This Panzanella Will Be the Unexpected Star of Your Thanksgiving Menu
Land O Lakes® Butter with Olive Oil & Sea Salt toasted bread and roasted vegetables come together with hearty kale, lots of fresh herbs, and a piquant brown butter dressing.
Serves10 to 12
While some may say Thanksgiving is all about the turkey, we know it’s really all about the sides. Aren’t classics like mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, and stuffing what most people clamor for at the table anyway? It’s always fun to add something a little different to the usual spread, though.
What Is Panzanella?
Panzanella, which hails from Tuscany, is a dish of toasted bread cubes and vegetables tossed in a simple dressing. The salad is typically made with summer tomatoes, but it’s both easy and fun to riff on it. Here, it’s all dressed up for fall. This panzanella features familiar flavors of the season—sweet butternut squash, hearty kale, ruby-hued pomegranate seeds—but feels fresh on the table. It’s sure to be another crowd-pleasing side dish that steals attention away from the bird.
A Salad That’s Extra Rich in Flavor
The secret to this fall-forward salad is Land O Lakes® Butter with Olive Oil & Sea Salt, which delivers the creaminess of butter with the goodness of olive oil. Both the olive oil and the sea salt deepen the flavor, lending extra richness to everything it touches. Here, it’s melted and tossed with the bread cubes first, which allows them to become chunks of golden-brown deliciousness when toasted.
Then, a bit more Land O Lakes® Butter with Olive Oil & Sea Salt is melted until it browns and becomes nutty. This forms the base of the decadent maple-Dijon dressing that coats every nook and cranny of both the bread and the warm roasted vegetables. Oh, and Land O Lakes® Butter with Olive Oil & Sea Salt is perfectly spreadable right out of the fridge, so save some to slather all over that basket of dinner rolls at the table, too.
Thanksgiving Panzanella
Land O Lakes® Butter with Olive Oil & Sea Salt toasted bread and roasted vegetables come together with hearty kale, lots of fresh herbs, and a piquant brown butter dressing.
Serves 10 to 12
Ingredients
For the panzanella:
- 1/2
small butternut squash (about 1 pound), peeled, seeded, and cut into 1-inch pieces
- 3
large parsnips, peeled, halved lengthwise, and cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1
large red onion, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
- 4 tablespoons
Land O Lakes® Butter with Olive Oil & Sea Salt, melted, divided
- 1/4 teaspoon
kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon
freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2
bunch lacinato or Tuscan kale (about 5 ounces), ribs removed and leaves torn into bite-size pieces
- 3
cloves garlic, smashed
- 8 ounces
crusty bread, cut into 1-inch cubes (4 to 5 cups)
- 3 tablespoons
chopped mixed fresh herb leaves, such as parsley, thyme, and oregano
- 1/2 cup
pomegranate arils
- 4 tablespoons
- 1 tablespoon
apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon
maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon
Dijon mustard
- 1/4 teaspoon
kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon
freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
Make the panzanella:
Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven and heat the oven to 425°F.
Place the squash, parsnips, and onion in a large bowl, add melted 2 tablespoons of the Land O Lakes® Butter with Olive Oil & Sea Salt, salt, and pepper, and toss to coat. Transfer to a rimmed baking sheet (reserve the bowl) and arrange in a single layer. Roast for 20 minutes, flipping the vegetables halfway through.
Add the kale and garlic to the baking sheet and stir the vegetables again. Continue to roast until the squash and parsnips are tender and caramelized, 10 to 15 more minutes more. Meanwhile, place the bread in the same bowl used for vegetables, drizzle melted 2 tablespoons Land O Lakes® Butter with Olive Oil & Sea Salt, and toss to combine. Heat a large skillet over medium heat, add the bread, and toast, tossing every 30 seconds to 1 minute, until golden-brown and crisp, about 5 minutes total. Transfer the bread to a large bowl.
Make the dressing:
Heat the Land O Lakes® Butter with Olive Oil & Sea Salt in a small saucepan or frying pan (preferably without a dark finish so you can see the color of the butter) over medium-high heat, swirling occasionally to ensure even heating. After the Land O Lakes® Butter with Olive Oil & Sea Salt melts and foams, watch for the color to change from yellow to golden brown, and for the aroma to smell nutty, 6 to 8 minutes.
Immediately pour the browned butter and scrape the solids into a small heatproof bowl. Add the vinegar, maple syrup, mustard, salt, and pepper, and whisk until combined.
Discard the garlic from the roasted vegetables. Transfer the vegetables, vinaigrette, and herbs to the bowl with the bread and toss until thoroughly combined. Set aside for at least 30 minutes or up to 4 hours for the flavors to meld, stirring occasionally. Just before serving, sprinkle with the pomegranate arils.
Recipe Notes
Make Ahead: The bread can be toasted and stored at room temperature up to 1 day in advance. The vegetables can be roasted up to 2 days in advance; reheat in a low oven before assembling.