Last night, I went BIG with dinner out in West New Jersey at a place called Ninety Acres. Since life is all about balance, we had a lighter dinner tonight with this Flank Steak Panzanella Salad. A Panzanella salad usually has chunks of soaked stale bread and tomatoes, and is dressed with olive oil and vinegar.
While I’ve never made croutons before, I have a new found love! They take 5-minutes to make and taste way better than store bought. They elevate this salad to the next level.
If you don’t eat red meat, swap it out for grilled chicken, shrimp or toasted tofu for an awesome vegetarian option.
Flank Steak Panzanella Salad
Ingredients
- 1 pound flank steak, trimmed
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (+ more for drizzling)
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar (+ more for drizzling)
- 1-2 cups of a baguette, cubed
- 2 cups baby arugula
- 1/2 cup red onion, thinly sliced
- 1 cup mini heirloom tomatoes, cut in half
- 1 medium cucumber, diced
- 1/2 cup celery, diced
- 1/2 cup rainbow carrots, diced
Directions
- To make the steak, preheat grill to medium heat, around 300 degrees. Sprinkle steak evenly with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Add steak to grill; cook 3 to 4 minutes on each side or until desired degree of doneness. Place steak on a cutting board; let stand 5 minutes. Cut across the grain into thin slices. Set aside.
- To make the croutons, combine remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, remaining 1/4 teaspoon pepper, oil, and vinegar in a large bowl. Add in cubed bread and toss until well combined. In a large saucepan, fry bread for about 5 minutes stirring continuously, or until bread is crunchy and golden brown. Remove from heat and set aside.
- To assemble, add arugula, onion, tomatoes, cucumber, celery and carrots to a large bowl and toss. Add steak and bread cubes; toss. Drizzle with olive oil and vinegar. Let stand 10 minutes. Serve and Enjoy!
Adapted from: Myrecipes.com
Season Generously 