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.
Prep Time20 minutesmins
Course: Appetizer, Salad, Side Dish
Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: chopped salad, italian chop salad, italian chopped salad, italian salad
Servings: 6
Author: Modern Honey® - www.modernhoney.com
Ingredients
1headIceberg Lettuce(about 3 cups)
1headRomaine Lettuce(about 3 to 4 cups)
1pintCherry Tomatoes (or 1 cup of diced)
1English Cucumber(sliced)
8ouncesFresh Mozzarella(cut into bite-size pieces)
1/4 to 1/2 lbSalami(cut into bite-size pieces)
4ouncesProvolone Cheese(cut into bite-size pieces)
(1)14-ounce canChickpeas(drained and rinsed)
2TablespoonsPepperoncinis(finely diced)
1/4Red Onion(sliced, optional)
Shaved Parmesan Cheese
Homemade Italian Dressing:
1/2cupExtra-Virgin Olive Oil
1/4cupRed Wine Vinegar
1Garlic Clove(minced)
1/2teaspoonDried Oregano
1/2teaspoonDijon Mustard
1/2teaspoon eachSalt and Pepper
Instructions
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.
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.
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.
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.