Panzanella salad with roasted pork

5
Points®
Total Time
39 min
Prep
14 min
Cook
25 min
Serves
6
Difficulty
Easy
The key to making this bread-based salad is cubed day-old bread. Baguettes and Italian breads begin crispy and work best for soaking up the savory flavors of the basil enhanced red wine vinaigrette. Fresh onions and cucumbers bring in the veggie crunch and the hint of capers add a salty finish. Cook your pork to your desired temperature and, after resting, cut into cubes to top the salad. This one-dish meal needs no other accompaniments and makes equally as delicious a dinner as a lunch. Substitute roasted chicken for pork if you prefer.

Ingredients

Uncooked lean pork tenderloin

1 pound(s), trimmed of all visible fat

Table salt

¼ tsp

Black pepper

tsp, freshly ground

French bread

8 oz, day-old, or Italian bread, cut into 1-inch cubes

Tomato

3 large, ripe, each cut into 12 wedges

English cucumber

½ medium, peeled and cut into scant 1⁄4-inch-thick slices

Red onion

1 small, thinly sliced

Fat free red wine vinaigrette

½ cup(s)

Basil

cup(s), fresh, chopped

Capers

1 Tbsp, drained

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 425°F. Spray a shallow roasting pan with nonstick spray.
  2. Sprinkle the pork with salt and pepper; place in the pan. Roast until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the center of the pork registers 160°F for medium, 20–25 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes, then cut evenly into 12 slices.
  3. Meanwhile, combine the bread, tomatoes, cucumber, onion, vinaigrette, basil, and capers in a large bowl. Toss well and let stand until the bread soaks up the juices, about 20 minutes. Divide the salad evenly among 6 plates. Top each salad with 2 slices of the pork and serve at once. Yields 1 salad per serving.

Notes

Harmful bacteria are destroyed when food is cooked to the proper temperature. A meat thermometer is the only reliable way to determine that safe temperature. The U.S. Department of Agriculture recommends that pork (roasts, steaks, and chops) be cooked to at least 160°F. This produces medium-cooked meat. For well-done, cook the meat to 170°F.