Italian Chopped Salad

This hearty Italian Chopped Salad is full of flavor and absolutely delicious. Crunchy veggies, creamy cheese, and the best lemon herb dressing all come together to make a tasty and filling salad that everyone is sure to love!

Recipe by: Ashlea Carver / All the Healthy Things

Why You’ll Love This Hearty Italian Chopped Salad

• It’s hearty – this Italian Chopped Salad isn’t your typical side salad, ok?! It’s packed with all the best things like chickpeas for extra protein, creamy mozzarella cheese, soppressata, and plenty of crunchy veggies. This is a salad that’s sure to keep you full!
• It’s full of flavor – not only is this salad extra hearty, it’s also full on flavor! With ingredients like pepperoncini and a tasty lemon herb dressing, there’s absolutely no lack of flavor in this salad.
• It’s SO EASY to make – personally, my favorite thing about this salad is just how easy it is to make! Once you have all of your ingredients whipping up this salad is as easy throwing everything into a mixing bowl.

Chopped Salad Ingredients

Romaine Lettuce: the base of this salad is crisp romaine lettuce which gives the salad a delicious crunch.

Garbanzo Beans: for extra protein (and overall goodness!) we’re adding can of chickpeas. Be sure to drain and rinse them before adding to the salad.

Pepperoncini: these are one of my favorite things to add to salads because they’re packed full of flavor. They add a delicious brightness to this chopped salad.

Olives: I know olives aren’t everyone’s favorite thing but if you love them then you’ll love this salad. Salty kalamata olives are such a delicious addition in this salad but of course feel free to leave them out if you prefer.

Tomatoes: plenty of fresh juicy cherry tomatoes are a must-have in a good salad.

Artichoke Hearts: if you have never added artichoke heart to your salad then I can confidently tell you that you’re missing out, haha. For extra flavor this recipe uses grilled artichoke hearts and trust me, you’ll want to eat them straight out the jar.

Cucumber: I recommend using English or seedless cucumber for this recipe. They tend to have a thinner skin and less bitter flavor than traditional cucumber.

Red Onion: ok, a little chopped red onion adds so much good flavor to this salad. If needed, you can rinse the onion under cold water after you have diced it to relieve some of the “bite” that’s usually associated with raw onion.

Soppressata: this is an Italian dry salami. If you cannot find it, feel free to use another cured meat like salami. You can also leave this ingredient out if you would like to keep the pasta salad vegetarian.

Mozzarella: creamy balls of mozzarella cheese run throughout this salad and I mean it just doesn’t get any better than that.

Parmesan: for a little extra salty cheesy flavor we’re adding a bit of parmesan cheese.

Recipe Variations

• Add extra veggies – this salad is so easy to customize! have extra veggies you need to use, add them in! some of my favorite veggies to add are chopped celery, bell pepper, and even diced carrot.
• Add chicken – this salad is perfect to pair with grilled chicken or add in some leftover roasted chicken and toss.
• Keep it vegetarian – leave out the soppressata altogether for an easy vegetarian option.

The Best Lemon Herb Dressing

A very simple, yet flavorful, lemon herb dressing works to pull this salad together. This delicious dressing could not be easier to make.

Here’s what you need:

• red wine vinegar
• olive oil
• dijon mustard
• oregano
• minced garlic
• lemon juice

To make the dressing all you have to do is add all of the ingredients to a high powered blender or mixing bowl and blend or whisk until combined.

Helpful Kitchen Tools

MIXING BOWL

SHARP KNIFE

TONGS

CUTTING BOARD

MEASURING CUPS

MEASURING SPOONS

STORAGE JAR

How to Make This Delicious Chopped Italian Salad

Assemble the salad: Add all of the salad ingredients to a large mixing bowl.

Make the dressing: Add the dressing ingredients to a large bowl and whisk together until well combined.

Toss and Serve: Pour some of the dressing over the salad and toss. Add more dressing to taste, serve, and enjoy!

Meal Prep Tips

Want to make this recipe for your weekly meal prep? Here are my favorite tips:

• Make the dressing: make the dressing in advance and then store in an air-tight container like a mason jar.
• Chop and store your veggies: make throwing your salad together extra easy by chopping your veggies in advance and then storing in air-tight containers in the fridge.
• Assemble but leave off the dressing: you can easily assemble the salad a day in advance and leave off the dressing until right before you are ready to serve.

How to Store

Store any leftover salad in an air-tight container in the fridge for 1-2 days.

More Delicious Salad Recipes to Try

SLOW COOKER BBQ CHICKEN SALAD

CHICKEN, BACON, AVOCADO CHOPPED SALAD

GRILLED SHRIMP AND ORZO SALAD

ITALIAN PASTA SALAD

THAI CRUNCH SALAD WITH CREAMY PEANUT DRESSING

I hope you give this Italian Chopped Salad a try! It’s the perfect hearty and delicious salad! If you do give this recipe a try, let me know! Leave a comment with a star rating below. You can also snap a photo & tag @allthehealthythings on INSTAGRAM. Your reviews and ratings help support All the Healthy Things and make it possible for me to continue to create the recipes you trust and love.