grilled meats such as a steak or a grilled chicken. However, this salad is super filling and can be a meal on it's own. With the hearty tomatoes, bread and mozzarella you may not want much else to go with it.
Does the bread get mushy?
The trick to this is making croutons out of the bread. Crisping them up in the oven so that they are golden and crunchy help the bread from getting mushy. If the bread is not crunchy enough it will definitely get mushy.
What kind of Tomatoes do you use?
I used a mix of cherry tomatoes and roma tomatoes. However, you will want to use any tomatoes as long as they are very juicy and in season. The roma tomatoes I used were not that juicy so I added some cherry tomatoes as well. The juice from the tomatoes adds to the dressing and helps flavour the crunchy croutons.
Instructional Video
Other Salads?
How about a Creamy Fauxtato Salad - my take on a potato salad.
Low Carb Panzanella Salad
Equipment
Ingredients
Croutons
- 6 slices keto bread depending on the bread you use, this will alter the amount of carbs.
- ¼ tsp Salt
- ¼ tsp Garlic Powder
- ⅓ cup Olive Oil for Croutons
Salad Dressing
- ¼ cup Olive Oil for dressing
- 1 tbsp Vinegar, red wine
- 2 cloves Garlic minced
- ⅛ tsp Salt
- ⅛ tsp ground, Black pepper
Salad
- 2.5 cup chopped or diced, Tomatoes
- 4 oz Mozzarella
- ½ cup sliced, Red onion
- 10 leaves Basil Leaves
- 1 tbsp Olive Oil for topping off salad
Instructions
Croutons
- Cut the bread into 1" cubes and add them to a medium size bowl with the garlic powder, salt and olive oil.
- Toss and place evenly on a parchment lined baking tray and bake at 350°F for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. You want them nice and crunchy so they don't get mushy. Allow them to cool when out of the oven.
Salad Dressing
- Combine olive oil, red wine vinegar, minced garlic and salt and pepper in a bowl and whisk until all incorporated. Set aside.
Salad
- In a large bowl combine the tomatoes, mozzarella, sliced onions, salad dressing and croutons and toss
- Top with basil, a drizzle of olive oil, sprinkle of flaked sea salt (optional) and black pepper
Video
Notes
Natalie
I love Panzanella salad. It's a bit different recipe from how I make it. But sounds delicious and I will have to try it. Plus, I love the low-carb option. Ingenious!
Chef Dennis
This salad recipe looks absolutely scrumptious!
ihackeddiabetes
This is my favourite way to eat a salad. Hearty and big flavours.