Italian Chopped Salad
Published Sep 17, 2024
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This Italian Chopped Salad is full of flavor and unbelievably delicious. It can easily serve as a complete hearty meal. Crunchy fresh veggies, soft and creamy cheese, and the lemon herb dressing, make it a nutritious and satisfying salad that is loved by all.
You can serve this hearty Italian chopped salad with some garlic bread, Garlic Butter Rolls, or any side you like.
If you want to try other recipes for healthy salads like this one, try my Chicken Avocado Salad, Corn Avocado Salad and Shrimp Avocado Salad. You will definitely love them!
Table of Contents
Italian Chopped Salad Recipe
Who else enjoys chopped salads? I like almost all types of salad, but chopped salad is one of my favorite things. Since the ingredients are well chopped, you can have a little of everything in your mouth all at once, making it even yummier and more enjoyable to eat!
It gives you that feeling when you eat a Subway sandwich or another deli sandwich you get when you require something filling and yummy. This is filled with vegetables and covered with a tasty lemon herb dressing to complete the package.
This salad is perfect for having as a meal, or as a side dish to another dish, or for your next BBQ gathering.
Well, this salad is far from boring. Filled with romaine lettuce, mozzarella, delicious soppressata (Italian dry salami) and red wine vinaigrette, it will knock your socks off.
The homemade dressing is super crucial to this recipe. It does not include many ingredients and is as simple as extra virgin olive oil, red wine vinegar, Dijon, garlic, oregano, lemon juice, and salt and pepper.
The best part? Preparation time is not long as there is no cooking at all, and all the ingredients have to be cut/diced/ready beforehand. The only thing you should ensure when preparing salad is that you toss it shortly before serving it to enhance its freshness.
And do not forget to garnish your dish with freshly shaved Parmesan right before serving!
Why You’ll Love This Italian Chopped Salad Recipe
- It’s Healthy: This Italian Chopped Salad is not your everyday side salad, no! It also has chickpeas for added protein, soppressata (a kind of Italian dry salami), creamy mozzarella cheese, and lots of veggies to crunch on. This is one salad that will definitely fill you up!
- It’s Bursting with Flavors: This salad is not only healthier than the average one, but it is also bursting with flavors! Pepperoncini and lemon herb dressing make this salad irresistible in terms of taste and texture.
- It’s Easy and Quick to Prepare: One of the best things about making this salad is how easy and quick it is to put together! After gathering all the ingredients, it is very simple to make this salad. All you have to do is combine all the delicious ingredients in a preparation bowl, and you have your salad ready.
Ingredients Needed
Here are the main elements of this recipe that you should know. Every component used in the preparation of the Italian chopped salad is very vital in the making of this nutritious and tasty salad.
- Romaine Lettuce: This salad’s basic ingredient is fresh Romaine lettuce, which enriches it with a crunchy taste. You could also use iceberg lettuce.
- Pepperoncini Peppers: This is one of my favorite things to add to salads because it is filled with flavor you just cannot beat. If you don’t like a little kick, you can skip it, but adding thinly sliced pepperoncini really takes this Italian chopped salad to the next level.
- Garbanzo Beans: Garbanzo beans are ideal for their extra protein (and wholesomeness!). It is advisable to drain and rinse them prior to using them in the salad.
- Tomatoes: Good amounts of fresh and juicy cherry tomatoes are an essential ingredient of any good salad. You could also use sun-dried tomatoes in this Italian salad.
- Olives: I understand that some people are not very keen on olives, but if they are, they will for sure fall in love with this salad. Salty Kalamata olives are indeed great in this salad, and if you don’t like them, you can even omit them.
- Artichoke Hearts: If you have never incorporated artichoke hearts to your salad, then allow me to inform you that you have been missing a lot. This recipe calls for grilled artichoke hearts, and for that extra kick, you can almost want to grab the jar and eat it right away!
There are other ingredients needed in this recipe like parmesan cheese and Dijon mustard. Please do not forget to look at the recipe card below. There, you will find a detailed list of all the ingredients and their measurements.
Italian Chopped Salad Recipe Variations
Italian chopped salad can be prepared in numerous ways depending on your preferred taste. Here are a few ideas:
- Extra vegetables: This salad can be made into infinite variations! If you have extra vegetables to use, feel free to add them! Some of the veggies I prefer to include are chopped celery, green bell peppers, and diced carrots.
- Vegetarian: To make it a vegetarian dish, you could completely omit the soppressata from the recipe.
- Chicken: You may also put in grilled or shredded chicken for the added benefit of protein.
- Nuts and Seeds: Add toasted pine nuts, almonds, or sunflower seeds on top of the salad for additional texture.
- Spiciness: For some spiciness, include spicy salami or diced jalapeños.
- Grains: Add cooked quinoa, couscous, or farro to make the salad more filling.
Substitutions
No need to worry, if you do not have all the ingredients present now! Here are a few substitutions that will work just as well:
- Greens: Replace the romaine with arugula or radicchio or a mix of both to change the base.
- Protein: For extra protein, replace the soppressata or Italian salami with grilled chicken or prosciutto, or go for tofu if you want it to be vegetarian.
- Cheese: If you do not like mozzarella cheese, you can use feta or provolone cheese to enhance the flavor. If you want to make this Italian Chopped Salad a dairy-free salad, you may also exclude the cheese.
- Olives: Instead of Kalamata olives, black olives or green olives can be used.
If you have some time, it is recommended that you marinate the chickpeas first. All you need to do is drizzle 3-4 tablespoons of the dressing you made over the chickpeas and let them soak in the dressing for at least half an hour to an hour.
How to Make Italian Chopped Salad
Step 1: Prepare the Salad
Place together all the salad ingredients in a large salad bowl.
Step 2: Make the Dressing
Place all the dressing ingredients into a small bowl and mix with a whisk until everything is incorporated properly.
Step 3: Mix and Serve
Drizzle some of this dressing over the salad and mix. Add more dressing to taste, serve, and eat!
Love lettuce? Also, check out my delicious Lettuce Salad.
Ensure that the lettuce is very dry before using it so that it does not make the rest of the salad soggy.
Expert Tips for Italian Chopped Salad
- Always use the freshest ingredients to get the best taste and texture of the food.
- If possible, prepare the dressing ahead of time. Allowing it to stand for an hour before serving will enable the strong flavor of oregano to seep into the olive oil. The garlic will also become less pungent, and the overall dressing will improve.
- Make sure the dressing is kept cold all the time until you intend to use it.
- Chop all the ingredients into equal sizes for even chewing.
- Toss the salad in a large bowl to ensure that all the ingredients are well coated.
Serving
You can serve this Italian Chopped Salad alongside the following:
How to Store Leftovers
- Only add the dressing to the portion will be consuming immediately to prevent the salad from becoming soggy.
- It is recommended to keep the salad and the dressing in separate containers.
- Chop all the salad ingredients and then keep them in different airtight containers. Store the dressing in the fridge in an airtight container, and shake well before using.
More Salad Recipes
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Italian Chopped Salad
Ingredients
- 6 cups romaine lettuce chopped
- ½ cup English cucumber diced
- 1/3 cup red onion thinly sliced
- ½ cup Kalamata olives or any other olives cut in half
- 1 (15 oz.) can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
- ½ cup grilled artichoke hearts finely chopped
- 4 oz. soppressata or Italian salami diced
- ½ cup pepperoncini thinly sliced
- 1/3 cup roasted red peppers chopped
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes cut in half
- ½ cup mozzarella balls halved
- ¼ cup shaved parmesan cheese
- ¼ cup fresh basil leaves cut into ribbons
- Salt and pepper to taste
Dressing
- ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 large clove garlic finely minced or pressed
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Put all the salad ingredients in a large bowl.6 cups romaine lettuce, ½ cup English cucumber, 1/3 cup red onion, ½ cup Kalamata olives or any other olives, 1 (15 oz.) can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed, ½ cup grilled artichoke hearts, 4 oz. soppressata or Italian salami, ½ cup pepperoncini, 1/3 cup roasted red peppers, 1 cup cherry tomatoes, ½ cup mozzarella balls, ¼ cup shaved parmesan cheese, ¼ cup fresh basil leaves, Salt and pepper to taste
- In a small bowl, combine the dressing ingredients and mix until they are well incorporated.½ cup extra-virgin olive oil, ¼ cup red wine vinegar, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 1 large clove garlic, 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard, 1 teaspoon dried oregano, Salt and pepper to taste
- Add a small amount of the dressing to the salad and mix. Now check and add more dressing as required, and then plate the salad and enjoy!
Notes
- If you want to make it with fewer calories, you can use less amounts of cheese and soppressata.
- This salad is also good when prepared in advance; however, store the dressing and mix it with the salad just before serving.
- You can change the ingredients according to what you like or what you have in your kitchen.
- This salad is well complemented by any grilled meat or can be eaten alone as a meal.
- To maintain the salad’s freshness, it is better to prepare each part separately and then combine them just before serving.
