Growing up in New Jersey I developed a love of tomatoes at an early age. I can vividly remember the juicy taste of the just-picked, still warm from the sun, summer tomatoes. It didn’t matter how they were fixed, with a little salt/pepper, a drizzle of balsamic vinegar, nestled among fresh slices of mozzarella cheese, they were delicious. I got the idea from this salad when I first saw a recipe in the Dish Entertains cookbook. I played around with it and ended up adding one of my favorite ingredients, capers!
Xx. Heather
Tomato and Bread Salad
This salad is perfect for a casual gathering with family or friends. It's best in the summer when tomatoes are abundant and bursting with flavor.
Ingredients
- 1 baguette cut into 1-inch cubes
- 3 tbsp olive oil favorite is California Olive Ranch Olive Oil
- 2 large, ripe tomatoes cut into wedges
- 1 English cucumber cut into 1-inch cubes
- 1 yellow bell pepper cut into 1-inch cubes
- 1/2 red onion cut in half lengthwise and thinly sliced
- 1 tbsp capers
- 20 basil leaves coarsely chopped
Vinaigrette
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1 tbsp dijon mustard
- 1/4 cup sherry vinegar or sub red wine vinegar
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1/8 tsp ground pepper
Instructions
- Preheat over to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Toss bread cubes in olive oil and place on baking sheet while oven is heating. Toasted bread cubes stirring occasionally for about 10 minutes until golden brown. Let cool.
- Whisk vinaigrette ingredients together in a bowl until emulsified.
- Combine bread cubes, tomatoes, cucumber, yellow pepper, red onion, capers and basil in a large bowl. Add vinaigrette and toss well. Season with additional salt/pepper if desired.
- Let sit for 30 minutes so the bread cubes can soak up all the juices and flavor and serve.
