This recipe is inspired by our favorite salad from a local Italian restaurant. The flavors are delicious but one main reason Gabe loves this salad is because everything is chopped small enough so it doesn’t hit his mustache when he puts it in his mouth. The salad is chopped small enough that you could actually eat it with a spoon instead of a fork if you want to. It takes extra time to chop everything but it’s worth it when you can easily get all the ingredients in one bite. As always, we make our own dressing but feel free to use your favorite store bought red wine vinaigrette or Italian dressing.
Happy Cooking!
Italian Chopped Salad
A salad so good you'd think it was from your local Italian hotspot. The vegetables, meat, and cheese are chopped up fine enough to get all the flavors in one delicious bite.
Servings 4
Calories 344kcal
Ingredients
- 2 heads romaine lettuce, roughly 6 cups
- 6 oz deli salami
- 6 oz provolone or mozzarella cheese
- 2 red bell peppers, roughly 2 cups
- 1 large cucumber, roughly 2 cups
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes, roughly 2 cups
- 1 package sliced mushrooms, roughly 2 cups
- 1 cup sliced pepperoncinis
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
Red Wine Vinaigrette
- 1 cup avocado or light olive oil do not use regular or extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 cup red wine vinegar
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 3/4 tsp granulated garlic
- 3/4 tsp Italian seasoning
Instructions
- Chop lettuce into small, roughly 1" pieces. If planning to eat as leftovers then store lettuce in a separate container lined with a paper towel
- Chop salami into small, roughly 1" pieces. Put into a medium sized bowl
- Chop provolone into small, roughly 1/4" pieces. Toss into bowl
- Chop red bell pepper into matchsticks and then into small, roughly 1/2" pieces. Toss into bowl
- Chop cucumber into matchsticks and then into small, roughly 1/2" pieces. Toss into bowl
- Chop cherry tomatoes into quarters and toss into bowl
- Finely chop mushrooms and throw into bowl
- Dice any large pepperoncini slices and toss into bowl
- Add salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning to bowl and toss ingredients to combine
- Plate romaine lettuce and chopped mixture then top with desired amount of red wine vinaigrette
- Enjoy!
Red Wine Vinaigrette
- Using an immersion blender or in a blender mix oil, salt, and granulated garlic together on low until cloudy. Alternatively, can place in a mason jar with a lid and shake vigorously until combined and cloudy
- Add red wine vinegar and Italian season and mix on low or shake vigorously
- Can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 2 weeks.
Nutrition
Calories: 344kcal | Carbohydrates: 19g | Protein: 19g | Fat: 22g | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 7g
