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This vibrant spring panzanella salad recipe features crispy sourdough croutons, roasted asparagus, fresh veggies, herbs, feta, and a lemony shallot vinaigrette.
Fresh, crunchy, and bursting with flavor — this panzanella salad tastes like springtime in a bowl. ♡
It all starts with golden, crispy sourdough croutons that soak up the bright flavors of my favorite lemony shallot vinaigrette. Then everything gets tossed with a crisp and colorful mix of roasted asparagus, baby arugula, mini cucumbers, radishes, crumbled feta and loads of fresh herbs for a salad that’s equal parts hearty, vibrant, and refreshing.
This recipe is incredibly flexible too, so feel free to swap in whatever spring veggies, greens, herbs or vinaigrette you love best. It’s hearty enough to serve on its own for a light meal, or perfect served alongside your favorite springtime mains. However you serve it, this gorgeous spring salad is sure to be a hit!
Spring Panzanella Ingredients
Here are a few notes about the spring pazanella ingredients you will need to make this recipe:
- Sourdough:Good bread makes all the difference when making panzanella, so it’s worth finding a great sourdough loaf for this one! Its tangy flavor and wonderfully chewy texture make the absolute perfect croutons to soak up the vinaigrette. I recommend tearing (rather than slicing) the bread into small pieces to create even more crispy, craggy, golden edges.
- Asparagus:Fresh asparagus adds grassy flavor and crisp texture to each bite. We’ll slice it into bite-sized pieces (cutting on a diagonal makes them even prettier), toss with olive oil, salt, and pepper, and roast until crisp-tender before adding it to the salad.
- Arugula:Baby arugula brings a deliciously peppery flavor to the salad, and its sturdy texture holds up well against the heartier ingredients.
- Cucumber: Cucumber adds a cool, crisp, refreshing crunch to the salad. I chopped up some mini cucumbers here, but English cucumbers would work well too.
- Radishes: Fresh radishes add a beautiful pop of color and fresh, peppery flavor to the salad. I recommend slicing them very thin with either a mandoline or a sharp knife.
- Fresh herbs: The more fresh herbs, the merrier here! I used a combination of fresh basil, dill and mint, which made each bite taste so lively and bright. But feel free to use whatever combination of fresh spring herbs that you love best!
- Feta: Feta brings a tangy, creamy, salty richness to the salad that ties everything together.
- Shallot vinaigrette: Finally, I love dressing this salad with my favorite lemony shallot vinaigrette, made with olive oil, lemon juice, shallot, garlic, Dijon, salt and pepper. Its savory-sweet, slightly tangy flavor makes all of these ingredients shine!
Recipe Variations
This recipe is incredibly flexible, so feel free to add your favorite ingredients to make it your own! Here are a few suggestions:
- Add meat or seafood. Add grilled chicken, steak, shrimp, salmon or scallops.
- Add nuts. Add toasted pine nuts, pistachios or sliced almonds for extra protein and crunch.
- Add more spring veggies. Add peas (English, snap or snow peas), artichoke hearts, carrots, green beans or spring onions. Some diced avocado would also add extra creaminess.
- Add a different cheese. Swap goat cheese, burrata or grilled halloumi in place of the feta cheese.
- Add a different vinaigrette. Swap my everyday lemon dressing, balsamic vinaigrette, or red wine vinaigrette in place of the shallot vinaigrette.
- Make it gluten-free. Use your favorite gluten-free bread to make the croutons.
More Spring Salad Recipes To Try!
Looking for more fresh and flavorful spring salad recipes to enjoy? Here are a few of our favorites:
Description
This vibrant spring panzanella salad recipe features crispy sourdough croutons, roasted asparagus, fresh veggies, herbs, feta, and a lemony shallot vinaigrette.
- 1 small (8-ounce) sourdough loaf, torn into bite-sized croutons (about 6 cups croutons)
- 1 bunch asparagus, sliced into 2-inch pieces (with tough ends discarded)
- 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- fine sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper
- 3 ounces baby arugula
- 3 mini cucumbers, sliced
- 5 radishes, thinly sliced
- 1 cup roughly-chopped fresh herbs (I used a mix of basil, dill and mint)
- 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
- 1 batch shallot vinaigrette
- Prep oven and baking sheet. Heat oven to 400°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Cook the bread. Add the croutons to a large mixing bowl and drizzle evenly with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Toss to combine. Arrange the croutons in an even layer on the baking sheet and season generously with salt and pepper. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the croutons are lightly golden and crispy.
- Cook the asparagus. While the croutons are baking, toss the asparagus with the remaining oil in the same mixing bowl until combined. Once the croutons have finished baking, transfer them to a large serving bowl. Add the asparagus to the same baking sheet, season with salt and pepper, then roast for 7-8 minutes or until crisp-tender.
- Toss. Add the cooked asparagus, arugula, cucumbers, radishes, fresh herbs and feta cheese to the serving bowl and drizzle evenly with the shallot vinaigrette. Toss to combine.
- Serve. Serve immediately and enjoy!