Italian Chopped Salad Recipe
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This Italian Salad recipe is easy to make and delicious! An Italian Chopped Salad that’s filled with all your favorite antipasto items!
If you love the flavors of antipasto, this is the perfect Italian Antipasto Salad for you!
It’s loaded with vegetables, meats, and cheeses, all tossed in a homemade Italian dressing that is a perfect, healthy, and delicious meal or side dish!
For more salads, try our Greek Salad, Greek Chicken Pasta Salad, Orzo Salad with Feta, or Kale Quinoa Salad.
Why you’ll love this Italian Salad:
- Light & fresh – This is the perfect Spring or Summer salad because it won’t leave you feeling heavy after.
- Super easy to make – Simply chop, and toss everything together for the most delicious salad!
- Versatile – If you don’t like one of the ingredients or simply don’t have it on hand, you can switch most of the ingredients. See our recommended substitutions in the green box below.
ingredients
For this salad you’ll need:
- romaine lettuce – I love how crunchy romaine is for the base of a salad
- pepperoni slices – you could use turkey pepperoni. It’s not the healthiest ingredient but it adds a lot of flavor!
- veggies: cherry tomatoes, cucumber & red onion
- mini mozzarella balls – you can usually find these in the deli section at the store
- croutons
- black olives
- parmesan cheese – I use a vegetable peeler to get big shaved pieces!
Italian Dressing:
- olive oil
- red wine vinegar
- dijon mustard
- spices: dried basil, dried parsley, dried oregano, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes
Substitutions and Additions
Olive Oil: You can use avocado oil in place of olive oil. We don’t recommend using canola or other oils for dressings.
Tomatoes: You can use cherry tomatoes or heirloom tomatoes. You could even put a scoop of Italian Bruschetta on top!
Meat: Any hard Italian meat would work instead of pepperoni in this recipe. Salami, Pancetta, Prosciuttto, and Coppa are all great options!
Cheese: Parmesan cheese or provolone will work in place of mozzarella cheese.
Lettuce: Iceberg lettuce is a great romaine substitute in this recipe. For added nutrients, you can also mix in spinach or kale.
Croutons: Omitting the croutons will make this recipe gluten-free. Try adding roasted chickpeas instead for a crunch!
Additional toppings: Feel free to add more or fewer toppings.
Red Wine Vinegar: We can’t offer any substitutions for red wine vinegar. Balsamic vinegar would work, but it would be overpowering here and not really taste like ‘Italian’ dressing. White wine vinegar might also work.
Dijon Mustard: You can use whole-grain mustard or yellow mustard in place of dijon mustard.
Dried Herbs: You can substitute fresh herbs in place of dried herbs. Double the number of fresh herbs for dried herbs and make sure to chop them very well.
How to make Italian Salad
- Assemble salads. Start with a base of romaine and add toppings. Set aside.
- Make the dressing. In a food processor or small blender, combine all ingredients until smooth.
Store in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
How to serve Italian Antipasto Salad
Serve it on the side of any main dish, or as an easy lunch on its own! Add some more protein (like baked boneless chicken breast) to make it more filling. Just don’t forget to drizzle the creamy Italian dressing over top!
This salad is also great with Healthy Chicken Salad on top for a quick lunch!
How to store Italian Salad
Storing: This salad will last in the refrigerator for up to 4 days in an airtight container.
Note on separation: Separation may occur in the dressing when stored in the fridge. Use a spoon to stir it together or quickly blend it again to reconstruct the dressing.
Italian Chopped Salad Recipe FAQs
If you’re referring to a single appetizer, like a piece of cheese or bread, it’s an antipasto. An antipasti on the other hand is more than one antipasto, like a whole plate of different ones!
Romaine is the best lettuce in an Italian salad.
A chopped salad is how it sounds! It’s a bunch of ingredients all chopped down and then tossed/ assembled. Chopping a salad makes it much more flavorful and delicious. A tossed salad is more simple and contains fewer ingredients that are usually not chopped up.
Other healthy salad dressing recipes:
Here are some of our favorite salad dressing recipes:
Italian Antipasto Salad
Ingredients
Italian Salad:
- 4 cups romaine
- ¼ cup pepperoni slices quartered
- ¼ cup cherry tomatoes halved
- ¼ cup mini mozzarella balls quartered
- ¼ cup croutons
- ¼ cup black olives
- 2 tablespoons freshly grated parmesan cheese
- ¼ cup cucumber diced
- 2 tablespoons red onion diced
Italian Dressing:
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1/2 tablespoon dijon mustard
- 1/4 teaspoon dried basil
- 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon dried garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon dried onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes optional
- 1/4 teaspoon dried parsley
Instructions
- Assemble salads. Start with a base of romaine and add toppings. Set aside.
- Make the dressing. In a food processor or small blender, combine all ingredients until smooth.
- Store in the refrigerator for up to 4 days
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