Grilled Corn Panzanella

By Ali Slagle

Updated July 22, 2024

  • Rachel Vanni for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne.
Media 1 of 1
Total Time
50 minutes
Prep Time
15 minutes
Cook Time
35 minutes
Rating
5(626)
Comments
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Panzanella, the Tuscan bread salad of bread, tomatoes, oil, vinegar, basil, is already peak summer cooking, but this grilled, summer produce-heavy rendition might be even more so. The dish is best in the summer when tomatoes are at their juiciest, which is exactly when you don’t want to turn on the oven to toast bread. But dry bread is the key to the salad’s deliciousness because it soaks up the tomato juices and vinaigrette for a mix of crisp and soft bites. So head outside to the grill: Charring the bread brings a nutty, smoky edge to the sweet tomatoes, corn and cucumbers. Add mozzarella, too, for creaminess, or make the salad vegan by replacing the mozzarella with white beans.

Featured in: A Vegetable Lover’s Guide to the Grill

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Ingredients

Yield:4 to 6 servings (12 cups)

  • ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for greasing

  • 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

  • 8 ounces fresh mozzarella, torn into roughly 1-inch pieces

  • 1½ pounds ripe tomatoes, cut into roughly 1-inch pieces, or 2 pints cherry tomatoes, halved

  • 2 Persian or mini seedless cucumbers, cut ¼ inch thick

  • 1 shallot, thinly sliced

  • Salt and black pepper

  • 1 (12-ounce) loaf sourdough or rustic bread, sliced 1 inch thick

  • 3 ears of corn, shucked

  • 20 basil leaves, torn if large

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 to 6 servings)

50 grams carbs; 30 milligrams cholesterol; 524 calories; 16 grams monounsaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 8 grams saturated fat; 30 grams fat; 6 grams fiber; 773 milligrams sodium; 18 grams protein; 10 grams sugar

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat a grill to medium-high. In a very large bowl, stir together the oil, vinegar and mozzarella. Place a large colander or sieve on top of the mozzarella mixture. Add the tomatoes, cucumbers and shallot to the colander and season generously with salt, about 1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal or ½ teaspoon fine sea salt. Stir to coat. Set aside to allow the tomato and cucumber juices to form a vinaigrette with the oil and vinegar beneath.

  2. Step 2

    On a sheet pan, brush the bread and corn all over with oil. Season with salt and pepper. Head outside with the sheet pan and tongs.

  3. Step 3

    Grill the corn, turning occasionally, until browned in spots, 10 to 12 minutes. Grill the bread until crisp and charred in spots, 1 to 3 minutes per side. (Watch closely; bread likes to burn.) Return ingredients to the sheet pan as they finish, then head back inside.

  4. Step 4

    Shake the colander of tomatoes and cucumbers to get all the juices in the bowl, then set the colander aside in the sink. Tear the bread into 1-inch pieces and cut the kernels off the cobs. To the bowl of mozzarella, add the bread, corn, tomatoes, cucumbers, shallots and basil and toss to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve right away or let sit, stirring occasionally, for up to 30 minutes.

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Ratings

5 out of 5
626 user ratings
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Comments

Chef Agostino

Doubled the dressing, added two cans of cannellini beans and arugula. Excellent summer dish!

Chris

Are you looking for the taste of summer? Because this just might be it. Wow, from the dressing to the grilled bread to fresh basil. Harmony of acid, sweetness and texture. I used frozen pita bread and kept it vegan so no mozz, but can only imagine what that’d do! Make sure to marinate the raw scallion if your SO isn’t such a fan. Otherwise, make this salad!

Ruthie

I’ve got to say this recipe is worthy of stopping to write this feedback. I’d give it 5 out of 5 stars! I stepped outside and into our garden, where I found the basil, tomatoes, cucumbers, and then got sweetcorn from a neighbors’s garden. Happened to have some rustic sourdough on hand, and followed the recipe as stated, except I ran short of mozzarella, and so also threw in some feta. Yum is the result. Served alongside grilled lamb, burger patties with tahini sauce.

Mary

Thank you, this was fabulous! People went back for third helpings. 5 stars

Heather

This might be the best recipe I’ve made this summer! It was the star of the meal completely overshadowing the beautifully cooked glazed salmon I made. I didn’t really follow the cooking instructions but used all the ingredients and pan roasted the corn that I cut off the cob in a cast iron skillet and also toasted the breadcrumbs using some slightly stale sour dough sliced bread in the cast iron skillet with olive oil. Everything came out great!

Susan N.

Made this as a test for a large party next week. It's very good but I'll skip draining the cucumbers and tomatoes--it doesn't make enough of a difference. I rubbed a cut garlic clove on the grilled bread. I'll also swap out the shallots for scallions. Obviously the recipe is adaptable but the base recipe is another keeper from Ali Slagle.

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