This panzanella with beans was developed in partnership with Yondu, the vegan umami seasoning sauce. Thank you for supporting the brands that support The New Baguette!
This panzanella with beans, tomatoes, and avocado is an incredibly simple, light summery dish with almost zero cooking involved. It can act as a hearty side dish or be a meal on its own – especially on those first warm nights of spring when you don’t feel like getting your kitchen all hot and steamy.
This salad is loosely inspired by beans-on-toast, the classic British snack consisting of, well, beans on toast. Beans and bread are a combo I always wax poetic about but rarely actually pursue. A pile of creamy beans on toast may be great in theory, but in practice – let’s face it – it’s kinda hard to eat, and I hate things that are hard to eat (see: lobster, overstuffed burritos, corn on the cob).
No offense to my friends across the pond, but I decided to turn this concept into an easy-to-eat salad – and brought fresh flavors like tomatoes, avocado, and parsley along for the ride. This beans-on-toast salad is perfect for picnics and other summery outdoor meals.
What is Panzanella
Panzanella is a classic Italian summer salad consisting of leftover bread, juicy tomatoes, onions, and olive oil. It’s a peasant cuisine staple designed to give past-its-prime bread a second life. (Pane = bread)
How to Make This Panzanella With Beans
This version of panzanella consists of garlicky croutons, cherry tomatoes, diced avocado, lots of parsley, olive oil, lemon juice, and Yondu (i.e. liquid umami in a bottle – details below).
You’ll start by making the croutons. This involves toasting cubed bread in a skillet with olive oil and garlic powder for 6-8 minutes. In the meantime, you’ll combine all the other ingredients in a mixing bowl. Then you’ll toss in the warm croutons and that’s it!
What is Yondu
Yondu is an all-purpose umami seasoning that I’m obsessed with. (You may recall my Yondu vegan risotto from last fall!) It’s a condiment made from fermented organic non-GMO soybeans, concentrated vegetable broth, and sea salt. (No freaky chemicals or preservatives!) Think of it as an alternative to fish sauce, bouillon cubes, soy sauce, or miso.
What I love most about this magical ingredient is that while it is salty and savory, it has a neutral flavor so it works in any type of cuisine (unlike something like soy sauce). In a nutshell, Yondu is a shortcut to that savory, cooked-all-day flavor. Just a teaspoon of it can make everything from stir-frys, to sautéed vegetables, to soups taste complete.
Yondu gives this bean panzanella salad a deliciously savory, well-rounded flavor. It brings out the umami of the tomatoes and makes basic canned beans taste like you’ve been simmering them all day. To add Yondu to your pantry, head to Amazon and use code 20AlexTNB at checkout for 20% off any sized bottle. (Code valid until May 25, 2021).
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Bread: I love hearty whole wheat sourdough here, but you can use any crusty bread, like ciabatta, focaccia, or a baguette. Panzanella is the perfect way to use up stale bread!
- Parsley: I decided on parsley for this dish but you can use any fresh herbs you have, like basil, cilantro, and/or dill.
- Beans: I chose white beans because they contrast nicely with the colorful vegetables. You could sub in any type of cooked bean you have, though.
- Extra virgin olive oil: EVOO makes sense here as it is an Italian-inspired dish. With that said, if you happen to have unrefined sunflower oil (perhaps if you bought it to make my Ukrainian dill potatoes!), it is excellent for dressing this salad.
Check out these other salad recipes…
- Massaged Kale Salad with Tahini Dressing and Crispy Chickpeas
- Summer Pasta Salad with Tomatoes, Artichokes and Arugula
- Arugula-Radicchio Salad with Roasted Delicata Squash
- Tomato-Peach Salad with Sautéed Corn and Basil
Let me know if you try this recipe! Give it a rating below and leave a comment, and don’t forget to tag your creation with #TheNewBaguette and @thenewbaguette on Instagram.
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Panzanella with Beans
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 6 mins
- Total Time: 16 minutes
- Yield: 4–6 servings 1x
- Category: Salad
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Diet: Vegan
Description
This panzanella with beans is packed with summery flavors like cherry tomatoes, avocado, and fresh herbs. It’s the perfect picnic food! (Developed in partnership with Yondu)
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
- 3 large slices of crusty bread, cut into 1-inch cubes
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- One 14-ounce can white beans, drained and rinsed
- 8 ounces cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 medium ripe avocado, diced
- 1 cup parsley leaves, roughly chopped (See Note)
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon Yondu umami seasoning
Instructions
- Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the bread and season with 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder and pinches of salt and pepper. Toast, tossing frequently, until the bread is crispy and golden brown but still a little chewy, 6 to 8 minutes.
- Meanwhile, in a large mixing bowl, place the beans, tomatoes, avocado, parsley, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, 1 tablespoon Yondu, pepper to taste, and the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil. Toss to combine. Stir in the croutons.
Notes
You can substitute with basil, cilantro, and/or dill.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/6 of the recipe
- Calories: 275
- Fat: 16.4 g
- Carbohydrates: 26.5 g
- Fiber: 6.4 g
- Protein: 7.9 g
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