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    Home » Salad Recipes

    April 8, 2021

    Italian Chopped Salad

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
    a big glass bowl of Italian chopped salad on a light brown cutting board next to a bottle of kirkland signature olive oil and mazzeti balsamic vinegar

    Everything I want in a big lunch salad: crisp veggies, cheese, and meat.

    This Italian chopped salad is a complete meal full of fresh vegetables and topped with dry Italian salami and flavorful provolone cheese. It is a recreation from one of my favorite local Italian restaurants.

    For a little back story, I had a little day-date with my youngest son Cooper a few years ago and we split this salad with some bruschetta for lunch. That was back when he ate vegetables without complaining and now I just make this salad at home when I have a craving.

    a big glass bowl of Italian chopped salad on a light brown cutting board next to a bottle of kirkland signature olive oil and mazzeti balsamic vinegar
    Print Recipe
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    Italian Chopped Salad

    A mix of crisp greens with salami, provolone cheese, roasted red peppers, cucumber, tomatoes and fresh balsamic vinaigrette
    Prep Time15 mins
    Course: Main Course
    Cuisine: Italian
    Servings: 4 lunch portions

    Equipment

    • cutting board and knife
    • bowl
    • tablespoon

    Ingredients

    • ½ bag Italian Salad greens
    • ½ head iceberg lettuce
    • 1 cup grape tomatoes
    • 1 cup english cucumber
    • ½ cup jarred roasted red bell pepper
    • ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
    • 2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
    • flake salt+pepper to taste
    • 16 slices dry Italian salami
    • 4 slices provolone cheese
    • 1 cup parmesan crisps or other crunchy salad topping

    Instructions

    • Start by adding half of the bag from the Italian salad greens to a large salad bowl.
    • Chop the iceberg lettuce into small bite sized pieces and add to the bowl with the other greens.
    • Cut the grape tomatoes in half and season with flake salt. Add to salad bowl.
    • Cut cucumber into quarter slices and add to salad bowl.
    • Take a few peices of roasted red bell pepper out of the jar. If they are marinated in oil, be sure to let the excess oil drain back into the jar. Slice the peppers into bite size chunks and add to the other veggies.
    • In a measuring cup or seperate glass bowl, mix the extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Season with flake salt and freshly ground black pepper. Mix well with a fork or small whisk and pour over the bowl of veggies. Toss to coat.
    • Prepare the samlami and provolone cheese by slicing in big pieces and top the salad with them.
    • Add some crunch with parmesan crisps or Italian croutons. Ready to serve.

    Did you make this recipe? Tag me on Instagram @fancy_apron 🙂 or leave a comment below.

    The Ingredients

    from left to right Kirkland signature extra  virgin olive oil a bowl of grape tomatoes roasted red bell peppers dry italian salami provolone cheese balsamic vinegar parmesan crisp salad toppings a large english cucumber and a bag of italian salad greens on a large brown cutting board

    The key ingredients to making this salad tasty and satisfying are the slices of dry Italian salami, provolone cheese, and roasted red bell peppers. Since those three ingredients pack a lot of flavor, I don't need to go too crazy on anything else. I choose the Italian blend of lettuce and red cabbage along with iceberg because they are mild in flavor and super crunchy. We can say the same about the cherry tomatoes and English cucumber.

    Everything just needs to be chopped and all fit on my fork without competition. I like throwing some parmesan crisps at the end because the added crunch is a must and they're gluten-free, just like me most of the time. Any crunchy crouton or some crisp garlic bread pull this whole thing together though.

    a bottle of kirkland signature extra virgin olive oil and a bottle of mazetti balsamic vinegar
    The Kirkland Signature olive oil is a staple item at Costco. The vinegar also purchased at Costco, but not regularly stocked. I recommend buying it if you see it.

    I'm not doing bottled dressing here, but you certainly could. I just happen to have these and love the balsamic vinegar with the dry salami. I'm really doing what I can to use Italian ingredients and commit to the Italian chopped salad motif.

    Also, I've said it before and I'll say it again... I like making dressing from scratch. That's why I also make my own blue cheese dressing for my wedge salad and an herby vinaigrette to keep things light.

    an unopened pack of columbus salami
    Also found at Costco

    Last honorable mention for preferred items-- I like this pack of sliced salami. Plus, if you throw it on a cutting board with cheese and crackers, you can call it a charcuterie board to impress your friends. (Tanis- that's for you). Seriously though, I like this salami.

    Tips for Italian Chopped Salad Success

    • Pour the dressing on the veggies before topping with the salami, cheese, and parmesan crisps. I want the veggies with soak up the dressing without the salami and cheese getting weighed down.
    • Cutting the tomatoes in half serves two purposes: more manageable bites and the salt with stick to the cut surface. A well seasoned tomato is a happy tomato.
    • Other add-ins that will work with this salad are chopped olives and pepperoncini. But don't go crazy with extra ingredients. It's not a competition, but you will create one if you add too many strong ingredients.
    5     

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    • a wedge salad served on a white plate with a flower apron and jar of fresh blue cheese dressing in the background
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    Hi, I'm Alexis! I love cooking delicious meals from scratch, especially on my Traeger Grill.

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