Italian Chopped Salad
It doesn’t get better than the zesty flavors in this Italian Chopped Salad! It’s packed with crisp veggies, salami, chickpes and olives, and it’s tossed in a flavorful homemade Italian dressing! It makes a great side dish or a satisfying lunch or dinner!
I did one of those ancestry tests last year and was quite surprised when I reviewed the results. I discovered that I’m more Italian than I am Greek….and I didn’t know that I was Italian at all!
I’m embracing my newly found Italian roots with this Italian Chopped Salad. It’s similar to my favorite Italian tricolore salad, but with more ingredients for even more goodness.
It’s packed with crisp greens and crunchy veggies, and salami, chickpeas, olives and parmesan cheese make it incredibly satisfying.
It’s tossed with my tangy, delicious homemade Italian dressing for one of the best salad recipes ever.
If you love these flavors, be sure to try my antipasto skewers for a fun appetizer that can be made entirely in advance!
Why you’ll love this recipe
- This Italian chopped salad recipe is a crowd pleasing salad that’s bursting with zesty flavors.
- It can easily be customized using whatever ingredients you have on hand.
- Ingredients can be prepped up to a few days in advance, making it great for meal prep.
- It can be made vegan and dairy-free with a few simple swaps.
Recipe ingredients
- Greens. I used spring mix for this chopped Italian salad, but you can use any variety of lettuce.
- Radicchio. The crunchy radicchio adds bold flavor and color that pairs very well with the other ingredients. It can be omitted if you don’t have any on hand.
- Chickpeas. The garbanzo beans add protein, fiber and make the salad even more satisfying. They may be substituted with your favorite beans.
- Veggies. I used a combination of tomatoes, cucumber and fennel, but feel free to customize them with what you have on hand.
- Salami. Use your favorite variety of cured meat, or omit it to make this recipe vegetarian.
- Olives. Use your favorite variety.
- Parmesan cheese. Omit the parmesan to make this recipe dairy-free.
- Dressing. My zesty homemade Italian dressing is the perfect way to top this salad, but you can also use my red wine vinaigrette or your favorite store bought dressing.
See the recipe card below for the full list of ingredients and quantities.
How to make this chopped Italian salad
It wouldn’t be called chopped Italian salad if there weren’t some chopping involved, but I promise that the prep goes very quickly.
Pro tip: Prep the dressing and chop your veggies ahead of time to make salad assembly even faster!
See the recipe card below for full instructions.
- Prep your ingredients.
- Place all ingredients in a large bowl.
- Toss gently with enough Italian dressing to coat and serve immediately.
Recipe FAQs
Italian chopped salad includes a bevy of savory ingredients such as salami, olives and parmesan cheese for plenty of umami flavor.
It’s balanced perfectly with hearty chickpeas and fresh produce like greens, tomatoes, cucumbers, radicchio, fennel and basil, then it’s tossed with a tangy Italian dressing to make all the flavors shine.
The best part is that this salad can be customized to use whatever ingredients you have on hand!
You can use your favorite types of greens or lettuce for this Italian chopped salad recipe. I’ve used spring lettuce, but arugula, Romaine, and baby spinach are great choices as well.
This salad is best assembled right before serving, but the ingredients may be chopped or prepped ahead of time to make assembly a breeze.
This salad is easily made vegetarian by omitting the salami. Make it vegan by omitting the parmesan cheese as well.
Serving suggestions
This Italian chopped salad recipe is so versatile and can be changed up with ingredients that you have in your pantry or to suit special diets.
- Serve this salad with skillet lasagna or red pepper pasta. It also pairs well with spaghetti squash lasagna or zucchini lasagna!
- It makes a satisfying lunch or dinner as-is, or with a simple side of crusty bread or rosemary focaccia bread.
- Add even more protein to your meal by serving this salad with air fryer chicken breast or air fryer shrimp.
- If you’re low on fresh produce, utilize pantry staples such as roasted red peppers, artichoke hearts or peperoncini peppers.
- Sub the parmesan cheese with mozzarella balls or feta cheese, or omit it entirely along with the salami to make this recipe vegan.
- Sub the salami with your favorite cured meat such as pepperoni or omit entirely to make this salad vegetarian.
Recipe notes
- Pro tip: Prep the dressing and chop your veggies ahead of time to make salad assembly even faster!
- Make this recipe vegetarian by omitting the salami. Omit the parmesan cheese as well to make it vegan.
- The veggies in this salad may be customized with your favorites!
More salad recipes you’ll love
Did you try this recipe? If so, be sure to leave a review below and tag me @flavorthemoments on Facebook and Instagram
Italian Chopped Salad
Ingredients
- 5 ounces spring lettuce sub with your favorite greens
- 1 small cucumber chopped
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes halved
- 1 cup thinly chopped fennel
- 1 cup chopped radicchio
- 1 cup chickpeas rinsed and drained
- 1 cup black olives halved
- 1 cup chopped salami
- 1/2 cup shaved parmesan
- 1/4 cup chopped basil optional
- Homemade Italian Dressing
Instructions
- Place all salad ingredients in a large bowl and set aside.
- Toss the salad with the desired amount of dressing and serve immediately. Enjoy!
Notes
- Pro tip: Prep your ingredients in advance to make salad assembly even faster!
- The Rosé Blend may be substituted with your favorite Earthbound Farm Organic greens!
- Omit the salami to make this a vegetarian chopped salad.
- The parmesan cheese may be substituted with grated or fresh mozzarella or omit to make this recipe dairy-free.
- The veggies in this salad may be customized with your favorite!
Nutrition
Nutrition is estimated using a food database and is only intended to be used as a guideline for informational purposes.
9 Comments on “Italian Chopped Salad”
I agree — Italian food is some of the best out there! Thank you and I hope you get to try the salad!
We use so many of the Earthbound Farms greens at our house! Definitely a staple. And this salad looks dreamy – I love my salads packed with all kinds of goodness!
They’re the best greens on the market! Thanks so much Ashley!
I just used your Italian pasta salad recipe for Super Bowl Sunday inspiration – and I have lefties that will be eaten for dinner tonight! A lot of similar yumminess in this delicious looking recipe 🙂
I love pasta salad leftovers — they make the best lunch!
I wonder if we can get Earthbound Farms around here. That rose blend sounds amazing! Loving everything about this salad Marcie! With the homemade Italian dressing and salami this is a salad my hubby would love too. I may have to try it!
Oh I wish you could — I love all of their products but this blend is extra special! Thanks Leanne!
How interesting! Etienne did one of those tests last year, and we were hoping it would explain a bit about his family’s darker skin tone, but no such luck. Nothing interesting there! You know I love my salads, and this is something I would definitely enjoy eating all week!
No luck huh? That’s too bad! I do know you like your salad and I hope you get to try this one soon!