French Bread Pizza Salad
French Bread Pizza Salad
French Bread Pizza Salad
French Bread Pizza Salad

French Bread Pizza Salad

David Venable

Meats, cheese, bread & vinaigrette were meant to be tossed together!

Ingredients

  • 1 lb plum tomatoes, cut in half lengthwise
  • 2-1/2 tsp salt, divided
  • 2-1/2 tsp dried oregano, divided
  • 3/4 cup, plus 3 Tbsp, extra-virgin olive oil, divided
  • 1 cup green peppers, medium dice
  • 1 cup mushrooms, sliced
  • 1 cup onion, thinly sliced
  • 1/3 cup red wine vinegar
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1/2 tsp sugar
  • 1 tsp garlic, minced
  • 1 tsp black pepper
  • 8–9 cups sourdough or rustic bread, cut into 1" cubes and toasted
  • 1/2 cup mini pepperoni, sliced, or regular pepperoni, small dice
  • 1/2 cup sliced black olives
  • 1/2 lb fresh mozzarella, medium dice
  • 1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped
  • 1/4 cup Italian parsley, chopped

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 425°F.
Place the tomatoes, flesh side up, on a baking sheet. Sprinkle with 1-1/2 tsp salt, 1-1/2 tsp oregano, and 2 Tbsp olive oil.
In a mixing bowl, toss the peppers, mushrooms, and onions with 1 Tbsp olive oil and spread out on another baking sheet. Place both baking sheets in the oven and roast the vegetables for 15 minutes.
While the vegetables are roasting, make the vinaigrette in a large mixing bowl. Combine the vinegar, water, 3/4 cup olive oil, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp oregano, sugar, garlic, and black pepper.
When the vegetables are done, remove them from the oven and let cool. Peel and discard the skins from the tomatoes, then large dice the tomato.
In the mixing bowl with the vinaigrette, add the bread, tomatoes, peppers, mushrooms, onions, pepperoni, olives, mozzarella, basil, and parsley. Fold the ingredients together. Let the salad marinate for 20–30 minutes, mixing every 5 minutes.

Cook's Notes

Do you have stale bread sitting around? Use it up in this recipe—the bread gets toasted anyway! Swap in 1 lb cooked pasta for the bread to create a new take on this pizza-inspired salad.

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