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This easy and zesty Italian chopped salad recipe is overflowing with good stuff. Salami, fresh vegetables, and tangy pepperoncini peppers make this one flavorful salad!
You may also enjoy my Italian Orzo Salad or Panzanella Salad next.
Why you’ll love it
This salad makes an awesome appetizer/side or a filling main course. Iceberg lettuce is the perfect base for a boatload of savory, crunchy, and delicious ingredients like cucumbers, parmesan, and basil. It’s one of those restaurant-style, crave-able salads!
Homemade Italian dressing makes this salad next-level tasty, and my version is so simple to throw together! I sound like a broken record, but making your own salad dressing just tastes better. It’s perfect on this crunchy, fast, fresh, and super satisfying chopped salad.
What you’ll need
For the salad
- Lettuce – I prefer iceberg, but chopped romaine will work
- Tomatoes and cucumbers – I like grape/cherry and a long English cuke
- Salami – either the pre-sliced kind (you’ll cut it into strips) or whole salami (which you dice/cube) works
- Red onion – it’s an added crunch that’s less sharp than other raw onion varieties
- Pepperoncini peppers – grab a jar of these ever-so-slightly spicy peppers for a nice kick!
- Kalamata olives – I love the briny quality
- Parmesan – use freshly grated!
- Basil – a pop of herby freshness
For the dressing
- Olive oil and mayo – the base emulsion of the dressing
- White vinegar – for a zing in this creamy vinaigrette
- Sugar – to balance the acidity and add a hint of sweetness
- Italian seasoning – everyone’s fave all-purpose blend of dried herbs
- Garlic powder – another savory punch
Helpful tips
- As with any salad recipe, the ingredients are totally flexible! You can substitute (or leave out entirely) anything you don’t like/don’t have in stock.
- Many of the salad ingredient quantities can simply be eyeballed, so don’t worry too much about being precise for this recipe.
- If you’re not feeding a crowd, I suggest using the 0.5 quantity, and you’ll still have enough to feed 4+ as a side salad.
How to make Italian chopped salad
This is an overview with step-by-step photos. Full ingredients & instructions are in the recipe card below.
Whisk together the dressing ingredients in a prep bowl. Chop/prep the remainder of the ingredients, adding them to a big salad bowl as you go along. Drizzle the dressing over, and toss until coated. Give it a taste, and add extra salt & pepper as needed.
Tools for this recipe
Check out Natasha’s favorite kitchen essentials, gadgets, and cookware!
- I grate the parmesan with this Microplane and mix the dressing with this whisk.
- Chop the veggies with a razor sharp, good-quality chef’s knife.
- Salt & pepper are actually so important to salads to bring out the flavors! Here are my mills.
Substitutions and variations
- A handful of arugula, my irresistible Garlic Parmesan Croutons, bell peppers, mini mozzarella balls, radicchio, etc. would be amazing additions.
- If making any changes to the dressing as written, be sure to taste and adjust to ensure that it’s not too oily or tangy for your tastes.
- Throw in some extra garden herbs if you wish.
What to serve with this chopped salad
- If eating it as a main, it’s a great to pair with fresh crusty bread and some good olive oil and balsamic for dipping to round out the meal.
- As a side, this versatile, year-round salad goes with so many mains! Try it with my reader favorite Baked Pork Tenderloin, this Chicken Florentine or Chicken Milanese, a nice Sunday Pot Roast, or my cozy Dutch Oven Pork Roast.
- Soup and salad combo? Don’t mind if I do. Try it with my Italian Sausage Soup or bright Easy Gazpacho.
Leftovers and storage
- This vibrant Italian salad is best eaten right away since it will get soggy over time.
- You could prep some of the components ahead if needed, but store them separately from each other in the fridge. Mix and dress it just prior to serving.
If you made this chopped salad recipe, please leave a star rating and review in the comments below! Hope you enjoyed the fresh flavors. Or tag me on Instagram!
Italian Chopped Salad
Ingredients
Salad ingredients:
- 1 head iceberg or romaine lettuce chopped thinly
- 1 cup little tomatoes (grape, cherry, etc.) cut into halves
- 3/4 cup chopped cucumber
- 1 cup loosely packed chopped/sliced salami see note
- 3 tablespoons chopped red onion
- 1/3 cup chopped pepperoncini peppers
- 1/3-1/2 cup halved Kalamata olives or black olives
- 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese + more for serving
- 2 tablespoons thinly sliced fresh basil
Dressing:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons mayo
- 2 tablespoons white vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- Salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- Add the dressing ingredients to a medium bowl and whisk together.
- Prep the remaining ingredients and add them to a large salad bowl as you go along.
- Pour the dressing over and toss until coated. Taste and season with extra salt & pepper as needed and serve immediately with extra parm grated over top if desired.
Notes
- For this salad, I buy pre-sliced salami and then cut it into fairly thin strips. You can buy a whole salami and dice it up if you prefer.
- This salad is flexible – you can easily sub/omit anything you don’t like/don’t have in stock. You can eyeball many of the ingredients. If making subs with the dressing, be sure to taste and adjust as you go along.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
© Salt & Lavender Inc. Content and photographs are copyrighted. Sharing this blog post is much appreciated, but copying and pasting full recipes without authorization to social media is strictly prohibited.
This recipe was originally published on December 6, 2017. It’s been tweaked to be even easier, tastier, and has new photos!
I can’t even tell you how excited I am for this recipe! I’m hosting a party this weekend and will be serving up a huge cheese board with olives, salami, ect. I always seem to have leftover ingredients that don’t get used. Now I can throw them together in this amazing looking salad and have lunch or dinner taken care of! Yay!!! I love it 🙂
That’s great!! Good timing haha. Hope you enjoy it and your party goes well! 🙂
Chopped salads are my favorite kinds of salads Natasha! I’ll definitely be giving this recipe a try! Looks awesome!
Thanks so much!! Hope you enjoy it.