If you’re looking for a crazy-good Italian chopped salad you’ve found it! Learn all my tips and tricks for making this hearty salad the best.
If you like this recipe, check out my Tuna Nicoise Salad next!
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Let me briefly explain my “super power”. It’s making all kinds of connections in my head. Like with this salad for example. My viral copycat Lou Malnati’s salad recipe, the famous La Scala chopped salad and TikTok’s “life changing lettuce” all come into play here. The salami is cooked crispy. The chopped vegetables are “dressed” separately before tossing together to amp up their flavor. Raw garlic plus a couple of swaps in the red wine vinaigrette really make this salad scream fresh and Italian. My creative ADHD brain thrives in my kitchen. And you get some innovative recipes because of it.
More new recipes
Ingredients for Italian chop salad
- Iceberg Lettuce – Crunchy lettuce is the classic base for this salad. Crisp and clean in flavor. You could also add some romaine hearts to the mix.
- Salami – Buy a hunk of salty salami. Chop it into bite-sized pieces and sauté it in a bit of olive oil before adding to the salad. Trust me on this.
- Green Bell Peppers – I love the crunch and flavor of a fresh bell pepper. You could choose to use a chopped English cucumber instead or in addition too.
- Tomatoes – Cherry tomatoes or grape tomatoes cut in half are the ideal size for a fresh chopped salad.
- Chickpeas – Also known as garbanzo beans. One can of chickpeas adds some fiber and practically turns this salad into a main dish.
- Mozzarella Cheese – I prefer the softer texture and delicate flavor of fresh mozzarella in this salad. If you can find them, the “pearls” are the ideal size.
- Salad Dressing Ingredients – My homemade red wine vinaigrette swaps out Dijon mustard for Worcestershire sauce. It just makes sense. Dijon mustard is a classic ingredient, but it’s French. A healthy dose of extra virgin olive oil and the best red wine vinegar you can find. Combine with two cloves of fresh garlic. A dash of lemon juice. And a healthy dose of oregano, salt, and cracked black pepper. Oh and some honey. I always add a little sweetness to my vinaigrettes.
- More substitutions – You can always change and adjust my recipes to your own personal tastes! Here’s some other ingredients to try in this salad – briny olives, banana peppers, artichoke hearts, provolone cheese, Parmesan cheese, red onion, red peppers or sun-dried tomatoes.
Instructions for Italian chopped salad recipe
Whisk together the dressing ingredients. Use an immersion blender to keep it blended longer. Prepare and chop all the salad ingredients. Drain both the mozzarella pearls and the chickpeas. Pour about a 1/4 of the dressing over the chopped green peppers, tomatoes and chickpeas. Cook the salami and drain on a paper towel.
In a large bowl, pour the remaining dressing over the chopped lettuce and toss to coat. Then add the marinated tomatoes, green peppers and chickpeas. Plus the cooked salami and fresh mozzarella cheese. Toss them all together and serve.
For ingredient list and complete instructions, keep scrolling to the bottom of this post for my free printable recipe card.
Serving suggestions
To make this a main meal, serve my hearty Italian chopped salad with the best garlic bread. Or add some extra protein with rotisserie chicken. Here’s some more of my recipes to serve with it –
Storage directions
The components of this salad can be made 1-2 days ahead with each ingredient stored separately in the refrigerator in an airtight container. Once the salad is dressed however, it needs to be eaten the same day. The lettuce will get too soggy to store as leftovers.
Kitchen tools
- Glass measuring cups for measuring and mixing the salad dressing
- My favorite set of mixing bowls with lids for storing ingredients and tossing the salad
Italian Chopped Salad
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 3 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tbsp honey
- 2 tsp lemon juice
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tsp oregano
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp cracked black pepper
- 1 head iceberg lettuce chopped
- 1 green bell pepper chopped
- 1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes halved
- 8 oz fresh mozzarella pearls drained
- 8 oz genoa salami chopped
- 15 oz chickpeas drained
Instructions
- In a small bowl or glass measuring cup, whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, Worcestershire, honey, lemon juice, garlic, oregano, salt and pepper until well combined. You could also use an immersion blender.
- Meanwhile, prepare the ingredients. Place the chopped tomatoes, green peppers and drained chickpeas in three separate bowls. Pour about 1/4 of the prepared vinaigrette dressing over each so they can marinate. Reserve the rest of the dressing for the lettuce.
- Sauté the cubed salami with a small splash of olive oil in a non-stick pan over medium heat until it is browned. Drain the salami on paper towels.
- Put the chopped lettuce in a large bowl. Pour over the remaining vinaigrette and toss to coat.
- Add the marinated green peppers, tomatoes, chickpeas, cooked salami and mozzarella pearls to the bowl and toss again. Serve immediately.
Nutrition
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