Italian Chopped Salad Recipe

Italian chopped salad in white plate on table.

5 from 1 vote

Italian Chopped Salad Recipe

Super easy Italian chopped salad loaded with salami, provolone, Tuscan peppers, oil cured olives, red onion, cherry tomatoes and basil in a simple vinaigrette.

Prep Time15

Cook Time0

Total Time15

Course: Salad

Cuisine: Italian

Servings:

Author: James Delmage and Tara

Ingredients

For the vinaigrette

3/8 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp black pepper

For the salad

3 large romaine hearts
1/2 cup cherry tomatoes
1 medium red onion
1/4 pound salami
3/8 pound provolone
1/3 cup oil cured black olives
1/4 cup basil leaves
1/4 cup Tuscan peppers (pepperoncini)

Instructions

For the vinaigrette

Whisk together 1 tsp Dijon mustard, 1/2 tsp black pepper, 1/2 tsp kosher salt, 1/4 cup red wine vinegar, and 3/8 cup extra virgin olive oil.

For the salad

Remove outer bruised leaves of romaine, chop off top 1", and cut off core. Chop the romaine into bite size pieces.
Rinse 1/3 cup of pitted oil cured olives to remove some of the salt. Chop the red onion, 3/8 pound provolone, 1/4 pound salami and 1/4 cup of Tuscan peppers into bite size pieces. Chop the basil and cut the cherry tomatoes in half.
Place all the ingredients into a large bowl, except the tomatoes. Give the vinaigrette one final whisk and pour half over the salad. Toss the salad to combine and if required add a little bit more vinaigrette being careful to not use too much, making the salad soggy.
Add the cherry tomatoes and toss one last time. Plate and enjoy!

Notes

Oil cured olives are quite salty. Rinse them to remove some of their salt content before adding to salad.
Either sharp or mild provolone can be used.
If possible, buy 1 large 1/4 pound piece of salami from deli counter.
Hold off on adding the tomatoes until right before serving. The halved cherry tomatoes will make the salad soggy and get crushed if added to early.
Start off by using some, not all, of the dressing. It's better to have an under dressed salad that can be added to, than a soggy one.

Nutrition