Italian Chopped Salad
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18 reviews
Excellent
Italian Chopped Salad
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How to make the best Italian Chopped Salad made with Italian meats, cheeses, vegetables, and tossed with a homemade Italian dressing. This is the most flavor-packed salad recipe! This Italian Chop Salad is the perfect summer meal or side dish.
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Ingredients
- 1 head iceberg lettuce (about 3 cups)
- 1 head romaine lettuce (about 3 to 4 cups)
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes (or 1 cup of diced)
- 1 English cucumber (sliced)
- 8 ounces fresh mozzarella (cut into bite-size pieces)
- 1/4 to 1/2 lb salami (cut into bite-size pieces)
- 4 ounces Provolone cheese (cut into bite-size pieces)
- (1) ounce can chickpeas (drained and rinsed)
- 2 Tablespoons pepperoncinis (finely diced)
- 1/4 red onion (sliced, optional)
- shaved Parmesan cheese
Homemade Italian Dressing:
- 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
- 1 garlic clove (minced)
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper
Instructions
- Start by chopping the iceberg and romaine lettuce into small bite-size pieces. Chop the tomatoes, cucumbers, mozzarella, provolone, and salami. Finely diced pepperoncini peppers. Add sliced onions if so desired. Set aside.
- Drain and rinse the canned chickpeas. OPTIONAL: Toss into a bowl with 1 Tablespoon of extra-virgin olive oil, 1/4 teaspoon basil, 1/4 teaspoon oregano, and optional red chili flakes.
Homemade Dressing:
- Make the dressing by mixing extra-virgin olive oil, red wine vinegar, minced garlic, dried oregano, dijon mustard, and salt and pepper. Taste for seasonings and add more salt and pepper, if needed. If you want a smooth dressing, mix with immersion blender or in a blender.
- When ready to serve, toss all of the ingredients together in a large salad bowl with the dressing. Garnish with shaved or grated parmesan cheese, red pepper flakes, and crushed ground pepper.
Notes
- Tomatoes -- I suggest cherry or grape tomatoes, sliced in half lengthwise. You can also use Hot house or heirloom tomatoes, diced into small pieces.
- Cucumber -- I recommend Hot House or English cucumbers as they are thinner, and have less seeds. They are the long, skinny variety of cucumbers.
- Fresh Mozzarella -- there are several varieties of fresh mozzarella you can use. You can chop a ball of fresh mozzarella into bite-size pieces or use the small mozzarella pearls or balls. They even have marinated mozzarella balls for extra flavor.
- Salami -- I suggest using high-quality salami and cutting it into bite-size pieces. You can use thinner salami or have the deli slice it into thicker pieces.
- Chickpeas -- also known as "garbanzo beans." After draining and rinsing the canned chickpeas, I like to toss the chickpeas with extra-virgin olive oil and spices to give the beans extra flavor.
- Pepperoncini -- sweet, mild chili peppers, usually sold pickled in a jar. These give a tangy and slightly spicy flavor to the salad. You can cut them into very small pieces.
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Overall Rating
5.0
18 reviews
Excellent
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