This Tuscan Bread Salad is a hot weather saviour! In this Italian-style recipe, ripe juicy tomatoes are combined with white beans , toasted bread and tossed in an aromatic tomato and white bean dressing .
At its core, Panzanella is a bread salad consisting of tomatoes, bread and basil but I have added some cannellini beans to make it more filling.
- Tuscan Bread Salad
- Why you should make this recipe:
- Ingredients for white bean panzanella
- Instant Pot Cannellini Beans
- How to make White Bean Panzanella
- Serving
- Storage
- Other summer salad recipes
Tuscan Bread Salad
Is it even summertime without a salad? This one is bursting with fresh sunny flavours thanks to the flavoursome ripe tomatoes, fresh herbs and abundance of good olive oil.
Strictly speaking, Panzanella is a bread salad with vegetables rather than a tomato salad with bread. Tomatoes did not even arrive into Europe until the 16th century so this salad would originally be made with different ingredients.
This White Bean Panzanella is less classic and a more modern take on the salad. The addition of white beans adds a creaminess, more texture and more nutrition. I have also made a dressing using tomato, garlic, white bean and extra virgin olive oil which distributes the flavouring evenly through the salad.
Why you should make this recipe:
Vegan – this recipe is naturally plant based making it suitable for those following a vegan or vegetarian diet. Unlike other Panzanella, this one does not contain anchovies.
Celebrates seasonal produce – I like to use tomatoes that are in season
Fights food waste as it uses up stale bread.
No lettuce salad – this salad does not contain leafy-green salads making it a welcome change from the norm!
Ingredients for white bean panzanella
Full ingredients with measurements are available in the recipe card below at the end of this post
- Tomatoes
For the best Panzanella, use tomatoes that are perfectly ripe as they will be extra juicy. All this aromatic tomato juice will be soaked up by the bread adding extra bursts of flavour in every bite.
I have used halved baby plum tomatoes in this recipe but you can also use full grown plum tomatoes. They are rich in flavour and tend to have few seeds.
You can use many other alternatives:
Beef tomatoes are large with a meaty texture and taste sweet yet mellow and would work well
Heirloom tomatoes are an eye-catching substitute when in season.
Salad tomatoes tend to remain quite firm and are usually not as juicy so (even though it seems counterproductive given their name) I would avoid using these.
Whichever you use, make sure you cut into them to release the juice which is all part of the dressing.
- Bread
The best bread for this salad is either focaccia , ciabatta or sourdough. You can either use stale bread or toast the bread lightly which is what I have done. Soft breads will disintegrate in the dressing so do not use those.
- White beans
White beans is actually an umbrella term for different beans. The most common are cannellini beans, also known as white kidney beans. You can find them dried, which then require cooking, or tinned.
Haricot beans, butter beans, navy beans, great northern beans and lima beans are other alternatives. They all differ slightly in size and taste however all will go great in this salad.
- Red onion – either cut lengthways or diced
Dressing
Extra virgin olive oil – use good quality extra virgin olive oil and lots of it! Ordinary olive oil will not work for this salad.
Red wine vinegar – alternatively use balsamic vinegar or white vinegar for a similar tang.
Garlic – fresh garlic works best
Tomato
White bean
Basil – freshly torn basil leaves adds wonderful flavour and colour to the finished salad
Alternatively – make a simple dressing with minced fresh garlic, vinegar, and olive oil.
Instant Pot Cannellini Beans
I had a packet of dried cannellini beans so chose to cook them in the Instant Pot.
The Instant Pot is a handy way to prepare dried beans for forward meal prep. I like to cook up a batch of beans and then store them away for later.
I often use white beans in salads or as toppings for this White Bean Bruschetta . In the winter, I often add it to soups such as Butternut Squash and Cannellini Bean Soup .
Whenever I cook chickpeas in my Instant pot, we love to make this super easy and delicious Indian Chickpea salad too.
I prefer to soak the beans ahead of time simply to reduce the time needed to cook in the pressure cooker. You can however, cook your beans from dried directly.
Try to use dried beans that are not too old. Old beans tend to remain tough even after rigorous pressure cooking.
I do not add bicarbonate of soda when cooking beans.
For 1 cup of raw beans use approximately 3 cups of water. You will be draining this water after cooking.
I soaked the beans the night before. For 1 cup soaked beans I added 1 cup of water, then pressure cook on High Pressure for 8 minutes with Natural Pressure Release.
If not soaking, I would pressure cook on High for 25 minutes.
You may have to adjust this time to suit the beans that you use.
How to make White Bean Panzanella
Full printable recipe in recipe card below.
We firstly need to prepare the main salad ingredients, then prepare the dressing, then assemble everything together.
Grill your bread so it lightly toasts without becoming very hard. Then, slice into large crouton pieces.
Slice tomatoes and the onions. Sprinkle on some sea salt to help draw out some of the liquid and intensify the flavour. Let this sit for about 10-15 minutes.
Add the tomato and onion to the toasted bread and cooked white beans.
Next, prepare the dressing. Blend tomatoes, vinegar, garlic, basil and white beans with plenty of olive oil. You will end up with a dressing that has similar consistency to a runny pesto.
Stir this through the salad and top with plenty of basil. Add an extra drizzle of olive oil.
The salad can be served straight away but is equally good after 30 minutes as the bread has soaked in more of the flavours.
Serving
This sunny Tuscan bread salad is a perfect side dish to serve during the warmer months when tomatoes are best in season. White bean Panzanella can also be the perfect summer salad for your next BBQ with mains like Barbecued Halloumi and Mushroom Skewers , Grilled Sweetcorn , tofu, Creamy Paneer Tikka , vegetables, burgers or any meat or sea food dishes.
It’s also a great starter to a fun Italian menu with anything including Air fryer Sheet Pan Focaccia Pizza Air fryer Toasted Ravioli (no egg) Vegetarian Aubergine Parmigiana
Storage
Ideally this Tuscan tomato and bread salad should be consumed within a few hours after making it. It doesn’t stay well in the refrigerator. If you have any leftovers, store it in a airtight container and keep it on your kitchen worktop for a few hours and consume the same day.
Other summer salad recipes
Mango, Avocado and Black Beans Salad
Best Pesto Potato Salad
Chickpea Salad with Avocado Dressing
Greek Style Potato Salad (Instant Pot)
Fresh Watermelon Mojito Salad
Instant Pot Mediterranean Orzo Pasta Salad
Watermelon and Dill Salad
As always if you make this recipe, be sure to leave me a comment, rate this recipe and tag me on Instagram @jcookingodyssey or #jcookingodyssey. I love seeing all your photos of my recipe recreations!
Don’t forget to follow me on social media using the buttons below – I can’t wait to see you all there!
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White Bean Panzanella | Tuscan Tomato and Bread Salad
Ingredients
- 1 cup white beans soaked in the cold water for 8-10 hours
- 2 Ciabatta or any Italian rustic bread
- 1 cup tomatoes small
- ¼ cup red onion sliced
- sea salt
Tomato and White Bean Dressing
- ¼ cup tomatoes chopped
- ⅛ cup white beans cooked in the instant pot
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 2 cloves garlic
- ⅛ cup basil fresh
- sea salt
Garnish
- 3 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoon small basil leaves
Instructions
- Add soaked white beans with 1 cup water in the liner of the instant pot. Close the lid and select HIGH PRESSURE COOK for 8 minutes.
- Natural pressure release. Open the lid and transfer the cooked beans in to another bowl. Drain the water before adding them in to the salad.
- Grill, toast or bake your bread so it lightly toasts without becoming very hard.
- Then, slice into large crouton pieces.
- Slice tomatoes and the onions. Sprinkle on some sea salt and let it sit for 10-15 minutes.
- Add the tomato and onion to the toasted bread and cooked white beans.
- Blend tomatoes, vinegar, garlic, basil and white beans with plenty of olive oil.
- Stir this through the salad and top.
- Top it up with plenty of basil Add an extra drizzle of olive oil.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
PLEASE NOTE: Nutritional values are estimated by a computer and may vary based on ingredients and portion sizes. For personalised dietary advice, please consult a qualified healthcare professional.
White Bean Panzanella | Tuscan Tomato and Bread Salad
Ingredients
- 1 cup white beans soaked in the cold water for 8-10 hours
- 2 Ciabatta or any Italian rustic bread
- 1 cup tomatoes small
- ¼ cup red onion sliced
- sea salt
Tomato and White Bean Dressing
- ¼ cup tomatoes chopped
- ⅛ cup white beans cooked in the instant pot
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 2 cloves garlic
- ⅛ cup basil fresh
- sea salt
Garnish
- 3 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoon small basil leaves
Instructions
- Add soaked white beans with 1 cup water in the liner of the instant pot. Close the lid and select HIGH PRESSURE COOK for 8 minutes.
- Natural pressure release. Open the lid and transfer the cooked beans in to another bowl. Drain the water before adding them in to the salad.
- Grill, toast or bake your bread so it lightly toasts without becoming very hard.
- Then, slice into large crouton pieces.
- Slice tomatoes and the onions. Sprinkle on some sea salt and let it sit for 10-15 minutes.
- Add the tomato and onion to the toasted bread and cooked white beans.
- Blend tomatoes, vinegar, garlic, basil and white beans with plenty of olive oil.
- Stir this through the salad and top.
- Top it up with plenty of basil Add an extra drizzle of olive oil.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
PLEASE NOTE: Nutritional values are estimated by a computer and may vary based on ingredients and portion sizes. For personalised dietary advice, please consult a qualified healthcare professional.
Baklava Barfi is the perfect fusion dessert for special occasional such as Indian festivals, birthdays, Ramadan and more. Treat the baklava lover in your life with this stuffed milk powder barfi in which a tantalising ribbon of nut filling runs through layers flaky Indian sweet.
Mixed Nut Barfi | Indian Baklava Fudge
I love indulging in all types of barfi, whether it’s a classic Plain White Milk Powder Barfi or a Kesar, Badam, Pista Barfi .
I also love experimenting with flavours, since I have seen my Mum do the same. Some of her best recipes include her Nutella Barfi , Vanilla Caramel Chocolate Barfi , Peanut Chocolate Barfi and Almond Butter Barfi Bars .
This mixed nut barfi is made from plenty of chopped mixed nuts which are sweetened with a honey sugar syrup.
What is Baklava Barfi?
I had recently come across this beautiful recipe for Baklava Fudge and loved the idea of giving it the Indian touch.
Baklava Barfi is an Indian fusion dessert that combines the best of both barfi and baklava sweets in one.
Barfi is a milk based Indian dessert that is dense in texture with a fudge like finish. It can be plain white or take on different flavours and colours.
Baklava is a pastry dessert made with layers of filo pastry which is filled with chopped nuts then soaked in a sugar syrup.
For this recipe, we have taken the baklava nutty filling and sandwiched it between two layers of plain white milk powder barfi. More sweetened nuts are added to the top.
The result is an Indian fusion sweet that is surprisingly not too sweet yet incredibly moreish!
Perfect for occasions – whether it is a birthday, celebration, Diwali, Ramadan, Christmas or Raksha Bandhan, this barfi is sure to please!
Easy to scale the recipe up or down – all you will need is a bigger tray!
Ingredients for Barfi with Baklava Filling
Full ingredients with measurements are available in the recipe card below at the end of this post
White barfi
Milk powder – use full cream milk powder which is usually available in most supermarkets
Whole milk – for barfi, you will need whole or full fat milk which in the UK is typically 3.7% fat
Ghee – you can use butter ghee or vegetable ghee which can be found in most supermarkets in the world food aisle. Alternatively, use melted unsalted butter however the flavours are not the same. Use butter ONLY if you struggle to get hold of ghee. I use homemade ghee
Baklava Nut Filling
Mixed nuts – I have used toasted walnuts and pistachio but you can use whichever nuts are to your liking. You can use salted pistachios but be mindful that this may change the flavour of this recipe. I have used plain pistachios and I toasted the walnuts at home.
Almond flour – almond flour helps to bind the nut mixture together. If you do not have almond, or any other nut flour, I would suggest blending down a few nuts from your nut mix until you achieve a fine powder.
Cardamom powder – for classic Indian sweet flavour. You can alternatively use cinnamon powder if making during Christmas but this will significantly change the flavour.
Honey – honey gives the sugar syrup a “baklava” flavour but you can leave it out and make the sugar syrup without it. If you do use honey, I suggest using a light and mild flavoured honey as the strong, dark ones can be quite overbearing.
Sugar – use white granulated sugar.
Water – the water, sugar and honey are all the same volume ratio.
How to make Baklava Nut Barfi & Tips
Firstly we need to prepare the nut filling :
I have used pistachios and walnuts which are common fillings in baklava. Toast the walnuts lightly by heating in a pan over a gentle heat whilst turning continuously. As soon as the nuts become aromatic, remove from the pan.
I finely chopped the nuts using a knife but you can use a blender or food processor. If you use electrical equipment, pulse only as we want to keep plenty of texture and bite in the nuts.
Next, we have to prepare a honey sugar syrup. In a pan, heat water, sugar and honey. Once the sugar has dissolved, cook on medium heat for 1 minute then turn off the heat.
Add the syrup to the nuts, cardamom powder and almond flour. You may not need all the syrup so add it spoon by spoon until the nuts begin to stick to each other. We do not want a wet mixture here.
Leave the nut mixture to one side as we prepare the barfi.
Making the barfi:
Prepare your tray by adding a layer of parchment or baking paper – this will make it easier to lift the barfi out of the tray later. I have used a 8x8inch pan.
Roast milk powder in a heavy bottomed pan. The heat should be kept on low and you must constantly stir. The milk powder colour should not change, we are only looking to roast the powder until it is lightly aromatic. Switch off the heat as soon as you can smell the milk powder. Keep stirring for 1 minute as the pan will remain hot.
In another pan, heat milk and sugar gently to form a milky syrup. We do not need to bring the milk to a boil, simply to dissolve the sugar.
Pour the milk into the milk powder and cook the mixture on a low heat until the mixture leaves the sides of the pan and forms a soft mass. The mixture may still appear runny but it will harden and thicken as it cools.
Spoon in some ghee and stir through.
Now that we have cooked the mixture, you will have to work quite fast as the mixture wants to set as it cools.
Add about half the mixture to your tray. Add a layer of the nut filling and flatten the nut mixture out slightly with a spoon or fork. Pour the rest of the barfi layer on top and smooth out slightly. Top with the remaining nut mixture and leave the Barfi to set.
This tends to take a couple of hours. In the winter, I find that barfi can set within two hours but in the summer it takes much longer.
Do not place the barfi in the fridge to speed up the process.
Use a clean sharp knife to cut the barfi into pieces. I have made them 4x4cm which worked well for the height.
Storage
Baklava Barfi keeps well for one week at room temperature (although I have never come across barfi lasting that long).
Store it in an air tight container to prevent it from drying out. You do not need to store in the fridge if consuming within a few days.
Fridge – If you want to keep it for a few weeks, then keep Barfi in the fridge in an airtight container. Bring it to room temperature before serving.
Freezer – Barfi can be frozen and actually freezes well though the texture may not remain exactly the same. Store in an air tight, freezer safe container for up to 3 months. Defrost at room temperature.
Barfi is a great treat to make ahead of time .
Other Indian Sweets/Mithai Recipes
Best Barfi-Peda Recipes
Sutarfeni
Gujarati Magas/Magaz
Pumpkin Kalakand
Gor Churma Ladwa
Lachha Rabdi
Peanut Katli
Best Sooji Gujiya
Coconut Ladoo
Habshi Halwa
Coconut Barfi
As always if you make this recipe, be sure to leave me a comment, rate this recipe and tag me on Instagram @jcookingodyssey or #jcookingodyssey. I love seeing all your photos of my recipe recreations!
Don’t forget to follow me on social media using the buttons below – I can’t wait to see you all there!
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Baklava Barfi | Nut Barfi
Equipment
- 3 pans one to make the sugar syrup, one to roast milk powder, one to cook milk and sugar syrup
- 1 Knife use a sharp knife
- 1 Baking tray I used a deep 8×8 inch baking tray
Ingredients
Baklava Nut Mix
- ¾ cup pistachio finely chopped
- ¾ cup walnuts toasted, finely chopped
- 2 tbsp almond flour
- 1 tsp cardamom powder
Honey Syrup
- ¼ cup honey light honey
- ¼ cup sugar white, granulated
- ¼ cup water
Barfi
- 3 cup milk powder
- 1.5 cup milk whole milk
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 tsp ghee
Instructions
Baklava Nut Filling
- Heat sugar, honey and water in a pan
- Once the sugar has dissolved, cook for 1 extra minute then turn off the heat
- Mix finely chopped pistachios and walnuts with almond flour and cardamom powder
- Add the sugar syrup spoon by spoon until the nuts just stick together
Barfi
- Prepare a 8x8inch tray, lined with parchment paper
- Gently roast milk powder in a pan until fragrant
- In a separate pan, heat milk and sugar until the sugar dissolves
- Pour the milk into the milk powder and cook until the mixture thickens and begins to leave the edge of the pan
- Spoon in ghee and mix well
- Pour half the barfi mixture into the tray
- Add a layer of nut mixture and press in lightly
- Add another layer of barfi
- Spoon on the remaining nut mixture
- Allow to set and firm up
- Remove from the tray once well set and cut into even pieces.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
PLEASE NOTE: Nutritional values are estimated by a computer and may vary based on ingredients and portion sizes. For personalised dietary advice, please consult a qualified healthcare professional.
