Burrata Panzanella: Your New Favorite Salad

Last Update: 1/30/2026

Beware! For this Burrata Panzanella, I toss aside my healthy-chef hat and instead put on my cheese-lover’s beret—and enjoy every bite of delicious decadence!

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Who doesn’t love creamy burrata cheese? I especially love serving this Burrata Panzanella for an al fresco lunch or dinner with friends, and I can tell you—it’s always a hit!

Of course, the majority of the decadence of this Burrata Panzanella Salad comes from the burrata itself, an ultra-creamy mozzarella-type cheese with an even creamier center.

Burrata originates from Andria in the Puglia region of Italy (the heel of the boot). And due to its popularity, cheese makers in the U.S. even produce versions.

However, Burrata di Andria has Protected Geographical Indication status, which means that in Italy, there are strict regulations about where and how this cheese is made to ensure its authenticity.

Classic Italian Panzanella Salad is a regional Italian dish from Tuscany. This Tuscan dish dates back to the 16th century.

The first recipes of this era for Tuscan bread salad used onions instead of tomatoes, but this Burrata Panzanella uses both! If you have a tomato garden, this is a delicious way to delve into your summer harvest!

If you don’t have the tomatoes recommended below, don’t worry a bit. Chop up your Roma tomatoes, juicy heirloom tomatoes—whatever you got.

Although a large serving bowl will work fine, I prefer to use a flat, large platter and layer the salad for an even more beautiful presentation.

Burrata Panzanella Recipe

Servings: 4

Ingredients

2 cups grape tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, or pear tomatoes
¼ teaspoon salt
4 cups romaine lettuce, chopped
2 cups Italian or French bread, cubed and toasted
¼ cup Meyer lemon extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
4 ounces burrata
½ cup red onion, sliced thin
2 tablespoons basil or parsley, chopped (optional)

Instructions
1. Cut the tomatoes in half lengthwise, put in a small bowl, add salt, toss, and set aside.
2. Arrange an even layer of lettuce on the bottom of the plate.
3. Top lettuce with an even layer of bread cubes.
4. Drizzle half of the olive oil over the salad.
5. Drizzle half of the balsamic vinegar over the salad.
6. Set aside a handful of tomatoes. Top the salad with the remaining tomatoes, and drizzle any juice that remains in the bowl on top of the salad.
7. Cut the burrata into bite-sized pieces and disperse these pieces of burrata evenly over the salad.
8. Add the tomatoes that were set aside, and the onions.
9. Drizzle with remaining olive oil and balsamic.
10. Sprinkle with your chopped fresh basil leaves or parsley.

Tips

This Italian bread salad is a truly delectable dish ideal for a lovely summer picnic or for a delicious change of pace any time of year. You get to highlight your prized tomatoes, upcycle any stale bread you might have (be it ciabatta bread, sourdough bread, or any crusty bread at all), and enjoy a gorgeous side dish with tons of color, texture, and flavor.

Here are a few tips for making your very best Burrata Panzanella Salad.

1. Choose a variety of different color tomatoes to make your Burrata Panzanella a beautiful salad. If you don’t have one of the small varieties above, just chop larger ones.
2. If you can’t easily get burrata, use whole-milk fresh mozzarella. I love to eat healthy and urge you to do so as well, but trust me: This is not the dish to skimp on. Burrata is the best!
3. If you don’t have a Meyer lemon olive oil, a high-quality unflavored extra-virgin olive oil will work just fine.
4. If you’re looking to save a few steps and/or calories, feel free to use fat-free croutons instead of the bread.
5. If you need to skip the bread, your salad will still be delicious, but call it Tomato Burrata Salad instead!

Burrata Panzanella: Your New Favorite Salad

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