Italian Chopped Salad
When you’re craving something fresh, satisfying, and full of flavor, this Italian chopped salad hits every note. Quite possibly my all-time favorite salad and maybe yours, too, this is our go-to and the side to so many dinners. This is the perfect chopped salad – crunchy, well-balanced, and tossed in a flavorful homemade red wine vinaigrette. Each bite is packed with bold Italian flavors.
This is our “house” salad. You know, the one that shows up regularly. 🥗
Because yes, it is my personal favorite and yes, I plan the meals, so it works out well for me. 😉
I’m sharing my tips below so that your salad turns out perfectly. I guess it’s the nutrition background in me, but I want you to LOVE SALADS as much as I do! It’s…
😋 Seriously delicious: This chopped salad has it all! Crisp lettuce, crunchy veggies, savory meats and cheeses, hearty beans, zesty pepperoncini, and a homemade vinaigrette to bring it all together.
🛒 Made with simple ingredients: The ingredient list may seem long, but there are a lot of pantry staples in there.
🥗 Perfect crunch in every bite: It’s easy to eat because everything is chopped small.
⏱ Ready in 15 minutes: No cooking required, it’s a quick and easy side salad.
🥬 Great for meal prep: Just store the dressing separately and properly layer the salad ingredients for fridge storage.
You’ll also want to try my lemon kale salad, Greek cucumber salad, spinach salad with bacon dressing, and simple green salad.
I made your Italian chopped salad recipe for dinner and it was wonderful. I used a little more honey and less mustard for the dressing and it was delicious! Cheers and thanks! –Judy
Ingredient Notes
You’ll need some fresh ingredients and pantry staples to make this salad: romaine lettuce, cucumbers, grape or cherry tomatoes, garbanzo beans, mozzarella pearls, olives, salami, pepperoncini, Parmesan cheese, olive oil, red wine vinegar, shallot, dijon mustard, honey, sea salt, and black pepper.
- Lettuce: We really want something crunchy here, so I typically use romaine hearts or iceberg lettuce. You could also use a mix of both if you prefer. Or add in thinly sliced darker greens like lacinato kale or radicchio for some extra color and flavor.
- Olives: Use your preferred type of olive. Black olives, kalamata olives, or an Italian blend work well. I recommend buying pitted for the easiest eating. Castelvetrano olives are my personal favorite!
Emily’s Tips & Tricks for Perfect Chopped Salad
- Dry your veggies: This is the biggest culprit of soggy salads! Be sure to dry veggies the best you can. Gently pat with a paper towel before adding them to salad.
- Dry your greens: This one is a tad annoying (IMO), but so so necessary. Ideally, you’ll wash and dry your salad greens with a salad spinner to ensure you get as much water off the salad greens as possible. This will help keep your lettuce crunchy as well as helping the dressing to adhere to the lettuce for max flavor in each bite.
- Perfect your dressing: Blending the dressing here isn’t mandatory, and isn’t something I do every time, but it really does make the dressing special. Blending ensures that the oil and vinegar are adequately emulsified into a smooth and stable dressing that won’t separate like mixed vinaigrettes. It’s a simple step that will elevate your salads. If it tastes a little bland, add a pinch of salt or preferably flaky salt.
- Chop evenly: Aim for the size of a garbanzo bean. A chopper will help do this quickly and evenly.
- Let it rest: After you add dressing, give the salad a few minutes to come together before serving. A few minutes is enough, we don’t want the lettuce to get wilty!
- Serve it family style: One of my biggest tips for getting kids to love (yes, love!) salad is to serve it family style. It’s so much more accessible as often times there is one ingredient that each child doesn’t like. Giving them the agency to make their own means they can make it just to their liking. And slowly…they might just start adding more and more! Serve it like a salad bar below and let everyone make their own.
Italian Chopped Salad Recipe
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: Salad
- Method: No Cook
- Cuisine: Italian
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
This easy Italian chopped salad is packed with fresh veggies, savory salami, creamy mozz, and a homemade vinaigrette. It’s the perfect side.
Ingredients
Vinaigrette Dressing
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 3 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
- 2 Tbsp. minced shallot
- 1 Tbsp. dijon mustard
- 1 Tbsp. honey
- 1/2 tsp. sea salt
- freshly cracked black pepper
Italian Chopped Salad
- 2 romaine hearts lettuce shredded (washed and dried well)
- 2 cups diced cucumbers
- 2 cups quartered grape tomatoes
- 15 oz. can garbanzo beans (drained and rinsed)
- 8 oz. mini mozzarella pearls
- 1 cup olives, roughly chopped
- 1 cup thinly sliced salami
- 1/2 cup sliced pepperoncini
- grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Make dressing. In a small blender or immersion blender cup, combine olive oil, red wine vinegar, shallot, mustard, honey, salt, and black pepper. Blend until smooth.
- Assemble salad. In a large salad bowl, add cucumbers, tomatoes, garbanzo beans, mozzarella, olives, salami, pepperoncini, and finally lettuce. Drizzle with about 1/2-3/4 of the dressing and toss together. Finish with additional dressing if desired, Parmesan cheese, and freshly cracked pepper.
Notes
- DIY Salad Bar: Prep salad ingredients and arrange on a platter so everyone can make their own salad.
- Storage: Store salad components in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.
- Ingredient notes: Use high-quality espresso beans for best results. Whole milk creates the creamiest foam, but plant-based options like oat or almond milk also work.
- Prep ahead: Make dressing 3-4 days in advance. If storing in the refrigerator, let it come to room temperature before serving. If you’d like to prep ahead for meal prep, layer heavier ingredients (cucumber, salami, beans, cheese, etc.) on the bottom of your salad container. Top with lettuce, store dressing in a separate container, and store in the refrigerator for a day or two.
- Special tools: Immersion blender (this is a blender and chopper in one and I can’t get enough of it!), vegetable chopper makes chopping speedy, and a microplane zester for freshly grated Parm.
- Serve with: Minestrone soup, garlic bread, spaghetti and meat sauce.
Serving Suggestions
This salad could be a main meal with a few additions or serve it on the side to any pasta, pizza, or Italian dish.
- Add protein – Add grilled or cooked shrimp, chicken, or your favorite protein.
- Soup and salad – Add a bowl of minestrone and a side of garlic bread
- Pasta – Try cacio e pepe, chicken parm pasta, or classic spaghetti with meat sauce
- Pasta salad – Add cooked rotini pasta for an Italian pasta salad
FAQs
Yes! You can easily omit the mozzarella cheese and Parmesan cheese. Feel free to leave out completely (there are still lots of flavors going on) or use your favorite dairy-free cheese alternatives.
You can, but the homemade dressing here really makes the flavors pop! But if you can’t make it happen, use a high-quality Italian dressing, vinaigrette, or a vinaigrette-style Caesar.
More Salad Recipes
If you like this Italian chopped salad recipe, you might also like some of these other salad recipes:
- Garbanzo Bean Salad
- Creamy Cucumber Salad
- Mediterranean Tortellini Salad
- Arugula Watermelon Feta Salad
About the Author
Emily Dingmann is a recipe developer, nutrition expert, and founder of My Everyday Table. She specializes in creating easy, healthy recipes that help busy parents feed their families well every single day, without the stress. With a degree in Nutrition and over 20 years of experience, Emily shares family-friendly meals that are practical, nourishing, and full of flavor. Learn more about Emily’s approach to everyday cooking and nutrition here.
Food styling and photography by Loren Runion.
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This looks delicious — I love salami on salads so much — the saltiness is so good!
I’ve been getting so excited about salads lately when there are fun toppings to put on them…and you really can’t get much better than chickpeas and mozz!
Love this idea. I never know what to do with the great Italian meat and cheese packs that Trader Joe’s sells.
They do have a great Italian Meat package that I’ve gotten before.
What a great looking salad! I need to make this over the weekend 🙂
Thsi looks SO yummy! I lvoe salads!
This looks fantastic! I always love new salad variations 🙂
That looks SO good right now! I wish I could have that for dinner but I don’t think I have all the ingredients 🙁
Love this salad so much! Wish I had it right now for dinner
Oh how I love salami on salads! Just the right tough of salt and deliciousness! A little bit goes a long way!
One of the best salads I’ve ever had, I got at POTBELLY. I know – so gourmet. Don’t judge. 😉 This sounds kind of like their “The Wreck” salad though. Yummmy!
I’m totally trying that!
This looks incredible!
Emily! This salad looks awesome. 🙂 I wouldn’t expect anything less, though!
I LOVE GARBONZO BEANS ON MY SALADS!!!!!!!!!!
This looks delicious! I love packin salads for lunch but sometimes I get stuck in the same boring old rut! Thanks for the new idea!
Emily,
I just found your blog and I love it! I teach human anatomy and physiology at a city college, which I love, but have wanted to change my career to reflect my love for nutrition. My question for you, if you don’t mind, is: what are your credentials? I know you received a bachelor’s degree in nutrition, but are you a RD, or a certified nutritionist, or what? Just curious….I’m trying to figure out the best path for my own second career. I would greatly appreciate the chance to communicate with you on this subject!
Megan
italian chopped salads are zee BEST!!!
I made your Italian Chopped Salad recipe for dinner and it was wonderful. I used a little more honey and less mustard for the dressing and it was delicious! Cheers and thanks!