Please note that some of the links are affiliate links and I will earn a commission if you purchase through those links.
This Italian Chopped Salad comes together in 10 minutes and is perfect for lunch or dinner. It is light and healthy and blends fresh ingredients mixed with a homemade Italian dressing that is packed with flavor. Perfect for gatherings or parties, gluten free, easily made vegan or dairy free!
Big salads are my thing and something I eat daily, usually for lunch. This insanely good Italian Chopped Salad came about one night when I needed a new salad idea for our pizza night.
I quickly turned to my pantry and looked around for any ingredients that could go in a salad that were Italian. Which is the same thing I did to come up with the dressing as well, which is so epic. Just wait until you try it!
It is almost as good as this Healthy Caesar Dressing that is one of my faves as well.
The crisp, fresh romaine lettuce mixed in with the bright cherry tomatoes, flavor packed peppers plus the salty olives and chickpeas is everything. Top it off with cubed mozzarella cheese and a homemade Italian dressing and it is literally a perfect salad. My family went crazy over this recipe and I will now be making it all the time.
Oh and it goes perfectly with naan pizza or you can enjoy it as a complete meal all on it’s own.
Why you will love this incredible salad
- You can make it in 10 minutes!
- It is made with mostly pantry ingredients
- The homemade Italian dressing is incredible and so simple to make!
- You can make it ahead and enjoy it all week long.
- It is packed with protein and veggies so you can enjoy it as a complete meal
- Crazy good!
Ingredients to make an Italian chopped salad
How to make a Chopped Italian salad
- Make the dressing. Add all dressing ingredients to a mason jar or small bowl. Whisk or cover and shake well to fully emulsify into a creamy, robust, herby dressing.
- Then add all salad ingredients to a large salad bowl.
- Pour on the dressing and toss and serve!
How easy is that? Plus it is full of pantry ingredients which means you probably have most of the ingredients to make this Italian chopped salad right now.
I just love all of the beautiful colors. It just makes you want to dig in and eat this salad. Which my family did! They ate all of it in one meal!
The best part about this quick and easy salad is that you get a taste of each ingredient almost with every bite so it keeps you wanting more, which is a good thing when it comes to heathy salads.
This salad recipes is anything but boring and may even cause your kids to want to partake in the fun, lol. I also love that you can easily add in some chicken, ham or even crispy chickpeas to add some more bulk to it.
Substitutions and Variations
- Use any greens you like. I opted for crisp, fresh romaine lettuce that I sliced into thin ribbons but sliced kale, baby spinach or even peppery arugula would all go great in this salad.
- Switch up the protein. I used chickpeas but cooked diced chicken, ham, or even sliced hard boiled eggs would also work.
- Make this salad vegan. To make this recipe vegan simply leave out the cheese or use vegan cheese.
- Add even more veggies like diced cucumber, shredded carrots or artichokes.
Recipe Tips
- To slice the lettuce into ribbons. Take a bunch of the whole lettuce leaves and roll them up like a cigar then run your knife through it to create nice lettuce ribbons.
- To store this Italian Chopped Salad. If you are making this salad in advance, prepare the salad and dressing but store the dressing separately and dress and toss when ready to eat. Store the salad and the dressing in airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
What to serve with this Italian Chopped Salad
Since this salad is packed with protein and lots of veggies, it can easily be enjoyed as a meal all on it’s own but here are some suggestions for other recipes you can serve with this salad.
- Pair it with these Kale and Squash Quinoa Patties or of course this incredible Chickpea Flour Pizza that is my absolute favorite.
- Burgers would be a great meal addition to this salad. Try this Healthy Turkey Burger or this Black Bean Burger.
- Eggplant Meatballs on top of this Instant Pot Spaghetti Squash would also be delicious with this salad.
- Pair it with some pasta: Such as these Skinny Spinach Lasagna Rolls Ups or this Butternut Squash and Spinach Lasagna.
More Favorite Salad Recipes
- Autumn Chopped Kale Salad With Quinoa
- Best Kale Salad Recipes You Need To Try!
- 10 Minute Curry Chicken Salad
- Crispy Chickpea Kale Caesar Salad
- Mediterranean Israeli Couscous Salad
Did you try this recipe? If you did, then please leave a rating and comment below.
Print
10 Minute Italian Chopped Salad
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 6
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
This Italian Chopped Salad comes together in 10 minutes and is perfect for lunch or dinner. It is light and healthy and blends fresh ingredients mixed with a homemade Italian dressing that is packed with flavor! Perfect for gatherings or parties, gluten free, easily made vegan or diary free.
Ingredients
- 1 bunch of romaine lettuce – About 4-6 cups sliced into ribbons
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes – quartered
- 1/3 cup mild banana peppers – chopped
- 1/3 cup roasted red peppers – chopped
- 1/4 cup diced red onion
- 1 cup pitted kalamata olives
- 1 cup cubed mozzarella
- 1 (15oz) can chickpeas – drained and rinsed
- Robust Italian Dressing
Instructions
- Add all salad ingredients to a large salad bowl. I added the sliced romaine lettuce first and then added the rest of the ingredients on top of the lettuce.
- Make the dressing. Add all dressing ingredients to a mason jar fitted with a lid and shake well to emulsify or add the ingredients to small bowl and whisk well to combine and emulsify until slightly creamy.
- Pour the dressing over the salad and toss to coat everything in the dressing.
- Serve cold and enjoy!
Notes
- Use any greens you like. I opted for crisp, fresh romaine lettuce that I sliced into thin ribbons but sliced kale, baby spinach or even peppery arugula would all go great in this salad.
- Switch up the protein. I used chickpeas but cooked diced chicken, ham, or even sliced hard boiled eggs would also work.
- Make this salad vegan and leave out the cheese or use vegan cheese.
- To slice the lettuce into ribbons. Take a bunch of the whole lettuce leaves and roll them up like a cigar then run your knife through it to create nice lettuce ribbons.
- To store this Italian Chopped Salad. If you are making this salad in advance, prepare the salad and dressing but store the dressing separately and dress and toss when ready to eat. Store the salad and the dressing in airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Prep Time: 10
- Category: Quick and Easy Salads
- Method: Tossed
- Cuisine: Italian
Appreciating the hard work you put into your site and detailed information you present.
It’s great to come across a blog every once in a while that isn’t the same out of date rehashed material.
Fantastic read! I’ve saved your site and I’m including your
RSS feeds to my Google account.
★★★★★
Can you make the dressing ahead of time and put it in the fridge?
Hi Brin, yes you can! Enjoy!