EatAlyssa PonticelloMain DishesComment

Ultimate Italian Chopped Salad

EatAlyssa PonticelloMain DishesComment
Ultimate Italian Chopped Salad

ITALIAN CHOPPED SALAD

We all know I live for a good salad moment.

And one of my absolute favorites is an Italian Chopped Salad. I rarely have all the things I need to make it on hand, at the same time, so when I do it’s a real treat. Such was the case last week. We happened to have quite a few leftovers after hosting a little backyard pizza party, and those leftovers just so happened to be exactly what I needed to make my ultimate Italian chopped salad.

So, what exactly is the ultimate Italian chopped salad you ask? Let me give you the scoop. It’s basically all kinds of Italian deliciousness, like envision every food you love from Italy, all chopped up, tossed together in a bowl and dressed up in the yummiest dressing, which is where my secret ingredient, calabrian chilis, comes into play and really takes this salad from any old chopped salad to the ultimate chopped salad. If you know me, you know how much I love calabrians and adding them to absolutely everything, so it’s probably not much of a surprise to see them here, in an Italian-ish recipe, given that they are an Italian pepper, but I’m telling you it really makes all the difference in the dressing and the overall flavor of the salad. That and the olive tapenade. Just trust me on this one.

Here’s the other great thing about this recipe. It doesn’t even really require a recipe to make it. I know, sounds a little contradictory. a not-recipe recipe. But here’s the thing with this salad. You can add as little or as much of each ingredient that you want. Maybe you love sun-dried tomatoes so you want to double those, but use less olives. Go for it. Maybe you can’t stand sun-dried tomatoes and you want to use fresh chopped tomatoes, or you want to eliminate tomatoes all together. You do you, boo. Heck, while you’re at it, throw in some tortellini or croutons. Now it’s a party! An Italian salad party! Haha

All that to say, don’t be afraid to play around and make this salad your own. The ingredient list is more a guideline based on the things I love in my own Italian chopped salad, but the options are truly endless and unlimited and it’s really one of the most foolproof not-recipe recipes you could make.

Italian Chopped Salad Recipe

ITALIAN CHOPPED SALAD

The ULTIMATE VERSION

INGREDIENTS

FOR THE SALAD

  • Lettuce (I like to use a mix, preferably with radicchio, little gem and arugula, depending on what’s in season)

  • Salami, sliced into thin strips

  • Cucumber, thinly sliced

  • Red pepper (I like to use either bell pepper, Jimmy Nardellos if they’re in season, mini red peppers or roasted red peppers), diced

  • Sundried tomatoes (packed in olive oil)

  • Marinated artichoke hearts

  • Pepperoncinis, sliced

  • Kalamata Olives, cut in half

  • Fresh mozzarella cheese, shredded into large pieces

  • Parmesan or asiago cheese, shaved or grated

  • Fresh basil, minced

  • Salt + pepper

FOR THE DRESSING

  • 1/2 recipe of Shaker Dressing

  • 2 tablespoons of the sun-dried tomato olive oil

  • 2 tablespoons olive tapenade

  • 1-2 heaping teaspoons Calabrian chili paste (more or less can be used depending on your taste preferences, or it can be fully omitted if you’d prefer it without any spice)

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Toss together all ingredients in a large bowl. Here are the measurements I roughly use, per person, when I make my salad-

  • about 2 cups lettuce

  • about 1/8 pound salami

  • 1/2 a small cucumber

  • 2 tablespoons pepper

  • 1/8 cup sun-dried tomatoes

  • 2-3 artichoke hearts

  • 1 pepperoncini

  • 4-6 olives

  • 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese

  • 2 tablespoons parmesean cheese

  • A generous handful of basil

    2. For the dressing, simply whisk all ingredients together and toss with the salad right before serving. Store leftovers of the dressing separately, in an airtight container, in the refrigerator. The dressing can be made several days in advance. However, it will solidify in the refrigerator so be sure to remove it at least 30 minutes prior to using. This amount of dressing makes enough for a salad for about 6 people.

NOTES

  • Do not be afraid to substitute and mix and match ingredients to your liking or depending on what’s in season. For example, you could use prosciutto instead of the salami, or try provolone or burrata in place of the mozzarella. If you want to make it heartier, add in some tortellini, pasta or homemade sourdough croutons.

  • For the dressing, you can sub in any Italian dressing you like. I also love the garlic parmesan one from this post as an option.