5.0 from 66 votes
Mega Italian Salad
My favourite big Italian salad. The homemade dressing is seriously tasty! The croutons and dusting of parmesan is the perfect finishing touch that everybody loves. Serve with pasta, a cosy lasagne or big tray of cannelloni. Lots of suggestions in the post!{No video today because I thought this was quite straight forward. But if you want one, leave me a message below!}
Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
10 mins
Servings: 6
Calories: 226 kcal
Course:
Side Dish
Cuisine:
Italian , Italian-American Fussion
Ingredients
Croutons:
- 3 lices white sandwich bread , ~1.75 cm / 3/4" thick, crust off, cut into cubes (Note 1)
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 pinches salt
Italian Dressing:
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsp red wine vinegar (Note 2)
- 4 tsp freshly grated parmesan (Note 1)
- 2 tsp sugar (any)
- 1/4 tsp each garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp dried basil
- 1/4 tsp chilli flakes (red pepper flakes), optional
- 1/2 tsp cooking/kosher salt
- 1/8 tsp black pepper
Salad:
- 1 head cos / romaine lettuce , chopped into large or small bite size pieces (Note 3)
- 2 large tomatoes , cut into 6 to 8 wedges, then each wedge in half
- 1/2 green capsicum/bell pepper , 1.5cm / 2/3" cubes
- 1/2 red onion , finely sliced
- 1 cup whole pitted kalamata olives (Note 4)
- 1/4 cup (tightly packed) finely grated parmesan
Instructions
- Croutons: Preheat oven to 200°C/390°F (180°C fan). Toss bread with oil and salt. Spread on a tray and bake 15 minutes, stirring twice, until golden and fully crisp. Cool on tray.
- Dressing: Shake ingredients in a jar.
- Make salad: Set aside some parmesan for garnish. Place croutons and all remaining salad ingredients in a large bowl. Pour Dressing over, toss well.
- Serve: Transfer salad into a serving bowl. Sprinkle with reserved parmesan. Serve immediately!
Cup of Yum
Notes
- Bread - I like using everyday white sandwich bread here, not sourdough or other chewy artisan bread. I like the soft crumble of croutons in this salad. Use any bread you've got though - anything is better than no croutons!
- Thicker slices = bigger croutons = bigger impact. But even worth making with everyday thin sandwich bread.
- Red wine vinegar is my favourite vinegar to use. White wine vinegar can also be used. Substitute with apple cider vinegar or sherry vinegar.
- Lettuce - Best substitute is iceberg, else use any lettuce of choice (crispier better than delicate). Chop into bite-size pieces - I do large because I like voluminous salads. If you are feeding little people you may want to chop smaller.
- Olives - I like whole kalamata for best flavour and texture. I find some other regular black olives too firm for my taste. But you can use any of your favourite olives.
- Storage - Best made fresh! Once dressed, the lettuce will wilt and not be very nice after around 30 minutes. Best way to store is to keep the dressing separate from the salad. Keep croutons in the pantry, parmesan in a container, then remaining salad ingredients jumbled up together in the fridge. It will hold like this for 24 hours, 48 hours it's still ok. Not great beyond this.
- Nutrition per serving.
Nutrition Information
Calories
226cal
(11%)
Carbohydrates
15g
(5%)
Protein
4g
(8%)
Fat
17g
(26%)
Saturated Fat
3g
(15%)
Polyunsaturated Fat
2g
Monounsaturated Fat
11g
Trans Fat
1g
Cholesterol
3mg
(1%)
Sodium
852mg
(36%)
Potassium
174mg
(5%)
Fiber
2g
(8%)
Sugar
4g
(8%)
Vitamin A
804IU
(16%)
Vitamin C
19mg
(21%)
Calcium
120mg
(12%)
Iron
1mg
(6%)
Nutrition Facts
Serving: 6Serving
Amount Per Serving
Calories 226
% Daily Value*
| Calories | 226cal | 11% |
| Carbohydrates | 15g | 5% |
| Protein | 4g | 8% |
| Fat | 17g | 26% |
| Saturated Fat | 3g | 15% |
| Polyunsaturated Fat | 2g | 12% |
| Monounsaturated Fat | 11g | 55% |
| Trans Fat | 1g | 50% |
| Cholesterol | 3mg | 1% |
| Sodium | 852mg | 36% |
| Potassium | 174mg | 4% |
| Fiber | 2g | 8% |
| Sugar | 4g | 8% |
| Vitamin A | 804IU | 16% |
| Vitamin C | 19mg | 21% |
| Calcium | 120mg | 12% |
| Iron | 1mg | 6% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.