Dan Pelosi’s Tuscan Panzanella Salad
I fell in love with Dan Pelosi last summer…
Of course, I was already a big fan of the Italian-American cookbook author, who lives in a gorgeous farmhouse upstate with his equally cute partner, Gus. We’d written on Cup of Jo about how Dan turns around a bad day, and he’d attended my holiday cookie swap (although he’s more famous for his own!).
But then, last summer, Toby and I went upstate and ran into Dan and Gus at an outdoor pizza spot, and they immediately shepherded us to their picnic table and were so warm and wonderful that Toby didn’t stop talking about them the whole drive home.
So! I’m thrilled to report that Dan has written a new cookbook — Let’s Party: Recipes and Menus for Celebrating Every Day — which came out yesterday.
How sweet is the dedication page?
His book is full of entertaining showstoppers, like steak over frites…
…simple favorites, including a green salad with shallot dressing…
…and sweet treats. And, today, to celebrate tomato season and his cookbook, Dan has agreed to share his panzanella recipe. “You know that board game, Operation?” he says. “If it were based on me, you’d see a tomato where my heart should be.”
Tuscan Panzanella Salad
from Dan Pelosi’s Let’s Party: Recipes and Menus for Celebrating Every Day
Serves 6 to 8
Says Dan: “I’ve always said panzanella salad is just a bread basket in drag. It’s the same satisfying taste of ripping apart a dinner roll and running it through vinegary oil but dressed up for the evening gown portion of the night. This salad began as Tuscan peasant food, a very smart way to get an extra meal out of stale loaves. Now you’ll find it with luxury accessories like cheese, stone fruits, or all kinds of proteins. When the tomatoes mingle with onions, red wine vinegar, oil, and plenty of salt and pepper, you’ve got everything you need in the world.”
3 pounds of heirloom tomatoes, cut into 1-inch pieces
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 large red onion, cut into 1-inch pieces
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
1 (16-ounce) loaf crusty bread, torn into 1-inch pieces
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Place the tomatoes (and any collected juices from the cutting board) in a large bowl and add a few big pinches of salt and plenty of pepper. Toss gently to mix. Add the onion along with the vinegar and olive oil. Toss again.
On a rimmed sheet pan, drizzle the bread with a little bit of olive oil and toss to coat. Toast in the oven for about 10 minutes, until lightly golden. Remove and let the bread cool on the sheet pan, about 15 minutes.
Just before serving, add the bread to the bowl and toss to coat in the juices. Taste for seasoning and serve immediately.
Note: To make ahead, the bread can be toasted and stored in an airtight container at room temperature up to three days.
Thank you so much, Dan! You can find his new cookbook here, if you’d like.
P.S. The easy chicken dinner our family makes on busy weeknights, and a pasta cake, just for fun.
(Reprinted with permission from Let’s Party: Recipes and Menus for Celebrating Every Day by Dan Pelosi © 2025. Published by Union Square & Co. Photos © Johnny Miller.)
Tags: tomatoes
Comments
40 commentsThis lovely human. Let’s eat all the tomatoes and have no regrets* as fall descends. xox *no tomato-based regrets
writing up a grocery list. making tonight. going to add some greens and cuces and chicken and cheese then call it a complete meal
Looove panzanella, we eat it all the time. It’s great for toddlers, which might not be obvious, but what’s not to like — bread, tomatoes, cheese! My daughter, too, has a tomato where her heart is in her personalized game of Operation.
I’ve been in a Grossy Pelosi kick lately… primarily because everything is gold, but secondarily because my 4 year old LOVES saying “Grossy Pelosi” and will at least taste his recipes because of this cool, rhyming name. We love his spaghetti with eggplant sauce and garlicky pumpernickel bread crumbs- grandparents all the way to grandkids. Panzanella is one of my favorite summer go-tos… I try to make a version every week. I love how this version is essentially made in one bowl and one pan. Like someone else said, I usually add chickpeas when I want to make a meal out of it. It’s also amazing with a hot, juicy grilled or roasted chicken plopped on top. For a more involved version that takes the tomato flavor to the next level, try J. Kenji Lopez-Alt’s recipe. He salts the tomatoes and let’s the juices drain… adding the juices to the vinaigrette for the panzanella. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SHMnQlOPFeI
Dan and Gus are awesome, literally the best part of what I see on Instagram and why I keep using that stupid app. The food always looks amazing and their home is my dream home!
Dan is cutie pie :)
The pizza picture makes my mouth water! How gorgeous is the dedication page? <3
Grossy Pelosi is just everything! On a somewhat related note, I was just googling “best panzanella in NYC” as we are visiting in a few weeks. So far I got Rubirosa and Borgo, but if anyone has suggestions, I would so appreciate them. Or maybe Dan and Gus will invite all of us Cup of Jo readers over before tomato season ends!😂
What is the upstate pizza place you bumped into him? That pie with the fruit looks so good!
I love following him on Instagram. His food looks delicious, the recipes are easy to follow, and his house is amazing, but it never feels anything but natural and real. Not staged or forced or choosing the visual over the taste and comfort. Also they are a super cute couple.
That salad needs some cucumber chunks and a bit of shredded basil. :)
Then it’d be in your cookbook, not Dan’s, ya?
(Fwiw I took Erin’s comment with an open hand, like they were extending the conversation here by voicing their salad manifestation — not as a critique of Dan’s salad!)
@Andreea Erin has a point. Original Tuscan panzanella also has cucumbers and basil. I lived in Tuscany for 5 years and you can’t really re-create a proper panzanella outside Tuscany because their (unsalted) bread is impossible to find elsewhere.
Oh, I definitely meant it as a critique. Without some crunchy veggies, panzanella doesn’t have the right texture; it should fight back a little as you chew. And basil and tomato are true loves — why would you keep them apart? Also, make the croutons fresh, not three days ahead. This is a salad you can only really enjoy for a small flash of time every summer at Peak Tomato Season, so it’s worth the tiny bit of extra effort to make it as tasty as possible.
I appreciate your recs, Erin!
FWIW, my husband – who lived in Rome as a kid – cuts the bread chunks BIG, tosses them in olive oil, and then bakes them till they are quite hard. He tosses the tomatoes and bread together and then serves immediately, so there’s definite crunch. It must be eaten all in one swoop, because the leftovers will turn to mush. He adds basil, yes, but also shallots and anchovy. Cheese and prosciutto on the side. :)
Just put this on hold at my library!
Oh my goodness, a new cookbook from Dan! My first cookbook from him is dog-eared, I use it so much! I follow him on Instagram and just love seeing what he and Gus are up to. He makes the best recipes from the heart. Much continues sucess to them both!
I love Dan! I cut off Instagram this year, and I truly miss his content. His pesto chicken meatball featured in NYT are epic.
+1 to his pesto chicken meatball recipe!! So easy, so delicious.
those meatballs are genius. I make a huge batch and freeze them, then point my partner to them whenever I don’t feel like cooking hahah
This panzanella is so pretty and colorful–the perfect way to enjoy summer’s bounty! It’s my son’s favorite dish, and we always add some fresh mozzarella to make it a full meal. (You can also sneak in white beans or garbanzos if you like!)
Same! We usually toss in chickpeas to make it a meal… my favorite essentially no cook meal!
Wait a second… is Gus his HUSBAND now!?
Omg you’re right — partner! Sorry I got ahead of myself haha, I love them together so much!
Their house is so dreamy. Sigh, amazing.
“I’ve always said panzanella salad is just a bread basket in drag.” I mean COME ON! <3
Only to save him from 8000 DMs asking for an update…I don’t think he and Gus are married.
Oh yes! Corrected in the post :)
I love him, that is all.
same same
One of my favorite salads and ways to eat heirloom tomatoes. The best.
Fell hard for the talents of this “meatball making meatballs” (Dan’s words 😉) after the cover story in Domino magazine, waaay back. Love his personal style! Approachable, edible, fun. Always.
haha he is SUCH a voice-y guy!!
I know what I’m making for dinner tomorrow night! I’d have a piece of toasted bread where my heart should be :)
Looks great, I just added it to my library list!
I’ve said “no more cookbooks”……. Clicking on “buy now”. 🤗
haha he is the BEST.
Love the title and color pop! Cannot wait to try a few new recipes.