Canada Beef sponsored this post, however, all views and opinions are my own.
I love Italian food, and rightfully so as I spent half of my career working in Italian restaurants. Funny though, because I haven’t shared many Italian-inspired recipes here other than this chicken Florentine soup and this pistachio ice cream.
I’m not sure how well this Donair meatball Panzanella salad would go over in Tuscany, but I have to tell you, it’s freakin’ delicious!! There’s a lot of overlap between the two dishes, so I thought to bring them together.
Panzanella salad is a Tuscan dish traditionally composed of day-old crusty bread, ripe tomatoes, and fresh vegetables such as red onions, cucumbers, or bell peppers. Brought to life with tangy olive oil, red wine vinegar, and garlic dressing, the bread salad is often finished with fresh basil leaves.
On the other hand, Halifax, where I live, is famous for the Halifax Donair! This savory fast-food dish features thinly sliced spiced meat, typically beef, that is cooked on a rotating spit and then wrapped in warm pita bread. Garnished with diced tomatoes, chopped onions, and a sweet garlic sauce, Donairs are a well-loved late-night snack across Canada. I really hope you give this salad a try!
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💞 Why You’ll Love This Recipe
✔️ As strange as it may sound, it’s extremely delicious!
✔️ It has a little bit of everything going on. Crunchy, chewy, salty, spicy, tangy, and creamy.
✔️ The salad stores well! Make it ahead and keep it in the fridge until you’re ready to serve.
📋 Ingredients
For The Quick Pickled Red Onions & Creamy Garlic Dressing
Ingredient Notes
- Red Onions—I used pearl red onions for this recipe, but I probably wouldn’t do it again. They’re tiny and kind of hard to peel but they look really cute when they’re sliced on a mandolin.
- Olive Oil—I like the taste of olive oil in my garlic dressing, but it does have a stronger taste than canola or vegetable oil.
It’s important to note when making substitutions in recipes, the texture and flavor may be slightly different. However, these substitutes are the best options if you are looking to change the original recipe.
Ingredient Substitutions
- Olive Oil—You can use a lighter flavored oil like canola, vegetable, or grapeseed.
For The Donair Meatballs & Panzanella Salad
Ingredient Notes
- Ground Beef—I like to use extra lean or lean ground beef for meatballs.
- Fresh Mozzarella—Fresh mozzarella is sometimes called bocconcini and it comes in different sizes. You can use any size of bocconcini you want.
It’s important to note when making substitutions in recipes, the texture and flavor may be slightly different. However, these substitutes are the best options if you are looking to change the original recipe.
Ingredient Substitutions
- Cherry Tomatoes—Use any tomatoes you like or have on hand. Sun-dried tomatoes are also nice.
- Fresh Mozzarella—A good substitute for fresh mozzarella is to cube a block of regular mozzarella cheese. I find pizza mozzarella tastes the best.
Use the JUMP TO RECIPE button at the top of this post, or scroll to the bottom of the post, to see the PRINTABLE recipe card with ingredient measurements and complete instructions.
👩🍳 How To Make Donair Meatball Panzanella Salad
STEP 1—Thinly sliced the red onions and place them in a bowl with red wine vinegar. Set aside
STEP 2—Place all of the creamy garlic dressing ingredients in a jar. Tighten the lid and shake well to combine. Set aside
STEP 3—Place the ground beef in a large mixing bowl with all of the spices, salt, and pepper.
STEP 4—Use your hands or a fork to mix the meat and spices together until well combined.
STEP 5—Roll the meat into small bowls, approximately 1 tablespoon each. Place the meatballs in a single layer inside the basket of a preheated air fryer. You may have to do this in batches.
STEP 6—Cook the meatballs at 400°F (200ºC) until a digital thermometer inserted into several meatballs reads at least 160°F (71ºC).
STEP 7—Tear the bread into pieces in a large bowl. Drizzle with some of the creamy garlic dressing and toss to coat.
STEP 8—Add some of the quick pickled red onions, the cooked Donair meatballs, cherry tomatoes, mozzarella, and some torn fresh basil leaves. Toss again to coat and spoon into serving bowls, adding more dressing or basil as needed.
🗣 Expert Tips
1. You can bake the meatballs in the oven if you don’t have an air fryer.
2. I used a Phillips 1.8 Litre capacity Analog Airfryer for testing this recipe.
3. Be careful not to overmix the ground beef as this can result in tough, dry meatballs.
📝 Recipe Notes
- Make the quick pickled onions first so they can sit for at least 10 minutes before use. This allows the onions to absorb the vinegar and become more flavorful.
- You will probably have creamy garlic dressing left over. You can store it in the jar, tightly sealed in the fridge for up to two weeks. Use it anywhere you would use salad dressing.
- Instead of making meatballs, try compacting the ground beef in a standard 9 x 5-inch (23 x 13 cm) loaf tin. Cook it in the oven at 400°F (200ºC) until a digital thermometer inserted reads at least 160°F (71ºC). Cool the loaf slightly, then turn it out and slice it thin. Pan-fry the slices in a little bit of vegetable or canola oil in a skillet to crisp them up. Proceed with the recipe as written.
- Make sure to shake the air fryer basket halfway through cooking people. This will help the meatballs cook evenly.
- Feel free to make the salad more colorful by adding more ingredients such as sliced cucumber, raw or roasted red peppers, or diced avocado.
🙋♀️ Recipe FAQ
A Halifax Donair is a type of sandwich that is popular in the Canadian city of Halifax, Nova Scotia. It’s made with thinly sliced spiced beef that is shaped into a loaf and cooked on a spit. The meat is then sliced and served on pita bread with a sweet garlic sauce, diced tomatoes, and chopped onions. Donair sauce is made with condensed milk, sugar, garlic powder, vinegar, and evaporated milk, which gives it a distinct sweet and tangy flavor. The Halifax Donair is considered to be a local specialty and has become a symbol of Halifax’s culinary identity.
The Halifax Donair is a variation of traditional Greek gyros and Middle Eastern doner kebabs, which typically consist of seasoned meat cooked on a vertical rotisserie and served in pita bread. While Halifax did not invent gyros or doner kebabs, the Halifax Donair is a unique adaptation that was created by Peter Gamoulakos, a Greek immigrant to Halifax, in the 1970s. Gamoulakos adapted the recipe to suit Canadian tastes by using beef instead of lamb, adding his own blend of spices, and creating the sweet garlic donair sauce that is now a hallmark of the Halifax Donair. So while the Halifax Donair is not a completely original creation, it is a unique and beloved adaptation that has become an important part of Halifax’s culinary culture.
The name “Panzanella” comes from the Italian words “pane” (bread) and “zanella” (soup bowl), which refers to the fact that the salad was traditionally made by soaking stale bread in water or broth to soften it, and then mixing it with tomatoes and other vegetables in a bowl.
⚓️ More Nova Scotia-Inspired Recipes
Did you make this Donair meatball Panzanella salad? Please rate the recipe and tell me how it went in the comments below. Also, stay in touch with me on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest to see more delicious food and recipes!
🖨 Recipe
Donair Meatball Panzanella Salad
Equipment
- Measuring cups and spoons or digital kitchen scale
- Large and small bowls
- Large jar with tight fitting lid
- Knife and cutting board
- Air fryer
Ingredients
Donair Meatballs
- 1 pound ground beef, lean or extra lean
- 1 teaspoon EACH salt, dried basil, and dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon EACH garlic powder, onion powder, and sweet paprika
- ¼ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
Pickled Red Onions
- ½ cup red onion, about ¼ to ½ of a large red onion
- ½ cup red wine vinegar
Creamy Garlic Dressing
- 1 clove garlic
- ½ cup olive oil, or canola or vegetable oil
- ¼ cup white vinegar
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
To Assemble The Panzanella Salad
- 6 cups crusty bread, about one small-medium loaf
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes
- ½ cup fresh mozzarella, or any other mozzarella you like
- fresh basil, for garnish
Instructions
- Thinly slice the red onions and place them in a small bowl. Cover them with the red wine vinegar and set aside.
- Mince the garlic clove and add it to a large jar with a tight-fitting lid. Add the olive oil, vinegar, mayonnaise, honey, sugar, salt, and ground pepper to the jar. Close the lid tightly and shake well to combine. Set aside.
- Preheat an air fryer for 5 minutes at 400ºF (200ºC). Combine the beef, salt, basil, oregano, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, and pepper in a large bowl. Gently mix with clean hands or a fork until evenly combined.
- Roll the meat mixture into approximately 28 to 30 1-inch (2 ½-cm) meatballs. Place the meatballs in a single layer inside the basket of the preheated air fryer, in batches as necessary. Set the time for 5 minutes. Shake the basket to toss the meatballs. Set the time for another 5 minutes. Cook until the meatballs are crisp on the outside and a digital instant-read thermometer inserted into several meatballs reads at least 160ºF (71ºC).
- Tear the bread into bite-sized pieces in a large bowl and slice the cherry tomatoes in half.
- Drizzle the bread with creamy garlic dressing and stir to coat. Add pickled red onions to your liking, then add the cooked Donair meatballs and halved cherry tomatoes. Tear the fresh mozzarella directly into the bowl. Toss again to coat, adding more dressing as needed. Spoon the salad into serving bowls and garnish with basil leaves.
Notes
- Make the quick pickled onions first so they can sit for at least 10 minutes before use. This allows the onions to absorb the vinegar and become more flavorful.
- You will probably have creamy garlic dressing left over. You can store it in the jar, tightly sealed in the fridge for up to two weeks. Use it anywhere you would use salad dressing.
- Instead of making meatballs, try compacting the ground beef in a standard 9 x 5-inch (23 x 13 cm) loaf tin. Cook it in the oven at 400°F (200ºC) until a digital thermometer inserted reads at least 160°F (71ºC). Cool the loaf slightly, then turn it out and slice it thin. Pan-fry the slices in a little bit of vegetable or canola oil in a skillet to crisp them up. Proceed with the recipe as written.
- Make sure to shake the air fryer basket halfway through cooking people. This will help the meatballs cook evenly.
- Feel free to make the salad more colorful by adding more ingredients such as sliced cucumber, raw or roasted red peppers, or diced avocado.
kwarman3@gmail.com says
Wow! Love your inspiration! I think you totally came up with a wonderful recipe — way to go Kelly!