Alternate recipe title: “Avocado Toast Salad.” No, seriously though this salad is everything. I’m sure I’ve said this before but salads are just better with a little bread and cheese in them, right? That’s where this green Panzanella with spring peas and avocado comes in!
I used to overlook sugar snap peas in the past but working in restaurants and having access to peak season, super sweet, straight from the farm snap peas showed me that I was missing out. As their name suggest sugar snap peas are super sweet, crisp and fresh. In this salad, they’re served raw. Make sure you trim the ends and pull off the long string that lies along the seam. For an extra special presentation, you can cut out a window by removing one side of the shell to display the peas inside.
A good Panzanella starts with stale, or day-old bread, which may seem odd but it’s actually the most ideal for making croutons. Fresh bread has too much moisture which makes it difficult to achieve nice, airy crispy croutons. If you ever happen to have stale bread lying around put in in the freezer in a ziplock bag, that way it’s ready to go whenever you’re in the mood for making croutons!
This Lemon + Basil Vinaigrette is the magic that ties everything together. It’s super easy to make and perfectly compliments the avocado, feta, peas and toasty bread.
Green Panzanella Salad with Snap Peas and Avocado
Ingredients
- 1/2 loaf stale country loaf or ciabatta torn into bite sized pieces
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic
- 2 cups sugar snap peas trimmed and cleaned
- 1/2 cup crumbled feta
- 1 handfull assorted herbs; basil, mint, or watercress
- 1 cup basil viniagrette
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 ripe avocado peeled and diced
Instructions
- In a large pot heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and torn bread and toast until golden; this will take a few minutes. Stir occasionally to ensure even browning on all sides. When the bread pieces are nice and toasty, remove them from the pan place on a paper towel lined plate. Set aside to cool.
- Toss the snap peas, avocado, feta, herbs and toasted bread with the basil vinaigrette. Season with salt and pepper serve immediately!
OMG….that salad looks amazing. What a great shot of lovely food. Love the alternate recipe title too! I’m currently crushing on snap peas….it seems to be all I see at the grocery. Perfect timing for this.
This salad really does taste like avocado toast! I loved it!