Easy Italian Chopped Salad
Our family goes nuts for this easy chopped salad recipe. This fresh and tasty salad has crunchy romaine lettuce, tomatoes, olives, and Italian salami tossed with the easiest vinaigrette. I love chopped salads! Since all the ingredients are chopped small, you get little bits of everything with every bite. Thanks to the salami, olives, and simple red wine vinaigrette, we call this an Italian chopped salad. It’s delicious. Serve this easy salad any night of the week. It is especially good with lasagna, spaghetti, meatballs, and pizza! Key Ingredients The best salads are the simplest. You can add a whole list of ingredients to this chopped salad, but since we make it so often, we keep it to just 6. Feel free to add to this list as you see fit! Romaine lettuce: Is our base. It’s light and crunchy. If you like bitterness in your salad, replace half of the romaine with radicchio. Green onions: I often use green onions when I want to taste a little bit of onion, but nothing overpowering. Salami: Adds lots of flavor and texture. I used thinly sliced salami in our photos, but if you have a log, consider cutting it into cubes or little triangles. Cherry tomatoes: Add color and sweetness. Sliced black olives: Inexpensive and remind me of the salads I love to order at my favorite pizza restaurants. Cheese: Brings everything together. I often use feta cheese when making salads, but fresh mozzarella is also an excellent idea! Romaine lettuce: Is our base. It’s light and crunchy. If you like bitterness in your salad, replace half of the romaine with radicchio. Green onions: I often use green onions when I want to taste a little bit of onion, but nothing overpowering. Salami: Adds lots of flavor and texture. I used thinly sliced salami in our photos, but if you have a log, consider cutting it into cubes or little triangles. Cherry tomatoes: Add color and sweetness. Sliced black olives: Inexpensive and remind me of the salads I love to order at my favorite pizza restaurants. Cheese: Brings everything together. I often use feta cheese when making salads, but fresh mozzarella is also an excellent idea! How to Make Chopped Salad Grab a large salad bowl, chop everything well, and then toss it in. When you’re making chopped salad, the key is to chop everything so that when you put your fork into the salad, it picks up a variety of bite-sized pieces. This chopped salad dressing is inspired by the salads we’ve enjoyed at some of our favorite pizza restaurants. I make my salad dressing in a ball jar because it’s fast, and you can save any extra in the fridge for another day. It contains mustard, red wine vinegar, sugar, olive oil, and salt. The dressing tastes bright and sweet and works nicely with the rest of the salad ingredients. More favorite salad dressings that would work in this salad are our Italian Dressing (tastes fresh and herby) and this Honey Mustard Dressing (sweeter and a little tangy). What to Serve with Chopped Salad Serve this chopped salad with Italian dishes like vegetable lasagna, chicken parmesan, or big Italian meatballs. This salad goes well with just about anything but is especially good served next to pizza. Try our easy pizza dough recipe and make your pizza at home. Two of our family’s favorites are cheese pizza and Margherita pizza. Easy Italian Chopped Salad PREP 10 mins TOTAL 10 mins PREP 10 mins TOTAL 10 mins Our delicious Italian chopped salad is quick and simple to make and tastes great. We keep it simple with 6 main ingredients plus a simple homemade vinaigrette. Serve this chopped salad with pasta or pizza, or serve it as a light meal. Serves 4 to 6 You Will Need 1 head romaine lettuce, rinsed, patted or spun dry, and chopped 1 bunch green onions, chopped 3 ounces thin sliced salami, cut into ribbons 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved, about 2 cups 1 (2.25oz) can sliced black olives, drained 1/2 cup feta cheese, blue cheese, or fresh mozzarella cheese 1 tablespoon whole grain mustard or Dijon mustard 5 tablespoons red wine vinegar 1 to 2 tablespoons sugar 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil Salt and pepper, to taste Directions 1Whisk the ingredients for the salad dressing in a medium bowl using a whisk, or add them to a mason jar, twist on the lid, and shake until well blended. Adjust the salt to your taste. We use 3/4 teaspoon to 1 ¼ teaspoon of fine sea salt. 2Add the chopped romaine, chopped green onions, salami, tomatoes, black olives, and cheese to a large salad bowl. Pour over the dressing and toss well. Serve. 1Whisk the ingredients for the salad dressing in a medium bowl using a whisk, or add them to a mason jar, twist on the lid, and shake until well blended. Adjust the salt to your taste. We use 3/4 teaspoon to 1 ¼ teaspoon of fine sea salt. 2Add the chopped romaine, chopped green onions, salami, tomatoes, black olives, and cheese to a large salad bowl. Pour over the dressing and toss well. Serve. Adam and Joanne's Tips Add radicchio for color and a little bitterness. To make this vegetarian, use a vegetarian-friendly cheese and substitute the salami for chickpeas. To make this spicy, chop a handful of spicy peperoncino peppers and add them to the salad. Nutrition facts are estimates. We assumed 1 tablespoon sugar. Add radicchio for color and a little bitterness. To make this vegetarian, use a vegetarian-friendly cheese and substitute the salami for chickpeas. To make this spicy, chop a handful of spicy peperoncino peppers and add them to the salad. Nutrition facts are estimates. We assumed 1 tablespoon sugar. Nutrition Per Serving Serving Size 1/6 of the recipe / Calories 262 / Total Fat 22.3g / Saturated Fat 5.5g / Cholesterol 23.9mg / Sodium 734.8mg / Carbohydrate 10.7g / Dietary Fiber 3.1g / Total Sugars 6g / Protein 5.7g AUTHOR: Joanne Gallagher We’re Adam and Joanne, a couple passionate about cooking and sharing delicious, reliable recipes since 2009. Our goal? To inspire you to get in the kitchen and confidently cook fresh and flavorful meals.More About Us