Panera Tomato Basil Cucumber Salad
Panera Tomato Basil Cucumber Salad is a simple recipe packed with fresh ingredients and bursting with flavor, making it a perfect choice for a light lunch or a side dish. This is a mix of fresh juicy tomatoes, crisp cucumbers, tangy red onions, and a touch of basil topped with a light dressing of extra-virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar
Feel the Refreshing Vibes
Panera Basil Tomato Cucumber Salad is a colorful and delicious mix of textures and flavors. This new tomato salad hack is a healthy, refreshing option to enjoy all time of year, especially in late summer.
Why You Will Love Panera Tomato Basil Cucumber Salad?
Easy and quick: This is a simple salad to make with very simple steps that will not take more than 10 minutes of your time.
Delicious: The Panera tomato cucumber salad bursts with yummy flavors and crunchy textures.
Versatile: When making this Panera version salad, you can add whatever veggies you like.
Healthy: The Panera tomato and cucumber salad can be rich in essential nutrients, such as potassium and vitamin C. This kind of salad helps your weight loss diet by satisfying your hunger with low-calorie vegetables.
Zoe’s Kitchen Chicken Salad Recipe (Copycat), Copycat Jimmy Johns Tuna Salad Recipe, Copycat Juan Pollo Potato Salad Recipe, Chick Fil a Kale Salad Recipe, and Best Turkish Red Cabbage Salad are also other delicious healthy options you will love to add to your tasty healthy recipes.
I’d love to hear from you about the experience in the comment section at the end of the post.
A Colorful Delicious Salad
Ingredients
To make the Panera Tomato Basil Salad recipe, you need the following ingredients:
Tomatoes: I love adding halved cherry tomatoes to my Panera salad.
Cucumber: Add diced English cucumbers to give a nice crunch to this copycat salad.
Red onion: Thinly sliced red onions will add a light spicy taste to Panera cucumber salad.
Fresh basil: The star of this salad recipe is roughly chopped large basil leaves.
Olive oil: Extra-virgin olive oil is the base for this Panera salad dressing.
Balsamic vinegar: Another essential ingredient to add to the dressing of this copycat salad is balsamic vinegar.
Garlic: Freshly minced garlic cloves give the dressing a huge kick of flavor.
Lemon juice: Add a splash of fresh lemon juice to brighten up the dressing.
Salt and black pepper: Add them according to taste and preference.
See the recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
In a large mixing bowl, start by combining the cherry tomatoes, diced cucumber, sliced red onion, and chopped basil leaves.
Then, whisk together the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, minced garlic, salt, and black pepper in a small bowl until well combined.
After that, pour the dressing over the mixture. Toss gently to coat the vegetables evenly with the dressing.
Now, allow the salad to marinate in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes to allow the flavors to meld together. You can also let it sit longer for a more intense flavor.
Before serving, give the salad a final toss and adjust the seasoning if needed. Taste and add more salt or pepper if desired.
Finally, serve the Panera Tomato Basil Cucumber Salad chilled or at room temperature. It can be enjoyed as a side dish or as a light and refreshing salad on its own.
Enjoy The Heart Flavor
Serving Suggestions
Panera Basil Cucumber Salad is a delicious side dish that goes with many meals. You can serve it as an appetizer or as a snack!
To enjoy a healthy snack of Panera bread cucumber tomato basil salad, pair your salad with copycat Panera tomato basil bread or other types of dairy-free bread like artisanal flatbreads, Focaccia with Sun Dried Tomatoes, vegan bagels, etc.
As a side dish, this superfood salad goes well with salmon and fish recipes, like Sheet Pan Salmon With Sweet Potatoes and Broccoli, Honey Glazed Air Fryer Salmon, Pan Fried Lemon Butter Tilapia, Air Fryer Salmon Nuggets, Teriyaki Salmon Air Fryer, etc.
In addition to garlic cream sauce, pair fried or grilled chicken with the Panera tomato and cucumber salad. You will admire this combination. Try it with Grilled Chicken Kabobs with Vegetables, Air Fryer Bone In Chicken Thighs- So Crispy, Crispy Keto Air Fryer Garlic Parmesan Chicken Wings, etc.
A great option is to pair this basil salad with Easy Air Fryer Lamb Chops in 13 Minutes or Cast Iron Baby Lamb Chops With Garlic. Enjoy the flavor!
If you are on a vegan diet, you can still enjoy this salad with a warm bowl of whole grains recipes.
An Extra Deliciousness To Your Meal
Substitutions
Tomatoes: You can use teardrop-shaped tomatoes or ripe heirloom tomatoes in place of cherry fresh tomatoes.
Vinegar: To make the salad dressing, you can use red wine vinegar in place of balsamic vinegar.
Variations
Veggies: Feel free to customize the salad by adding other ingredients and veggies such as olives, romaine lettuces, avocado, bell peppers, charred corn kernels, etc. according to your preferences. Don’t worry daily dietary fiber values in Panera tomato basil salad will not be much affected.
Cheese: It can add some creaminess, saltiness, and depth of flavor to the salad. Here are a few types of cheese that would work well in the salad: fresh mozzarella cheese, blue cheese, crumbled feta cheese, goat cheese, and grated Parmesan cheese.
Dressing: Many dressings would pair well with a vegetable salad, depending on your taste and the flavors in the salad. You can try it with copycat Panera green goddess salad dressing, balsamic vinaigrette, Greek dressing, etc.
Other toppings: Some people like to sprinkle flaky sea salt and fresh herbs like rosemary, thyme, oregano, basil, etc. for a delectable herby flavor. Some others like to sprinkle sesame seeds on the top before serving.
Pin It for Later
Storage
Making ahead: It would be a good idea to make Panera Vegan Tomato Basil Cucumber Salad a couple of hours before serving to allow the flavors to meld together.
If you decide to prepare it one day before serving, then you must store the salad dressing in a mason jar separately from the chopped fresh ingredients. When you’re ready to serve, give the dressing a good shake, drizzle it on the chopped veggies, and mix until well combined before 30 minutes of serving.
Fridge: The salad should not be kept outside at room temperature for more than one hour. Store Panera Tomato Basil Cucumber Salad leftovers in a sealed airtight container and store them in the refrigerator for about 3-4 days.
Try It Now
Top Tips
Customize the dressing topped on the recipe based on your preference or calorie diet restrictions.
You can prepare the dressing using a blender or a food processor to get the desired consistency.
Frequently Asked Questions
To make Panera salad, I use English cucumber. However, regular cucumbers and mini cucumbers also work for this copycat recipe.
When purchasing basil, select bunches that are brightly colored with fresh, fragrant leaves and firm stems. Avoid bunches with wilted yellowed leaves.
Related
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Pairing
These are my favorite dishes to serve with [this recipe]:
If you’ve tried this recipe or any other recipe on Sourandsweets, don’t forget to rate the recipe and leave me a comment below! I would love to hear about your experience with my recipes. Please share it with me on Instagram.
Panera Tomato Basil Cucumber Salad
Ingredients
- 2 cups cherry tomatoes halved
- 1 large English cucumber diced
- ½ cup red onion thinly sliced
- ½ cup fresh basil leaves roughly chopped
Dressing:
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- Salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the cherry tomatoes, diced cucumber, sliced red onion, and chopped basil leaves.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, minced garlic, salt, and black pepper until well combined.
- Pour the dressing over the mixture. Toss gently to coat the vegetables evenly with the dressing.
- Allow the salad to marinate in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes to allow the flavors to meld together. You can also let it sit longer for more intense flavor.
- Before serving, give the salad a final toss and adjust the seasoning if needed. Taste and add more salt or pepper if desired.
- Serve the Panera Tomato Basil Cucumber Salad chilled or at room temperature. It can be enjoyed as a side dish or as a light and refreshing salad on its own.
