With our bumper crop of little tomatoes, even Atti can’t eat them all. Despite his best efforts. So I needed a way I could gorge on them in actual meal form. Enter this perfect traditional bread salad from Italy. It’s kind of like eating a tomato sandwich in a bowl, which is really the best way to eat anything, and manages to be both fresh and healthy from all the veggies, and hearty and carb filled thanks to the bread. And the only heat it requires is to roast a couple of peppers – which you can leave out if you’re desperate – and to toast some bread. It’s the perfect end of summer meal.
4 C cherry tomatoes
2 roma tomatoes, diced
2 C cucumber, diced
1 C roasted red peppers, diced
1/2 a loaf of bread
olive oil
Cut the bread into croutons, toss in a bit of olive oil, and bake in the oven until golden brown and crispy. In a great big bowl, toss the croutons with all your diced veggies.
1/2 C olive oil
3 T vinegar
1 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp dijon mustard
Whisk together and then pour over the tomatoes and croutons. Cover and let rest for at least half an hour to give the bread time to soak up all that good dressing. Then eat!
This recipe was totally compiled by what I had ready in the garden that day. The actual vegetables you use and in what proportions can be completely tailored to what you like best. If you don’t like garlic, just leave it out! You have lots of fresh basil? That would be delicious! You can add anything you want to this salad and leave out anything you want too. Pretty much just like your favorite sandwich.
