There is nothing I love more than a panzanella salad in the summer. It’s refreshing, filling, and oh-so-satisfying. This version swaps the usual tomatoes for a mix of stone fruit — cherries, plums, and peaches — alongside super sweet Sungold tomatoes, all tossed with crunchy olive bread croutons, fresh basil, and roasted sesame seeds. It’s a slightly unexpected twist on a classic, and shockingly delicious.
To be clear, this is not a traditional panzanella — the famous bread salad from central Italy, most often credited to Tuscany. I love doing a twist on a classic, like my grilled peach and burrata panzanella, or my American-style take on the more typical tomato and cucumber panzanella. But this may just be my new favorite.
This version swaps the usual tomatoes for a mix of stone fruit — cherries, plums, and peaches — alongside super sweet Sungold tomatoes, all tossed with crunchy olive bread croutons, fresh basil, and roasted sesame seeds.
Ingredients
Serves 2
- 1 peach, pitted and cut into wedges
- 1 plum, pitted and cut into wedges
- 1 cup Sungold or cherry tomatoes, halved
- ½ shallot, thinly sliced
- 2 thick slices olive bread, cut into cubes (any sturdy bread works)
- ¼ cup olive oil, plus more for the croutons
- 2 tablespoons roasted sesame seeds
- 2–3 tablespoons aged balsamic vinegar
- Handful of fresh basil leaves
- Salt and pepper
How To Make Stone Fruit Panzanella Salad
- Make The Croutons
Toss the bread cubes with a generous drizzle of olive oil. Spread in a single layer on a sheet pan and toast at 350°F for 10–20 minutes, until lightly golden and crispy on the outside but still slightly soft inside. - Toss Salad
In a large bowl, toss the peaches, plums, tomatoes, shallots, sesame seeds, ¼ cup olive oil, and balsamic vinegar. Add the croutons, season with salt and pepper, and toss again until the bread has soaked up the oil and fruit juices. - Serve it up!
Arrange on a platter or in a large bowl and scatter fresh basil over the top.
Some Tips & Notes
- Bread: Olive bread is great here, but ciabatta, sourdough, or a day-old country loaf all work. Stale bread is actually ideal — I’m always making a panzanella to use up extra bread, since it soaks up the dressing without going completely soggy.
- Stone fruit: Any combination works. Nectarines, apricots, pluots, or sour cherries are all great additions or swaps. Use whatever is available and ripe.
- Make it a meal: Add fresh burrata or mozzarella to make it a bit more filling.
- Balsamic: Aged balsamic is thicker and sweeter — totally worth it here. If you only have
regular balsamic, that works just fine too!
More Recipes to Try:
Stone Fruit Caprese Salad — If you love the stone fruit vibe of this panzanella, this caprese is a must. Peaches, plums, tomatoes, and torn fresh mozzarella get a drizzle of aged balsamic and a generous scatter of fresh mint and oregano. It’s the salad that started my obsession with putting stone fruit in everything.
Grilled Peach Panzanella Salad with Burrata — Think of this as the more indulgent cousin of this salad. Grilled peaches get tossed with smashed cucumbers, sweet cherry tomatoes, and crispy ciabatta croutons in a honey-champagne vinaigrette, all finished off with a big ball of torn burrata. Juicy, creamy, crunchy — it really has it all.
Panzanella Salad — The classic. Stale bread soaked in a bold anchovy, caper, and red wine vinegar dressing with ripe tomatoes, crisp cucumbers, and loads of fresh basil. If you want to go back to basics after this stone fruit version, this is the one to try.
Prosciutto Wrapped Melon — Two ingredients, five minutes, and total perfection. Sweet melon wrapped in paper-thin salty prosciutto — this is peak summer eating, no recipe required.
Cantaloupe Salad with Cucumber and Feta — Thinly sliced cantaloupe and crisp cucumbers topped with crumbled feta, toasted pistachios, and torn basil, dressed simply with lime juice and really good olive oil. Sweet, salty, crunchy, and done in ten minutes.
Sicilian Fennel and Orange Salad — A classic Italian combination that I keep coming back to — shaved fennel, blood oranges, briny olives, toasted walnuts, and nothing but a drizzle of great olive oil to tie it all together. Simple, elegant, and incredibly satisfying.
Want more recipes like this delivered right to your inbox?
Sign-up to the Substack newsletter below:
Subscribe
Hi, I'm Rachel — the cook, photographer, and recipe developer behind Most Hungry.
This is my go-to spot for bold, approachable recipes rooted in Italian and Italian-American cooking, from hand-rolled fresh pasta to fall-off-the-bone ribs. Great food should be fun, doable, and absolutely delicious. Learn more about me →
Stone Fruit Panzanella Salad
Ingredients
- 1 peach pitted and cut into wedges
- 1 plum pitted and cut into wedges
- 1 cup Sungold or cherry tomatoes halved
- ½ shallot thinly sliced
- 2 thick slices olive bread cut into cubes (any sturdy bread works)
- ¼ cup olive oil plus more for the croutons
- 2 tbsp roasted sesame seeds
- 2 –3 tbsp aged balsamic vinegar
- Handful of fresh basil leaves
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
- Toss the bread cubes with a generous drizzle of olive oil. Spread in a single layer on a sheet pan and toast at 350°F for 10–20 minutes, until lightly golden and crispy on the outside but still slightly soft inside.
- In a large bowl, toss the peaches, plums, tomatoes, shallots, sesame seeds, ¼ cup olive oil, and balsamic vinegar. Add the croutons, season with salt and pepper, and toss again until the bread has soaked up the oil and fruit juices.
- Arrange on a platter or in a large bowl and scatter fresh basil over the top.
Did You Make This Recipe?
Leave a comment with your thoughts or share your version on Instagram by tagging @TheMostHungry. I’d love to see how you made it your own!
FAQs
Can I make this ahead of time?
This panzanella is best served right after tossing, once the croutons have soaked up the dressing but before they get super soggy. You can prep all the components ahead of time and toss just before serving.
What bread works best?
Any sturdy, crusty bread — olive loaf, ciabatta, sourdough, or a day-old baguette. I like to make this with any bread that needs to get used up. But, I would avoid soft sandwich bread; it’ll turn to mush.
Is this vegan?
As written, yes! If you add burrata or cheese it won’t be, but the base recipe is totally vegan.
What if I can’t find Sungold tomatoes?
Any sweet cherry tomato works great — just make sure they’re ripe and super flavorful.
