Our delicious Italian Chopped Salad packs a real flavor punch and is going to be your new favorite salad recipe! Made with all the best fresh veggies, salami, pepperoni, olives, pepperoncini, and the Italian dressing. We can’t wait for you to enjoy this salad recipe for a busy weeknight dinner, serve as a small side salad, or bring to your next potluck!
Our whole family loves going to our local Italian restaurant or the favorite chain restaurant, Olive Garden, for the best Italian salad, pasta, & breadsticks so we knew we had to create a flavor-packed Italian salad of our own! And this large chopped salad does not disappoint. It is easy to throw together and will be a big hit at your house too! Perfect for a busy weeknights or for sharing at a summer picnic (it would be so good with either some oven baked ribs, smoked pork shoulder or grilled chicken thighs).
Looking for More Salad Recipes?
If you love them as much as we do, you definitely need to try our Chopped Rotisserie Chicken Salad!
Key Ingredients + Substitutions
- Italian salad dressing – highly recommend making our homemade Italian dressing but feel free to buy a store-bought Italian vinaigrette from your local grocery store.
- crisp romaine lettuce – love this for the base of this salad, but feel free to swap with iceberg lettuce or other mixed greens.
- salami & pepperoni – simply cut these deli meats into little strips for some added protein and delicious flavor.
- black olives & green olives – one of our all-time favorite ingredients and they are always great in an Italian-inspired dish.
- pepperoncini peppers – also known as banana peppers and are perfect for an added little kick of heat.
- red onion – a little bit brings some mild onion flavor and great color to the mix.
- cucumber & grape tomatoes – love these crisp and fresh vegetables in any salad recipe.
- croutons – option to make your own homemade croutons or buy a bag of seasoned croutons.
- grated parmesan cheese – either grated or shredded parmesan makes the perfect salad topping!
How To Make An Italian Chopped Salad
The first steps to making this easy recipe are to gather and prep all of the simple ingredients. Now, if you plan to use the included salad dressing, gather those ingredients, and whisk them together in a small bowl.
Put all of the chopped Italian salad ingredients in a large mixing bowl and pour the Italian dressing on top.
Optional Additions
- This salad would also be great with some garbanzo beans, bell pepper, fresh mozzarella cheese, green onions, artichoke hearts, sun-dried tomatoes, or some fresh basil!
Finally give it all a good stir and enjoy!
Best Way To Enjoy An Italian Chopped Salad
This delicious salad can be enjoyed all on its own with your favorite dressing on top! We absolutely love to serve with our Hearty Italian Dressing or Creamy Italian Dressing, but feel free to use or make your own favorite salad dressing. And on the side, we love to add a slice of grilled bread, garlic bread, or crusty bread with some butter on top!
Storage
Feel free to meal prep or make this Italian salad recipe ahead of time and keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2-3 days. Be sure to store the dressing separately to prevent sogginess.
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Other Salad Recipes You Might Like
Italian Chopped Salad Recipe
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Salad
- Method: Counter Top
- Cuisine: Italian-Inspired
Description
An epic and delicious Italian Chopped Salad recipe that you will come back to again and again! So much flavor + perfect any night of the week!
Ingredients
Hearty Italian Dressing (optional):
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon garlic, minced
- 4 teaspoons dried oregano leaves
- 2 teaspoons dried marjoram leaves
- 2 teaspoons dried thyme leaves
- 4 teaspoons dried basil leaves
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed
- 1/2 teaspoon dried sage
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley leaves
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon parmesan cheese, finely grated
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
Italian Chop Salad:
- 2–4 cups romaine lettuce, chopped
- 1/4 – 1/2 cup salami, thin strips
- 1/4 – 1/2 cup pepperoni, thin strips
- 1/2 cup black olives
- 1/2 cup green olives
- 1/4 cup red onion, thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup pepperoncini, more if desired
- 1 cup english cucumbers, sliced + quartered
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered
- 1/4 cup Italian croutons, crushed
- 2–3 tablespoons parmesan cheese, finely grated
Instructions
- Dressing: Combine Dressing ingredients in a small bowl or mason jar. Whisk to combine – add additional olive oil to thin, if desired. Set aside.
- Build Salad: In a large bowl add romaine, salami, pepperoni, black olives, green olives, red onion, pepperoncini, cucumber, tomatoes, crushed croutons and parmesan cheese. Option to divide between individual bowls, if preferred.
- Serve: Before serving, add as much dressing as desired, toss the salad, and enjoy with some grilled bread!
Notes
- Hearty Italian Dressing: I know, I know – it’s a lot of ingredients and yes, it is thick and hearty (just how I wanted it to be). Feel free to skip it and use a store-bought version, if that is what you prefer or if you don’t have time for homemade (totally get it).
- Flexible: the listed amount of each salad ingredient is a suggestion, feel free to add more of some things, less of others, depending on what you prefer.
- Make Ahead: a great salad to make ahead – just skip the dressing and add right before serving.
- Nutrition Info is calculated with the Italian Chopped Salad dressing in this recipe card. Numbers will vary if you use a different salad dressing.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 6oz
- Calories: 235
- Sugar: 2.4 g
- Sodium: 492.9 mg
- Fat: 22 g
- Carbohydrates: 7.4 g
- Protein: 4.1 g
- Cholesterol: 14.6 mg
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