If it feels like a stretch to call a salad a treat, then you haven’t yet tried this Italian Chopped Salad. With salami, Kalamata olives, sun-dried tomatoes, provolone, and zesty pepperoncini, it’s a pizzeria-style salad that’s full of BIG flavor—truly, a salad worth getting excited about!
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The homemade (and so much tastier) version of a restaurant classic.
Chopped salads are ubiquitous at many Italian-American restaurants and pizzerias. If you’re lucky, you’ll find a few pieces of lettuce (iceberg usually) here and there. They’ll be drowning in Italian dressing. Limp. Soggy.
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.
Traditional mozzarella is replaced with creamy provolone, which is much more flavorful. In place of ho-hum iceberg lettuce, I swapped a blend of crunchy romaine and nutrient-dense kale. The salami is optional, as this salad is bolstered by the addition of filling chickpeas, which offer lean protein and fiber. Olives, pepperoncini, tomatoes (sun-dried and fresh!), and a fabulous Italian dressing make it a recipe you’ll want to make at least once a week!
Key Ingredients
You’ll find the full list of ingredients in the recipe card below, but here are some notes to keep in mind.
- Kale + Romaine. I love using two types of greens in this salad for variety.
- 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 (they shine in Burrata Salad too!).
- Chickpeas. Chickpeas not only add a light nutty flavor, but they also pump up the protein and fiber in this salad.
- Pepperoncini Peppers. 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.
How to Make a Chopped Italian Salad
Prepare. Cover the onions with cold water in a bowl. Rehydrate the sun-dried tomatoes in hot water in another bowl.
Massage the Kale. Stem, chop, and massage the kale. This softens it and mellows some of its raw flavor.
Combine. Add the remaining salad ingredients to the bowl. Drain the onions and sun-dried tomatoes, then add them to the salad mixture.
Dress the Salad. Whisk the Italian dressing ingredients together. Drizzle dressing over the salad, tossing to coat. ENJOY!
Leftover Ideas
Serve leftover salad inside a wrap for a tasty on-the-go lunch, or mix in cooked, cooled pasta with leftover salad to turn it into a hearty pasta salad.
What to Serve With Italian Chopped Salad
I like to prep this Italian chopped salad a day ahead, then when dinnertime rolls around, I just pop a frozen pizza in the oven to go with it. In a few minutes, our Italian salad + pizza dinner is ready to serve. If you’re feeling more ambitious than frozen pizza, here are some ideas:
- Homemade Pizza. This Hot Honey Pizza is my current fave.
- Bread. Hello, No Knead Focaccia! Or just buy some crusty bread from the grocery store.
- Soup. A soup with Italian-inspired flavors, like Instant Pot Tomato Soup, would be ideal.
More Meal-Worthy Salads
Italian Chopped Salad
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Ingredients
FOR THE SALAD:
- ½ medium red onion very thinly sliced
- ½ cup chopped dry-packed sun-dried tomatoes
- 1 small bunch kale about 8 ounces, curly or Lacinato kale
- Pinch kosher salt
- 1 large head romaine chopped (about 4 cups)
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes halved
- 1 15-ounce can chickpeas rinsed and drained
- 4 ounces Provolone cheese cut into 1/4-inch cubes (about 1 cup)
- 4 ounces salami cut into bite-size pieces*
- ½ cup stemmed and thinly sliced pepperoncini peppers for the best taste/texture I like to purchase the peppers whole and slice them myself
- ½ cup thinly sliced kalamata olives
FOR THE DRESSING:
- ⅓ cup red wine vinegar
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 2 cloves garlic minced (about 1 teaspoon)
- ½ teaspoon honey
- 2 ½ teaspoons dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- Place the red onion in a small bowl and cover with cold water (this step keeps the onion's flavor but removes some of its harsh aftertaste). Let sit while you prepare the rest of the salad.
- Place the sun-dried tomatoes in a separate bowl and cover with hot water to rehydrate. Let sit while you prepare the rest of the salad.
- Peel the kale leaves off of the stems and discard the stems. Chop the leaves into very thin ribbons. You will have about 6 cups. Place in a very large mixing bowl and sprinkle with a pinch of kosher salt. Grab the kale by big handfuls, massaging it with your hands until it turns dark green in color, feels softer, and is fragrant. Don’t skip this step! It makes the kale tender and delicious.
- To the bowl, add the romaine, cherry tomatoes, chickpeas, cheese, salami (if using), pepperoncini, and olives.
- Mix up the dressing: in a large liquid measuring cup or small mixing bowl, whisk together all of the ingredients—olive oil, vinegar, mustard, garlic, honey, oregano, salt, and pepper. Alternatively, you can shake all of the ingredients together in a mason jar with a tight-fitting lid.
- Drain the red onion and sun-dried tomatoes. Add to the bowl with the romaine mixture.
- If serving the salad all at once, drizzle enough dressing on to lightly coat it, then toss to combine (when in doubt, start with less dressing. It’s easy to over dress a salad!). Or, if you are serving the salad over a series of days, toss the salad without the dressing to combine, then dress only the portion you plan to eat right away. Taste and add extra salt or pepper as desired.
Notes
- *You can purchase dry salami (which will be long and cylindrical in shape) or fresh-cut slices of salami from the deli. If it’s a thinner cylinder, cut it crosswise into thin coins, then cut the coins into halves or quarters depending upon size. If using larger, deli-style sliced salami, cut it into small strips that are roughly 1/8 x 1/2-inch. The idea of a chopped salad is for all of the ingredients to be roughly the same size, so use your judgment.
- *For a satisfying vegetarian version, omit the salami.
- TO STORE: Refrigerate leftover salad separately from the leftover dressing. Store each in an airtight storage container for up to 3 days.
- TO PREP INGREDIENTS AHEAD: Chop the onion, sun-dried tomatoes, romaine, cherry tomatoes, Provolone cheese, salami (if using), pepperoncini peppers, and olives up to 1 day in advance. Store each ingredient in a separate airtight storage container in the refrigerator.
- TO PREP SALAD AHEAD: Prepare the salad (minus the dressing) up to 3 days in advance, and refrigerate it in an airtight storage container. Mix the dressing together, and refrigerate it in a separate airtight storage container. Portion out the salad and dressing as desired over the next 3 days for easy meals and sides.
- TO MAKE IN A MASON JAR: I love meal-prepping this salad in large mason jars. I start with the dressing at the bottom, then pile the tomatoes, olives, onions, kale, and other ingredients on top. I finish my jar with a handful of romaine lettuce for crunch and freshness. Mine kept well in the refrigerator for 3 days. You can find more details and salads here in my Mason Jar Salad recipes.
Nutrition
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If I could give this 10 stars I would. It had the best flavor and was the perfect side to our dinner. The dressing was on point too. Thanks!
I am so so happy to hear that Kari, thank you for sharing!
This dressing calls for too much vinegar, considering that there is mustard as well.
Hi Josie! Thank you for your feedback. We (and many others) enjoy the recipe as written. I’m sorry this didn’t turn out as expected, I know that can be frustrating!
Delicious combination of flavors! Huge hit with all 8 of us!
Hi Alison! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
Made this tonight for our Easter dinner. We all loved it. The dressing was amazing.
Hi Mary! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
Have made this twice now, absolutely delicious!
Hi Tina! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
I’m old and I’ve eaten many salads in my life, but THIS salad? THIS salad is quite possibly the best I’ve ever had. I made it in a mason jar, skipped the mustard in the dressing, but otherwise stayed true to the original. Literally did not want it to end.
Thanks so much, Kiersten!
Such a great salad! The addition of the sun dried tomatoes really makes it fantastic! I did leave a few things out that I don’t love, but the dressing is my favorite part! Also, I purchased your cookbook 2 weeks ago and have been making the recipes one after another. I love every single one of them. Thank you, Erin!
Makes me so happy to hear, Stella! Thank you!
This was so good! A breeze to put together and as always the mix of your ingredients and dressings balanced so well. I found myself in a boring vegetarian meal rut a couple months ago and have been making an effort to try new recipes. I have been browsing your website, and they consistently blow me away. Thank you so much!
Makes me so happy to hear, Trisha! Thank you!
Absolutely Delicious! I made this for my daughter and her family as they just brought my beautiful new granddaughter into the world! It’s not always easy to feed folks who are vegetarians, they raved about this!
So glad you enjoyed it, Martha! And congratulations!!
I would make this recipe again. The doctor convinced my husband to try a Mediterranean diet and this is one of the first dishes he has tried and he said make it again.
So happy to hear, Karen! Thank you!