Loaded with crunchy vegetables, salami, cheese, and beans, this Italian Chopped Salad is tossed with a flavorful Italian dressing. This cold salad recipe is light yet hearty and will be a favorite at any summertime get together!
Warm weather is the perfect time for cool salads, like Italian pasta salad, traditional Greek salad, or lettuce salad recipe.
Table of contents
This incredible Italian chopped salad that is a must for summertime! It’s crunchy, flavorful and ready to eat in only 20 minutes.
The scrumptious combination of savory meats and cheeses with crisp, juicy vegetables, and then the drizzle of Italian salad dressing made with flavorful herbs is one of my favorite healthy salad recipes.
I love serving this during the warmer months as a side or even as a light meal. It goes great with other salads with similar flavors, like tomato mozzarella avocado salad and chickpea salad with avocado.
If you’re heading to a picnic or backyard barbecue, then you can prep this chopped salad recipe ahead of time and just assemble and go. If you are hosting, serve alongside this grilled lemon rosemary chicken breast. Delicious and easy!
Chopped Salad Recipe Ingredients
If you love salad with all the things, this recipe is for you! Plus one of the best things about chopped salad is you can leave in what you want, omit what you don’t, or even add to it.
- Lettuce: I like the crunch of iceberg lettuce for this salad. But you could mix it with Romaine lettuce or other lettuce if you prefer.
- Genoa salami: Adda lots of flavor and texture to the salad, not to mention some filling protein.
- Garbanzo beans: I love using meal prepped Instant Pot chickpeas but you can use canned ones. add lots of flavor and texture to the salad, not to mention some filling protein.
- Fresh mozzarella pearls: You can use cubed mozzarella cheese but I love the taste and size of the mozzarella balls.
- Juicy cherry tomatoes: Adds a burst of juicy sweetness. You can use grape tomatoes.
- Red onion: Additional crunch and savory zest.
- English cucumber: Crisp and refreshing, it adds the perfect balance.
- Pepperoncini: Feel free to use other peppers, but I find this one is the perfect balance of hot and sweet.
Homemade Italian Dressing
This simple and delicious homemade Italian vinaigrette can be used for any salad. You can also use store-bought, but this is a breeze and tastes much better!
- Olive oil
- Red wine vinegar
- Honey
- Dijon mustard
- Fresh lemon juice
- Italian seasoning and salt
How to Make Italian Chopped Salad
This chopped salad comes together in about 20 minutes! It’s perfect for healthy lunch or a simple dinner.
Combine dressing ingredients: In a large measuring cup, add the olive oil, red wine vinegar, honey, Dijon mustard, water, fresh lemon juice, Italian seasoning, and salt.
Whisk the dressing: To fully combine and emulsify the dressing whisk it vigorously. You should have about 1 cup total. Now set it aside.
Prepare the vegetables and meat: Chop up the lettuce into shreds and thinly slice the salami and pepperoncini. Then cut the cucumber into small wedges or dice it. Half the cherry tomatoes and dice up the onion.
Assemble the salad: Now place the chopped lettuce into a large bowl and arrange the rest of the salad ingredients on top. Then drizzle the dressing over the salad and toss everything together right before serving.
Tips and Variations
- Dry lettuce thoroughly: Nothing ruins a good salad quicker than soggy lettuce. Use a salad spinner or pat dry with a paper towel before assembling the salad.
- Evenly chopped ingredients: Ensures you get a good variety in each bite!
- Beans: Swap out the chickpeas for a can of drained white beans.
- Cheese: Small cubes of provolone or freshly grated Parmesan cheese can be used in place of mozzarella balls.
- Meat: Swap out the salami for chopped turkey or ham.
- Additional vegetables: Sun dried tomatoes, roasted red peppers, or canned chopped artichoke hearts would all be delicious. Kalamata olives would be great, too!
- Crunch: Add some homemade sourdough croutons for even more crunch.
- Freshly ground black pepper: After tossing make it restaurant worthy with a few shakes of freshly ground pepper on top.
Serving Suggestions
- Family dinners: This chopped Italian salad is always a favorite with the family. Lots of variety and it’s great with main courses like these juicy healthy turkey burgers.
- Get togethers: Summer celebrations like picnics, barbecues, and potlucks are a great time to enjoy this cold salad with healthy grilled chicken recipe or even air fryer salmon!
- Pasta nights: You can serve salad with warm pasta or 10 minute simple spaghetti recipe.
Storing Salad Leftovers
Salad can be stored in an airtight container for about 2 days in the refrigerator. Any longer and the lettuce begins to get soggy.
Make Ahead
You can make the dressing a few days in advance and keep it in the fridge in a covered container or mason jar.
Separately store the other chopped ingredients for 2-3 days in the fridge, then assemble and dress the salad when you’re ready to serve it.
This Italian chopped salad recipe is one of my favorites because it’s delicious, simple, and a crowd-pleaser. I hope you enjoy its amazing flavors, too!
More Healthy Salad Recipes
Browse all my favorite healthy salad recipes!
Italian Chopped Salad
Ingredients
Italian Dressing
Salad Ingredients
- 1 large head iceberg lettuce or 2 small
- 15 oz can garbanzo beans (chickpeas)
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes
- 1/4 cup red onion thinly sliced
- 3/4 cup Genoa salami chopped
- 1 cup fresh mozzarella pearls
- 1/4 cup pepperoncini sliced
- 1/2 cup English cucumber chopped
Instructions
- Start off by making the dressing first. Add the olive oil, red wine vinegar, honey, Dijon mustard, water, fresh lemon juice, Italian seasoning, and salt into a large measuring cup. Then stir vigorously using a small whisk. Once the dressing is well combined, set it aside.
- Chop up the lettuce into shreds, and then chop the pepperoncini and salami into slices. The cucumber can be cut into small wedges or diced into small cubes. The cherry tomatoes will only need to be sliced into halves, and the red onion will need to be diced.
- Place the chopped lettuce into a large serving bowl and arrange the rest of the salad ingredients on top.
- Then drizzle the dressing over the salad and toss everything together right before serving.
Notes
- Store: This Italian Chopped Salad can be stored in an airtight container for about 2 days in the refrigerator. Any longer and the lettuce begins to get soggy.
- Make ahead: Dressing can be made 1 week in advance and kept covered in the refrigerator. Separately store the other chopped ingredients for 2-3 days in the fridge, then assemble and dress the salad when you’re ready to serve it.
- Dressing shortcut: If you prefer to buy your favorite salad dressing from the store instead, you will need a total of 1 cup.
- Dry lettuce thoroughly: Nothing ruins a good salad quicker than soggy lettuce. Use a salad spinner or pat dry with a paper towel before assembling the salad.
Really good idea for a salad. I love the combination of ingredients. For my taste, I would reduce the amount of honey in the dressing and I didn’t care for the addition of water to the salad dressing. I felt like it made the dressing too thin. Since, I don’t find anything unhealthy, about a good quality olive oil vinaigrette, I would just omit that.
Of course adjust to taste!
Love the additional of chickpeas! A restaurant salad at home that came out great!
So glad you liked it!
Ok… I’m TOTALLY confused! LOL The latest Italian Chopped Salad I found interesting only confused me when Dina Polyashov photo/blog showed up. Albeit interesting, I hope she is helping you out on/with your blog. I had to look at the browser just to make sure I was in the right blog. LOL The whole thing threw me for a moment. I’m now assuming since the recipe came from Dina P. you are giving recognition as I hope others do for you.
Dina is sharing her recipes on my blog once a month. If you click on her name it shows all of them. Hope you enjoy!!! 🙂
Whew! Thanks for the info.. I did check it out but will still continue to go back to your site – even after I look at others I visit. I just love your site/recipes. You’re the main one I go to as I’ve made a lot of your recipes w/great success… hubby approved. We don’t eat a lot of fried foods or cook with heavy cream. And that is why I really like your site/blog. I have made recipes from other sites & made adjustments to suit our taste but pretty much go to yours first & cook mainly from your site!!
Thank you Olena for all your hard work in putting recipes together & explaining things.
You are so sweet, thank you for letting me know, Tricia. So happy to hear you and your husband are enjoying my recipes! Dina has lots of Eastern European recipes and cool treats and air fryer recipes.
I have been looking at air fryer recipes as I brother told me he & his wife bought one… enjoy cooking with it!! Since he knows we don’t eat fried foods – ok, maybe a black bean burger if that counts, but since he loves his & highly recommended it I will visit again Dina’s site – after I check yours FIRST.✔
And, since I use you as my “go to” for recipes, tested & re-made over time & time again I think Dina will be there with you on the list!
Thank you for taking the time to reply!
I checked Dina’s site further… she’s from the Ukraine, too & she does have some pretty interesting recipes… check out the healthy ones mostly. I will go back into her site periodically, too.