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This Italian chopped salad is hearty and loaded with toppings! Fresh crunchy veggies, salami, mini mozzarella balls, chickpeas, olives, and a zesty red wine vinaigrette. It’s so delicious you’ll forget you’re eating salad!
Love chopped salads? Try my Mediterranean chopped salad!
Why you’ll love it
Hearty salad – Having a salad for dinner is usually disappointing because you’re hungry an hour later. Not with this chopped salad! It’s packed with protein and fiber and is so satisfying. Enjoy it with a piece of crusty bread to make it a complete meal.
Flavorful – This salad has an amazing combination of salty, zesty, fresh flavors! Pepperoncinis add a great pickled flavor, while the salami and olives give the salad a nice salty bite. The zesty tang of red wine vinaigrette ties everything together.
Full of texture – This salad is full of texture, as all salads should be. Crunchy vegetables, creamy mozzarella balls, sweet pops from the cherry tomatoes, and a salty chewy bite from the hard salami slices.
The ingredients
- Romaine lettuce and radicchio – Crisp and crunchy. Radicchio has a peppery and slightly bitter flavor.
- Chickpeas – Also called garbanzo beans.
- Cherry tomatoes, English cucumber, yellow bell pepper, red onion – Crisp, crunchy vegetables for the salad.
- Black olives – Adds a salty bite to the salad
- Pepperoncini – Often sold pickled. They have a mildly spicy and tangy flavor.
- Salami – Any dry cured meat can be used.
- Mini mozzarella balls – Sometimes labeled as fresh mozzarella pearls
- Parmesan cheese – Salty and nutty in flavor. I like to use a vegetable peeler to shave of piece of parmesan cheese from the block.
- Basil – Chopped basil adds a nice fresh flavor to the salad.
- Olive oil
- Red wine vinegar – Gives the vinaigrette a tart acidic taste.
- Dijon mustard – Tangy emulsifier for the vinaigrette.
- oregano and garlic powder – Dried spices for the vinaigrette.
How to make Italian chopped salad
This is an overview of the recipe with step-by-step photos. Full ingredients & instructions can be found in the recipe card below.
Wash, dry, and chop the romaine lettuce and radicchio. Toss it together and add it to a serving platter or bowl.
Add the remaining veggies, olives, mozzarella balls, chickpeas, and salami to the lettuce. Toss everything together.
In a jar with a lid or a measuring glass, add all of the ingredients for the red wine vinaigrette. Shake or whisk them together until well combined.
If you’re planning to serve the salad right away, pour the vinaigrette onto the salad and toss everything together until it’s coated. If you aren’t serving the salad immediately, wait to add the vinaigrette.
Tips for the best chopped salad
- Cut everything so that it’s similar in size. This makes it easier to mix together all of the ingredients and ensures that you get a little bit of everything in one bite.
- Wait to add the vinaigrette to the salad until just before serving it. This will keep the lettuce from getting soggy and all of the veggies will stay crisp and crunchy.
Variations and substitutions
- Use a different kind of cured meat. Soppressata or pepperoni are good alternatives.
- Omit the salami and make a vegetarian Italian chopped salad.
- Add marinated artichokes or sun dried tomatoes.
- Instead of black olives try kalamata olives or green olives.
- If you can’t find mini mozzarella balls, buy a ball of fresh mozzarella and cut it into small cubes.
Leftovers and storage
Chopped salads are best eaten the day they are made unless you leave the vinaigrette off of it. The lettuce will be slightly soggy the next day. It still tastes good, but not as fresh and crisp as the day it’s made.
More salad recipes
Did you make this Italian chopped salad? I’d love if you’d leave a recipe rating and review below.
Italian Chopped Salad
Ingredients
Chopped Salad
- 4 cups chopped romaine lettuce
- 2 cups chopped radicchio
- 1 cup chickpeas drained and rinsed
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes halved
- 1/2 cup diced English cucumber
- 1/2 cup diced yellow bell pepper
- 1/4 cup diced red onion
- 1/3 cup sliced black olives
- 1/3 cup sliced pepperoncini drained
- 4 ounces salami chopped
- 1/2 cup mini mozzarella balls
- 1/3 cup shaved parmesan cheese
- 2 tablespoons fresh basil sliced into thin ribbons
Red Wine Vinaigrette
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Combine the romaine lettuce and radicchio in a salad bowl or on a serving platter. Add the remaining salad ingredients and toss everything together.
- In a jar with a lid or a measuring glass, add all of the ingredients for the vinaigrette. Shake or whisk until well combined.
- Pour the vinaigrette onto the salad and toss everything together until it's coated. Serve immediately.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
