Italian Chopped Salad Best Recipe Wellplated Com

Maybe you know the kind of restaurant Italian chopped “salad” I mean? Chopped salads are ubiquitous at many Italian American restaurants. I remember a similar one at my own hometown pizza joint. If you are lucky, you’ll find a few pieces of lettuce (iceberg usually) here and there. They’ll be drowning in Italian dressing. Mostly, these Italian “salads” are meat, cheese, and more raw onions than a full pack of gum could hope to mitigate. Still, I see potential. I love the idea of a fresh but satisfying chopped salad to start off pizza night on a wholesome note. That’s where today’s homemade Italian chopped salad comes in! It’s exactly what I wish every pizza place would serve.

In place of ho-hum iceberg lettuce, I swapped a blend of crunchy romaine and nutrient-dense kale.The meat (I used salami) is optional, as this salad is bolstered by the addition of filling chickpeas, which offer lean protein and fiber.Traditional mozzarella is replaced with creamy provolone. It delivers more taste-per-bite, meaning you can get away with using less.

Despite the lighter ingredient list, this salad tastes BETTER and has MORE flavor than the restaurant variety, thanks to powerhouse flavor ingredients like sun-dried tomatoes, pepperoncini, and a zesty Italian vinaigrette.

Why Chopped Salad

Chopped salad is a general term for a salad in which all of the ingredients are cut uniform in size. The ingredients can either be tossed (like in this BLT Chopped Salad) or composed (like this Harvest Cobb Salad), depending upon what you are going for presentation-wise. While they take a good amount of up-front prep (so much chopping!), chopped salads yield multiple servings and can last for several days in the refrigerator. I’ve never been one to subscribe to a specific diet or rule out a particular food (including pizza!). Instead, I look for simple ways to bring balance to my day. Here are a few of my favorite tips to find balance, and why chopped salad can help you in your day-to-day.

Meal Prep. This make-ahead Italian chopped salad can be assembled a full day in advance (add the dressing just before serving) and you can enjoy the leftovers throughout the week. Spend some time chopping it up on Sunday, then come Monday through Wednesday, you’ll have a healthy side ready to go.Satisfy. No one wants their serving of veggies to taste-ho hum or like “diet” food. If you cut out every bit of fat, you’ll wonder why, no matter how much salad you eat, something still feels “missing.” Be sure to include lots of satisfaction-factor ingredients like the cheese, chickpeas, and olive oil-based dressing you’ll find in this unforgettable Italian chopped salad.Don’t Give Up the Good Stuff. I like to prep this Italian chopped salad a day ahead, then when dinner time rolls around, I just pop a pizza in the oven to go with it. In a few minutes, our Italian salad + pizza dinner is ready to serve.

How to Make Italian Chopped Salad

This recipe is a triumph of texture, flavor, and ingredients that satisfy. I wish every Italian restaurant would serve it. In the meantime, I’m happy to have this recipe we can make any night of the week at home.

The Ingredients

Kale + Romaine. I love using two types of greens in this salad for variety. The kale becomes tender once massaged, and the romaine adds a nice crispness. Red Onion. Soaking the red onion in water first helps make it less pungent and allows its sweetness to shine.Sun-Dried Tomatoes + Cherry Tomatoes. Sun-dried tomatoes provide an intense, sweet tomato flavor that’s ideal in this Italian-inspired salad. The cherry tomatoes add pops of sweet, juicy, fresh tomato flavor. Chickpeas. Chickpeas not only add a light nutty flavor, but they also pump up the protein and fiber in this salad. Pepperoncini Peppers. A sweet Italian pepper that brings crunch and tanginess to this chopped salad. I like to purchase the peppers whole and slice them myself for the best texture.Kalamata Olives. Salty, briny, and a can’t-miss addition to this salad.Salami. With its rich flavor and subtle spice, salami is a wonderful meat to pair with the sweeter flavors in this salad. You can use dry salami or fresh-cut slices of salami from the deli.

Italian Vinaigrette. Bright, light, and a little sweet, just like the vinaigrette in my Italian Pasta Salad. This quick and easy Italian dressing perfectly complements the ingredients in this salad.

The Directions

Storage Tips

To Store. Refrigerate leftover salad separately from the leftover dressing. Store each in an airtight storage container for up to 3 days.

Recommended Tools to Make this Recipe

Mixing Bowls. Perfect sizes for mixing the salad ingredients together. Extra Large Cutting Board. With extra space, you can chop multiple ingredients on the same board. Storage Jars. Ideal for storing leftover salad dressing.

I hope this Italian salad brings a little red-and-white checkered tablecloth nostalgia to your table the way it does ours. Make it ahead tonight, then reap the rewards in the days to come!