Panera Is Doing Something With Salads We've Honestly Never Seen Before
I got an early taste of its invention, and here are my thoughts.
Image Courtesy of Panera
Soup? Salad? Sandwich? If you’re eating lunch out during the workday, you’ve probably been faced with this familiar, if oftentimes lackluster, list of choices. But starting today, Panera is giving you the option to combine two of these midday mainstays into one unique entree.
Enter the Salad Stuffer: a hollowed-out loaf of bread with a fresh, crunchy, fully dressed salad stuffed inside. It’s not quite a sandwich, not quite a bread bowl, but suddenly so much more than a salad.
What are Panera’s new Salad Stuffers?
Despite the simple concept of putting a salad in bread, Salad Stuffers still raise some questions. Namely, how do they make room for the salad inside? (Answer: They core out the baked in-house bread at the restaurant.) And are you still ordering a salad if you’re wrapping it in bread? Doesn’t that technically make it, say, a hoagie? But in a world where Caesar salad wraps have become a ubiquitous menu option, Salad Stuffers also kind of feel like a natural evolutionary step.
While Panera’s salads are often served with an optional side of bread, even if you’re familiar with Panera’s usual baguettes and other carb-y offerings, the Salad Stuffers bread may not be like anything you’ve had at the bakery chain before. That’s because, as Panera’s announcement explains, its “chefs and bakers innovated the new Italian Stuffer Roll to deliver the ideal balance of fluffy, soft bread and a freshly prepared dressed salad in every bite.”
What kinds of Salad Stuffers can you get?
To debut Salad Stuffers, which arrive at Panera restaurants nationwide on April 8, the brand is launching two new salads specifically designed to be stuffed:
- Steakhouse Salad Stuffer: Crisp romaine and arugula tossed in Panera’s new Farmhouse Ranch dressing made with buttermilk, with tender, marinated sliced steak, applewood smoked bacon, gorgonzola, pickled red onions, grape tomato and crispy frizzled onions, all in our soft, Italian Stuffer Roll.
- Santa Fe Salad Stuffer: Crisp romaine tossed in ranch dressing, with grilled chicken, bold taco seasoning, roasted corn, feta, zesty sweet peppers, pickled red onion, fresh cilantro and blue corn tortilla strips, all in our soft, Italian Stuffer Roll.
However, when you order any salad on the Panera menu, you can now tell the person behind the register to “stuff it” (politely, of course). That is, you can have it put in an Italian Stuffer Roll.
My honest review of Panera’s new Salad Stuffers:
I tried the Steakhouse Salad Stuffer at a preview tasting event. I found the ratio of bread crust to salad ingredients, including protein, to be like eating a sub that’s heavy on the toppings, but it also keeps them in place. It should also be noted that both bespoke stuffing salads have double the amount of dressing of a regular Panera salad. In this context, that extra sauciness, if you will, is welcome to offset the bread. Speaking of, the roll’s crust isn’t as, uh, crusty as a baguette but is still toothsome with more of a smooth sheen to it.
Oddly enough, one thing about Salad Stuffers is perfectly clear: They’re fun to eat. Panera’s hybrid creation feels completely natural and comfortable and makes for a super portable lunch.
What’s still unclear is whether Salad Stuffers count as salad with a hefty side helping of bread, or if they’re simply sandwiches with a few more veggies inside. But you could order one with a cup of one of Panera’s fan-favorite soups and cover all your bases.
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