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My favorite Italian chopped salad recipe is fresh, hearty, and bursting with zesty Italian flavors in each bite.

Is there anything better than a really good Italian chopped salad? ♡

My favorite take on this classic is crafted with the perfect balance of bold flavors and fresh textures to ensure that every bite is downright irresistible. Crisp Romaine and raddichio bring the crunch, while savory salami adds a punch of zesty, meaty flavor. Juicy cherry tomatoes, briny olives and zesty pepperoncini add pops of brightness, and a mix of creamy mozzarella and salty Parmesan gives it that perfect cheesy. Everything gets tossed together with a simple red wine vinaigrette. Then the magic of a well-chopped salad is that you get a little taste of everything in each bite — so good!

This Italian chopped salad is honestly fantastic on its own, but you could also pair it with your favorite pasta, grilled protein, or hunk of crusty bread. I’ve also included lots of options below for potential ingredient add-ins, so don’t hesitate to customize this recipe and make it your own. However you serve it, this salad is sure to be a winner!

Italian Chopped Salad Ingredients

Here are a few brief notes about the Italian chopped salad ingredients you will need to make this recipe:

• Greens: Chopped Romaine lettuce adds a crisp, refreshing texture while radicchio adds a pop of color and slightly bitter flavor to balance the richness of the other ingredients.
• Cucumber: Chopped cucumber adds a juicy, crisp crunch to the salad. I recommend either English or Persian cucumbers, which have a slightly-sweet flavor, fewer seeds, and thin skins so that they don’t need to be peeled.
• Red onion: Thinly-sliced red onion adds a sharp, slightly-sweet flavor to each bite. Feel free to briefly rinse the sliced onion in water if you’d like to mellow out its flavor.
• Salami: Zesty Italian salami adds a burst of savory flavor to the salad. Choose whatever flavor of salami you love best (I love spicy!) and slice it into bite-sized pieces.
• Chickpeas: A can of chickpeas adds extra protein, heartiness and a subtle nutty flavor to the salad. Alternatively, you could add in a can of white beans or roast the chickpeas for extra crunch.
• Cherry tomatoes: Fresh cherry tomatoes always add such a lovely burst of juicy sweetness and vibrant color to an Italian salad.
• Mozzarella pearls: I love using fresh mozzarella pearls in this salad, which add the most delicious creamy flavor and soft texture. But you could opt to add torn burrata instead (sooo good), or dice a block of Monterrey jack or Provolone.
• Olives: Sliced olives add a delicious punch of briney, complex, savory flavor to the salad. I’m partial to Kalamata or Castelvetrano olives in this recipe, but any type of favorite olives will do.
• Pepperoncini: Sliced pepperoncini peppers add the most delicious zing of pickled, vinegary flavor to the salad.
• Basil: The more, the merrier (in my opinion!) when it comes to adding fresh basil to this salad. It adds that perfect pop of Italian flavor that makes all of these flavors sing.
• Parmesan: Lots of freshly-grated Parmesan cheese brings an essential burst of salty, umami, nutty flavor to the salad that makes each bite all the more flavorful.
• Red wine vinaigrette: Finally, we’ll dress the salad with a simple red wine vinaigrette made from olive oil, red wine vinegar, Dijon, garlic, salt and pepper. Classic and always delicious!

Recipe Tips

Step-by-step instructions are included in the recipe below, but here are a few extra tips to keep in mind too:

• Chop everything (more or less) evenly. The magic of a chopped salad is that you ideally get to taste a bit of every ingredient in each bite. So try to chop everything into small, uniform pieces as best you can.
• Massage the radicchio (optional). If you find radicchio to be too bitter, feel free to massage it briefly with a drizzle of olive oil before assembling the salad, which will help to soften it and mellow its flavor.
• Dress just before serving. To help keep everything crisp and fresh (especially the Romaine), I recommend dressing and tossing the salad just before serving.
• Customize to taste. This is an extremely flexible recipe, so please feel free to adjust any of these ingredients to taste! I’ve also included a bunch of ideas for potential add-ins below.

Recipe Variations

Here are a few more fun variations that you’re welcome to try with this Italian chopped salad recipe:

• Add a protein: Add cooked bacon, chicken, prosciutto, salmon, shrimp, or steak if you’d like some extra protein.
• Add pasta or grains: Add cooked pasta (such as bow-ties, orzo or ditalini), quinoa or farro to make this Italian salad more hearty.
• Add artichokes, capers, sun-dried tomatoes or roasted red peppers: Any of these antipasti ingredients would be delightful additions to the salad.
• Add nuts: Toasted pine nuts, almonds or pepitas would all be delicious.
• Add croutons: Toss in some homemade croutons just before serving, which will add delicious crunch and soak up the vinaigrette.
• Use different greens: Incorporate other greens into the salad, such as arugula, cabbage, escarole, frisée or kale.
• Use a different dressing: Use a different dressing, such as my lemony everyday dressing or balsamic vinaigrette.

More Italian Salad Recipes To Try!

Looking for more Italian salad recipes to enjoy? Here are a few of our favorites:

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