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How to make the best Italian Chopped Salad made with Italian meats, cheeses, vegetables, and tossed with a homemade Italian dressing. This is the most flavor-packed salad recipe! This Italian Chop Salad is the perfect summer meal or side dish.
My husband grew up with neighbors from Italy and he told me how they made the best Italian salad in the world. It was an antipasto salad made with lettuce, salami, provolone cheese, fresh mozzarella, tomatoes, pepperoncinis, shaved parmesan cheese, and tossed in a homemade Italian vinaigrette dressing. It sounded so flavorful so I had to recreate the recipe at home and share it with all of you!
You are going to love this Italian salad recipe! You can serve it as a meal by itself or serve it with some of your favorite Italian recipes like — Italian Charcuterie Board, Italian Braised Beef with Parmesan Polenta, Break Up 3-Cheese Pasta, Marry Me Chicken, and Fettuccine Alfredo.
What ingredients are in Italian Chopped Salad?
- Romaine and Iceberg Lettuce — the mixture of romaine and iceberg lettuce gives the lettuce the perfect amount of crispness and crunch.
- Tomatoes — I suggest cherry or grape tomatoes, sliced in half lengthwise. You can also use Hot house or heirloom tomatoes, diced into small pieces.
- Cucumber — I recommend Hot House or English cucumbers as they are thinner, and have less seeds. They are the long, skinny variety of cucumbers.
- Fresh Mozzarella — there are several varieties of fresh mozzarella you can use. You can chop a ball of fresh mozzarella into bite-size pieces or use the small mozzarella pearls or balls. They even have marinated mozzarella balls for extra flavor.
- Provolone Cheese — this adds a creamy, smoky flavor to the salad and gives it a nutty flavor.
- Salami — I suggest using high-quality salami and cutting it into bite-size pieces. You can use thinner salami or have the deli slice it into thicker pieces.
- Chickpeas — also known as “garbanzo beans.” After draining and rinsing the canned chickpeas, I like to toss the chickpeas with extra-virgin olive oil and spices to give the beans extra flavor.
- Pepperoncini — sweet, mild chili peppers, usually sold pickled in a jar. These give a tangy and slightly spicy flavor to the salad. You can cut them into very small pieces.
- Shaved Parmesan Cheese — this is the cheese to garnish the salad with to give it that extra cheesy, nutty bite.
- Homemade Italian Dressing — this dressing is made with extra-virgin olive oil, red wine vinegar, garlic, dried oregano, dijon mustard, and salt and pepper.
How to make Antipasto Salad:
- Start by chopping the iceberg and romaine lettuce into small bite-size pieces.
- Chop the tomatoes, cucumbers, mozzarella, provolone, and salami. Set aside.
- Drain and rinse the canned chickpeas. Toss into a bowl with extra-virgin olive oil, basil, oregano, and red chili flakes.
- Finely diced the pepperoncini peppers. You can also add red onion, which is an optional ingredient.
- Make the dressing by mixing extra-virgin olive oil, red wine vinegar, minced garlic, dried oregano, dijon mustard, and salt and pepper. Taste for seasonings and add more salt and pepper, if needed.
- When ready to serve, toss all of the ingredients together in a large salad bowl with the dressing. Garnish with shaved or grated parmesan cheese.
Substitutions:
You can use any type of lettuce in this salad such as green leaf, arugula, etc.
You can use any type of white canned bean instead of chickpeas, if you prefer.
SALAD BOWLS and TONGS:
MORE SALAD RECIPES:
Classic Pasta Salad Recipe
Pesto Caprese Salad
Strawberry Spinach Salad with Poppyseed Dressing
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Italian Chopped Salad
Ingredients
- 1 head Iceberg Lettuce (about 3 cups)
- 1 head Romaine Lettuce (about 3 to 4 cups)
- 1 pint Cherry Tomatoes (or 1 cup of diced)
- 1 English Cucumber (sliced)
- 8 ounces Fresh Mozzarella (cut into bite-size pieces)
- 1/4 to 1/2 lb Salami (cut into bite-size pieces)
- 4 ounces Provolone Cheese (cut into bite-size pieces)
- (1) 14-ounce can Chickpeas (drained and rinsed)
- 2 Tablespoons Pepperoncinis (finely diced)
- 1/4 Red Onion (sliced, optional)
- Shaved Parmesan Cheese
Homemade Italian Dressing:
- 1/2 cup Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
- 1/4 cup Red Wine Vinegar
- 1 Garlic Clove (minced)
- 1/2 teaspoon Dried Oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon Dijon Mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon each Salt and Pepper
Instructions
- Â Start by chopping the iceberg and romaine lettuce into small bite-size pieces. Chop the tomatoes, cucumbers, mozzarella, provolone, and salami. Finely diced pepperoncini peppers. Add sliced onions if so desired. Set aside.Â
- Drain and rinse the canned chickpeas. OPTIONAL: Toss into a bowl with 1 Tablespoon of extra-virgin olive oil, 1/4 teaspoon basil, 1/4 teaspoon oregano, and optional red chili flakes.
Homemade Dressing:
- Make the dressing by mixing extra-virgin olive oil, red wine vinegar, minced garlic, dried oregano, dijon mustard, and salt and pepper. Taste for seasonings and add more salt and pepper, if needed. If you want a smooth dressing, mix with immersion blender or in a blender.
- When ready to serve, toss all of the ingredients together in a large salad bowl with the dressing. Garnish with shaved or grated parmesan cheese, red pepper flakes, and crushed ground pepper.
Notes
- Tomatoes -- I suggest cherry or grape tomatoes, sliced in half lengthwise. You can also use Hot house or heirloom tomatoes, diced into small pieces.Â
- Cucumber -- I recommend Hot House or English cucumbers as they are thinner, and have less seeds. They are the long, skinny variety of cucumbers.Â
- Fresh Mozzarella -- there are several varieties of fresh mozzarella you can use. You can chop a ball of fresh mozzarella into bite-size pieces or use the small mozzarella pearls or balls. They even have marinated mozzarella balls for extra flavor.
- Salami -- I suggest using high-quality salami and cutting it into bite-size pieces. You can use thinner salami or have the deli slice it into thicker pieces.
- Chickpeas -- also known as "garbanzo beans." After draining and rinsing the canned chickpeas, I like to toss the chickpeas with extra-virgin olive oil and spices to give the beans extra flavor.
- Pepperoncini -- sweet, mild chili peppers, usually sold pickled in a jar. These give a tangy and slightly spicy flavor to the salad. You can cut them into very small pieces.
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I love this salad! Full of so much flavor!
I love bringing this salad to parties or gatherings. It’s one of the first eaten every time! I always add the optional red onion because I think it brings the perfect flavor.
what a great salad, melissa. i had just made a new jar of vinaigrette this morning almost identical to yours and used as many of your ingredients as i had on hand and subbed in the rest. it was such a satisfying summer dinner that came together in no time. thank you!
This is what’s for dinner tonight at my house. I’m off today and have most of the ingredients in my fridge already. I will make it to look just like your before tossing it. I think it looks more Beautiful Bot of my boy are home today too. We need something like this. We have had so much BBQ already I need a break, I smell like BBQ sauce everywhere I go. Thanks for the lovely salad it looks delicious.