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Italian Chopped Salad

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Make-ahead friendly salad! With crisp lettuce, mozzarella, Parmesan + salami in a zesty homemade red wine vinaigrette. The best chopped salad!

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This was delicious!! The recipe just happened to pop up in my email when I was trying to decide what to make for dinner tonight. I made it as written other than the radicchio because my grocery store was out. So much flavor!!! Served it with rolls and it made a great summer dinner.

Ashley

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Why you’ll love this Italian chopped salad

  • Anything but boring. Say goodbye to boring, dull salads! This Italian chopped salad goodness is packed with crisp romaine and radicchio lettuce, cubed mozzarella, dry Italian salami and a vibrant red wine vinaigrette.
  • The dressing is everything. The ingredient list is short with just a few pantry staples – extra virgin olive oil, red wine vinegar, Dijon, garlic, oregano and crushed red pepper flakes. A dressing so good, this salad will simply knock your socks off, elevating any main dish.
  • Make-ahead salad. Prep time is kept to a minimum and the salad comes together so fast as there is zero cooking involved (no stovetop, no oven, no nothing). The best part? All the ingredients can be diced, prepped and assembled beforehand. Just be sure to toss your salad right before serving for maximum freshness.

What is an Italian chopped salad?

An Italian chopped salad is a classic salad made with chopped greens, Italian meats, cheese, various vegetables and a zesty red wine vinaigrette.

Key ingredients in Italian chopped salad

Greens

Romaine lettuce and radicchio lettuce

Meat

Dry Italian salami

Cheese

Fresh mozzarella and Parmesan

Beans

Canned chickpeas (garbanzo beans)

Vegetables and mix-ins

Bell pepper, cucumber, pepperoncini (or banana peppers), grape tomatoes (or Roma tomatoes) and red onion

Extras

Black olives

Dressing

Red wine vinaigrette

How to make an italian chopped salad

  1. Make the dressing. Whisk together all the dressing ingredients in a mason jar, storing up to 1 week in the fridge and shaking well before using.
  2. Prep the salad. Dice all the salad ingredients in uniform bite-sized pieces for a consistent bite. This will allow for a perfect balance of flavors and textures.
  3. Add the dressing. Stir in the dressing just before serving, starting with a small amount and adding to taste, topping with shaved Parmesan.
  4. Serve. Serve immediately, preferably within 2 hours to avoid a soggy, wilted salad.

what to serve with italian chopped salad

Tools For This Recipe

Salad spinner

Italian Chopped Salad: Frequently Asked Questions

What can I use in place of radicchio lettuce?

More romaine, iceberg or cabbage will work well here.

Can I use a different kind of cheese?

Provolone is a solid option.

Can I make this vegetarian?

Absolutely! Skip the salami and increase the chickpeas and bell peppers.

Can I make the dressing ahead of time?

Yes! The dressing can be made 1 week in advance and stored in an airtight container (such as a mason jar) and placed in the fridge, letting it come to room temperature for about 15 minutes and shaking well before using.

How can I store leftovers?

Store the leftovers separately (salad ingredients and dressing apart) in airtight containers in the fridge. Dressed salad will unfortunately not keep very well.





Print

Italian Chopped Salad

Make-ahead friendly salad! With crisp lettuce, mozzarella, Parmesan + salami in a zesty homemade red wine vinaigrette. The best chopped salad!
Course Salad
Cuisine Italian
Keyword chopped salad, Italian salad
Prep Time 25 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Servings 4 servings

Equipment

Ingredients

  • 1 head romaine lettuce roughly chopped
  • 1 cup chopped radicchio lettuce
  • 8 ounces fresh mozzarella cut into 1/4-inch cubes
  • 4 ounces dry Italian salami cut into matchsticks
  • 1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas rinsed and drained
  • 1 (2.25 ounce) can sliced black olives rinsed and drained
  • 1 yellow bell pepper diced
  • ½ English cucumber diced
  • 6 pepperoncini sliced
  • 1 cup halved grape tomatoes
  • ⅓ cup chopped red onion
  • ½ cup shaved Parmesan

for the dressing

  • ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
  • 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
  • 1 clove garlic grated
  • ¾ teaspoon dried oregano
  • ⅛ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Instructions

  • To assemble the salad, place romaine and radicchio in a large bowl; top with mozzarella, salami, chickpeas, olives, bell pepper, cucumber, pepperoncini, tomatoes and red onion.
  • Pour the dressing on top of the salad and gently toss to combine. Top with Parmesan.

For the dressing

  • In a medium bowl, whisk together olive oil, vinegar, Dijon, garlic, oregano and red pepper flakes; season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Video





Notes

  • Prep ahead of time. Save time by making the dressing up to 1 week in advance, and prepping and dicing the vegetables 1-2 days prior and storing them in airtight containers in the fridge.
  • Dry the greens thoroughly. Wash and dry the greens thoroughly using a salad spinner to avoid the dressing from sliding off or causing the greens to go limp and soggy very quickly.
  • Cut in uniform size. Cut all of the salad ingredients in similar size pieces for a consistent bite.
  • Use extra virgin olive oil. High quality extra virgin olive oil is ideal for salad dressings for maximum flavor.
  • Add some crunch. Add some pine nuts, sunflower seeds or slivered almonds for even more crunch.
  • Toss the dressing just before serving. This will avoid a soggy salad and allow for maximum, crisp freshness.
  • Make it vegetarian. Skip the salami altogether to make it vegetarian-friendly, adding extra chickpeas and bell peppers.

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