Let’s be honest–sometimes lettuce just gets in the way of a good salad, right? So this salad doesn’t even bother with lettuce–it’s all delicious toppings in a tangy vinaigrette. Buy the freshest tomatoes, basil, and sweet peppers you can find. High quality ingredients are key to making this a “wow!” salad. Would be good to make this after a trip to the Farmer’s Market one summer Saturday. Thanks to Good Housekeeping magazine for the recipe.
Ingredients
3 cups fresh, ripe cherry tomatoes, halved
1 small red onion, diced
1 yellow sweet bell pepper, cut in 1-inch pieces
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus 1 Tablespoon, divided
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 Tablespoon dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
8 oz. ciabatta bread, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 cup fresh basil leaves, chopped
Garlic salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1/2 cup parmesan cheese shavings
Directions:
- In large bowl combine tomatoes, onions and yellow sweet peppers.
- In a separate small bowl, whisk together 1/4 cup olive oil, red wine vinegar, mustard, Italian seasoning, garlic salt, and freshly ground black pepper to taste.
- Pour dressing over tomato mixture and gently stir to coat.
- Cover and refrigerate overnight (up to 24 hours).
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- In a shallow baking pan, toss bread cubes with 1 Tablespoon olive oil. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Bake 10 minutes or until toasted, stirring once.
- Remove and cool on pan.
- Add bread cubes and chopped basil to tomato mixture. Toss to coat.
- Top with shaved parmesan.
- Serve immediately.
made it this weekend and loved it!!
So glad you liked it Mel!!!