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This Italian chopped salad is loaded with toppings! Fresh crunchy veggies, salami, mini mozzarella balls, chickpeas, olives, and a zesty red wine vinaigrette make up this hearty Italian salad that’s so delicious you’ll forget you’re eating salad! Just chop, whisk, toss, and it’s ready in 30-minutes.
Why You’ll Love This Italian Chopped Salad
If I’m having salad for dinner it better be one that hearty, loaded with toppings, and it needs to have protein in it so I’m not hungry an hour later. My Italian chopped salad recipe checks all the boxes and when you serve it with crusty bread, whole wheat dinner rolls, or a side orzo with roasted red peppers, you’ll have yourself a complete and balanced meal!
The flavors in this salad are an amazing combination of salty, zesty, and fresh thanks to the pepperoncinis, salami, olives, and homemade red wine vinaigrette. It’s also full of texture, which is a must for me when it comes to salad. You’ll love the crunchy vegetables, creamy mozzarella balls, sweet pops from the cherry tomatoes, and a salty chewy bite from the hard salami slices.
I find myself making this chopped salad on repeat because you get a little bit of everything in each bite thanks to the finely chopped ingredients. It’s great for parties, lunch, or to serve with your next Italian weeknight dinner! Try my Mediterranean chopped salad next.
Key Ingredients for Italian Chopped Salad
- Romaine lettuce and radicchio – Crisp and crunchy. Radicchio has a peppery and slightly bitter flavor, which balances the salty flavor of the salami and olives, and tanginess of the pepperocini.
- Chickpeas – Also called garbanzo beans, are a great source of fiber and vegetarian protein. They also hold up well in salads and won’t fall apart.
- Cherry tomatoes, English cucumber, yellow bell pepper, red onion – Crisp, crunchy vegetables for the salad.
- Black olives – Add a briny, salty bite to the salad.
- Pepperoncini – Often sold pickled. They have a mildly spicy and tangy flavor. I like to buy a jar that’s pre-sliced to save time.
- Salami – There are lots of varieties of salami. Genoa salami is mild in flavor and the easiest to find. For a spicy kick try Calabrese.
- Mini mozzarella balls – Sometimes labeled as fresh mozzarella pearls. You can use regular block mozzarella cheese and cut it into cubes. The texture won’t be quite as creamy and soft.
- 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. Flat leaf parsley is a good substitution.
- Olive oil
- Red wine vinegar – Gives the vinaigrette a tart acidic taste. For a less tart and sweeter flavor use balsamic vinegar.
- Dijon mustard – Tangy emulsifier for the vinaigrette.
- oregano and garlic powder – Dried spices for the vinaigrette. Oregano gives the vinaigrette an earthy flavor. You coul also used dried basil or Italian seasoning.
Tips For The Best Chopped Salad
- Use a salad spinner to remove excess water from the lettuce after washing it. This keeps the lettuce crisp and keeps the salad from being soggy when you serve it.
- Use twice as much romaine lettuce as radicchio to balance the radicchio’s peppery, slightly bitter flavor without overpowering the salad.
- Cut everything so that it’s similar in size. This makes it easier to combine all of the ingredients so that you get a little bit of everything in each bite. It also distributes the flavors evenly throughout the salad, ensuring the perfect bite of salad.
- 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.
- Start by only adding half of the vinaigrette to the salad. Toss together and taste to see if it’s enough for your liking. You can always add more, but it’s hard to take it out once it’s been tossed together.
Variations and substitutions
- Use a different kind of cured meat. Soppressata or pepperoni are good alternatives.
- Make it vegetarian. Omit the salami and replace it with roasted red peppers, sun-dried tomatoes, or artichoke hearts.
- 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.
Storage Tips
Chopped salads are best eaten the day they are made because they tend to get soggy after sitting in the vinaigrette for too long. It still tastes good, but not as fresh and crisp as the day it’s made.
To avoid having a soggy leftover chopped salad, leave the vinaigrette off and toss it into individual portions when you plan to eat it.
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.
A+ recipe — everything turned out exactly as described and tasted amazing.