Pan bagnat

Pan bagnat – essentially a salad niçoise in a crusty roll – is a taste of southern France in a sandwich. It’s the perfect thing to take on a picnic as it’s best made in advance and wrapped up, to really let the dressing soak into the bread. We know we’ll be making it all summer long.

Pan bagnat translates into English as ‘bathed bread’, when traditionally the sandwich was made with stale bread, which needed a wet filling to soften it into something edible again. This is why salting your tomato is a key step; it draws out the liquid, creating a natural dressing for the filling. Gotta love a bit of science!

Find more French recipes in our collection.

  • Makes 2
  • Hands-on time 20 min

Nutrition

Calories
391kcals
Fat
13g (2.5g saturated)
Protein
22g
Carbohydrates
45g (5.7g sugars)
Fibre
4.4g
Salt
2.6g

delicious. tips

  1. The French use large, round crusty bread rolls which aren’t too soft (so they don’t disintegrate with the wet filling). If you can’t find these, a small baguette or ciabatta are good substitutions. Slightly stale bread works well too, as the dressing will soften it up.

  2. Whilst it can be made and eaten straight away, the pan bagnat is definitely worth making an hour or two in advance, making it a great picnic or beach food.

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