Italian Chopped Salad
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Crisp lettuce, cubed mozzarella, and diced salami in a red wine vinaigrette. So colorful, so vibrant, and so so good!
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Salad for dinner? Yes, please! This salad is anything but boring here. Loaded with crisp romaine and radicchio lettuce, cubed mozzarella, dry Italian salami and a vibrant red wine vinaigrette, this salad will knock your socks off.
The homemade dressing is absolutely key here. The ingredient list is short too with just a few pantry staples – extra virgin olive oil, red wine vinegar, Dijon, garlic, oregano and crushed red pepper flakes (for a little bit of heat, if desired).
And the best part? Prep time is kept to a minimum as there is zero cooking involved and everything can be diced, prepped and assembled beforehand. Just be sure to toss your salad right before serving for maximum freshness. And don’t forget to add your finishing touches with freshly shaved Parm!
tips and tricks for success
- 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.
- 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.
- Add some crunch. Add some pine nuts, sunflower seeds or slivered almonds for even more crunch.
- Make it vegetarian. Skip the salami altogether to make it vegetarian-friendly, adding extra chickpeas and bell peppers.
what to serve with italian chopped salad
Italian Chopped Salad: Frequently Asked Questions
Not a fan of radicchio? More romaine, iceberg or cabbage will work well here.
Provolone is a great option.
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.
Italian Chopped Salad
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.
Did you make this recipe?
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Wow wow!!!! So good, I also added sliced pepperoni with salami !!! Thanks, on our summer salad rotation!
This has become my go to lunch for work! Make a big batch and keep the dressing separate package up the night before I need it lasts me a few days and is SO DELICIOUS ! So much flavor!
Should you pour the dressing on the salad and let it marinate before you serve it. If so, how long before?
This salad hit the spot on a hot summer day! So vibrant and chock full of healthy ingredients! Will be adding this to my regular salad list!
What a delightful twist on a salad! The Italian Chopped Salad sounds like a taste explosion. Thanks for sharing this exciting recipe, can’t wait to give it a try!
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.
I’ve made a version of this salad many times and it is a winner! My only suggestion is to sub the mozzarella with provolone. It makes such a difference!