Simple Greek Panzanella with Saganaki (Greek Fried Cheese)

This blog post was sponsored by Stonefire but the opinions are completely my own based on my experience. Thank you for supporting the sponsors who support A Simple Pantry! #HelloNaan
The BIG GAME is this weekend, and when it comes to appetizer recipes for a party, you know I’ve got you covered!

And seriously, it’s so simple and tasty, people will completely overlook the fact that it’s filled with veggies. Dips be damned, this simple Greek panzanella with saganaki will be the star of any party!

Have I ever mentioned my love for Stonefire Naan? I’ve used it with my chicken tikka masala and Moroccan harira, but I’ve rarely strayed from my rip and dip ways, until now.

Like my grilled peach panzanella, most use a crusty, fluffy bread, but I decided to try using Stonefire Naan, and I don’t think I will ever go back. It’s perfect for panzanella!

I threw the naan under the broiler for a few minutes, then chopped it up and tossed it with fresh tomatoes, cucumbers, and red onion, then dressed it with my famously famous Greek dressing and went to town. You’ll be hard-pressed to find appetizer recipes that compare to this one!

Normally, when my Greek dishes, I use a lot of feta, but this time I decided to have a little lot of fun by making saganaki instead! Basically all it is is fried cheese. So delish. I went with halloumi cheese, then dredged it in flour that was sprinkled with a hearty helping of salt and pepper, and then fried it up real quick in a large skillet. Took like five minutes. It was awesome.

And since it’s best warm, it was the last thing I did to finish off this panzanella.

If you’re looking for more naan-spiration, check out some of these amazing recipes, then grab a coupon, head to your local Publix, Ralphs, Ahold and Giant, and get cooking for Game Day!

Hollatcha appetizer recipes! Whoop whoop!

Simple Greek Panzanella with Saganaki (Greek Fried Cheese)

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Course: Appetizer, Salad

Cuisine: Greek

Prep Time: 8 minutes

Cook Time: 7 minutes

Total Time: 15 minutes

Servings: 10

Author: Karly Gomez

Ingredients

• ▢ 2 C Cucumber quartered and sliced
• ▢ 2 C Mixed Cherry or Grape Tomatoes halved
• ▢ 1 Small Red Onion sliced thin
• ▢ 1 ½ C Kalamata Olives
• ▢ 1 Package 8.8 oz Stonefire Naan
• ▢ 1 Tbsp Olive Oil divided
• ▢ 8 oz Halloumi Cheese sliced into ½ inch cubes
• ▢ 1 C Flour
• ▢ Sea Salt to taste
• ▢ Cracked Peppercorns to taste
• ▢ ½ C Canola Oil*
• ▢ ½ C Greek Dressing

Instructions

• In a large bowl, combine the cucumbers, tomatoes, red onion, and kalamata olives. Set aside.
• Heat oven to broil. Place naan on a baking sheet, and brush with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt, then place in the oven for 2-3 minutes, or until the bubbles in the naan are dark brown and crispy. Remove from oven and cut into 1 inch squares, then add to the bowl with the vegetables.
• In a large cast iron skillet, heat the canola oil to medium high. Combine the flour and a generous helping of salt and pepper in a shallow dish, then dredge the halloumi cubes in the mixture. Tap each cube gently to remove excess flour, then add to the skillet in a single layer and fry until light brown, around 5 minutes, flipping the cubes halfway through. Remove from pan to a paper towel to drain excess oil, then add to the bowl with the rest of the panzanella.
• Drizzle the Greek dressing over the panzanella and toss lightly to coat, then gently turn out into a serving bowl and enjoy immediately!

Notes

*The amount of oil needed can vary, depending on the size of the pan used. I fried the cheese in a 12 inch cast iron skillet, for reference, and used enough oil to coat the entire bottom and bring it up the sides by about ⅛-1/4 inch.

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