Italian Chopped Salad

Italian Chopped Salad is stuffed with flavor and texture that is highly satisfying. Full of classic Italian flavors, this salad is going to be a huge hit at your next gathering!

I love chopped salads, you get a bit of everything in every bite, and it’s all bite-sized. You have to try some of my other favorite chopped salads, Avocado, Chicken and Bacon, Thai Cashew, and an Autumn Salad.

Italian Chopped Salad

If you can chop stuff up, you can make this incredible salad. Italian chopped salad is zesty, fresh, and full of Italian flavors you are going to love. This salad comes together quickly and easily, making it a go-to when I’m short on time but need a big flavor. The cheese and salami give it a boost of protein that allows this salad to be either a main dish or a side salad. Either way your family is going to love the uniqueness of it.

The lettuce and tomatoes lighten the salad, so it isn’t super heavy. Red onion and pepperoncini give it that classic Italian zesty kick. And the black olives add flavor and a bit texture. Chopping everything in this Italian salad makes it super easy to eat and ensures every bit gets a good dose of that insanely delicious dressing. You have to make this salad, it’s so good!

What You Need For Chopped Italian Salad

• Romaine Lettuce: thinly chopped
• Pepperoncini: deseeded and sliced
• Cherry tomatoes: chopped
• Olives: I buy mine already sliced in a can, or you can slice them yourself.
• Red Onion: Slice and chop the red onion nice and thin.
• Italian salami: thinly sliced, can also use bite-sized salami
• Mozzarella cheese: cubed
• Homemade Italian Dressing: Yes, make sure it’s Homemade, it is so much better, it’s fast and delicious.

Let’s Get Chopping!

1. Chop and Combine: In a large bowl combine the romaine, pepperoncini, cherry tomatoes, olives, red onions, salami, cheese, and dressing.
2. Dress and Toss: Make the recipe for homemade Italian dressing and use as much as desired. Toss the salad until combined.

Tips and Variations for Italian Chopped Salad

The beauty of this salad is you can customize it to your liking.

• Chop: This is called a chopped salad for a reason, everything in it should be chopped, not just sliced or diced. This helps the salad mix thoroughly, makes it easier to eat, and better-tasting.
• Lettuce: I like to use romaine lettuce because it has both crunchy and leafy parts that give all the texture I could want. You can use iceberg or a mixture of both. Also, try mixing in some spinach for an extra boost of iron.
• Meat: Salami is the meat most often found in a chopped salad, you can also substitute in pepperoni, just note it will give you a slightly different flavor. To save time buy the bite-sized salami all ready to go.
• Cheese: For a shortcut, you can use cheese sticks and cut them up. They are a perfect size already! Try substituting parmesan or provolone or using a mixture of all of the above too.
• Add-Ins: For other ingredient ideas try chickpeas, sun-dried tomatoes, kalamata olives, and fresh diced peppers.
• Storage: Unfortunately once the salad and dressing have combined, it is hard to store. The salad will get soggy. Only dress what you plan on eating and store the salad and dressing separately for longer storage. Both will keep in the fridge for 2-3 days.

What to Serve with this

This is a robust, satisfying salad that can be used either as a main course or a side dish. The meat and cheese give it protein and the vegetables, well are your vegetables. Serve it along with a nice fruit salad and a hunk of toasted crusty bread and you have a light dinner or hearty lunch ready to go.  Here are more ideas to serve insanely delicious salad with.

Bread

Focaccia Bread

Dinner

Quick and Easy Stromboli

Dinner

The Easiest Homemade Pizza Ever!

Dinner

Cacio e Pepe

More Italian Recipes to Love

Italian food is comfort food. Whether it’s a light decadent dessert, a robust salad, or creamy pasta, Italian Food has it all! It is no wonder it is an American favorite and the top choice in many households. Even the Americanized Italian food is dreamy. You just can’t beat a bowl of pasta smothered in various sauces or hearty bread and savory meat dishes. Italian food has a wide variety, tastes, and textures with something for everyone. Pizza, fish, and vegetarian all have incredible recipes under the umbrella of Italian. There are so many scrumptious dishes it’s hard to know where to begin. Here are just a few though to get you started.

Desserts

Italian Christmas Cookies

Soup Recipes

Classic Italian Wedding Soup

Dinner

The BEST Lasagna Ever!

Dinner

Creamy Tuscan Garlic Chicken

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Italian Chopped Salad

Italian Chopped Salad is stuffed with flavor and texture that is highly satisfying. Full of classic Italian flavors, this salad is going to be a huge hit at your next gathering!

Course Salad

Cuisine Italian, Italian American

Keyword chopped salad, italian chopped salad

Prep Time 15 minutes

Total Time 15 minutes

Servings 4 people

Calories 219kcal

Author Alyssa Rivers

Ingredients

• 4 cups romaine thinly chopped
• 1 cup pepperoncinis deseeded and sliced
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes chopped
• 1 cup olives sliced
• 1/2 medium red onion sliced
• 1/2 cup italian salami thinly sliced
• 1 cup mozzarella cheese cubed
• Recipe for Homemade Italian Dressing

Instructions

• In a large bowl combine the romaine, pepperoncinis, cherry tomatoes, olives, red onions, salami, cheese, and dressing.
• Make recipe for homemade italian dressing and use as much as desired. Toss the salad until combined.

Nutrition

Calories: 219kcal | Carbohydrates: 8g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 33mg | Sodium: 1032mg | Potassium: 386mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 4703IU | Vitamin C: 37mg | Calcium: 188mg | Iron: 1mg

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Mouthwatering Watermelon Salad with Feta

Watermelon salad is bursting with flavors from the juicy watermelon and salty feta cheese, then topped off with hints of lime and mint.  It is the perfect fresh sweet and savory mix of flavors that just scream summer!

Summertime has the best flavorful watermelon and perfect for enjoying during the warmer months! For more fresh watermelon ideas try Watermelon Peach Cooler or Watermelon Lemonade.

Watermelon Salad

Every year as the weather warms up, I find myself ordering more salads when I’m at a restaurant.  The other day when my kids and I were out shopping, we stopped at a favorite restaurant for lunch.  I ordered a watermelon mint salad and was in heaven!  I immediately started thinking about how easy this would be to re-create at home.  It is the perfect summer barbecue food.  The freshness of the salad is the perfect side for any grilled food.  The sweetness of the ingredients gives such a perfect balance to the smoky flavors of the grill. I know I will be making this all summer long now!

I have always loved ripe watermelon.  It is so juicy and refreshing.  This watermelon salad is packed with flavor enhancing ingredients that are unexpected and unbelievably good!  It is such a simple yet so impressive salad.  Perfect for entertaining since it is so crowd-pleasing. Your guests will be asking, why didn’t I think to make this?

Salad Ingredients:

Great ingredients are the key to any delicious meal! So be sure to choose fresh, flavorful watermelon, great quality cheese, and fresh mint for this salad.  Trust me, it will make a huge difference!

• Watermelon: Juicy, freshly diced watermelon is the star of this salad!
• Cucumber: Adds Clean crisp flavor.
• Red Onion: Love the bite of flavor and crispy texture these add.
• Mint: Fresh cool and sweet herb that balances the watermelon perfectly.
• Feta Cheese: Both creamy, and tangy
• Olive Oil: Choose high quality extra-virgin olive oil.
• Juice of one lime: Fresh citrus flavor. (Tip: A little goes a long way)
• Honey: Adds sweetness

Whip up a Watermelon Salad:

Making this fresh salad is so quick and easy.  You will be amazed that you haven’t made it a thousand times before! It’s as easy as whisking a few ingredients together then tossing to coat the watermelon.

1. Combine Ingredients: In a large combine watermelon, cucumber, red onion, mint, and feta cheese.
2. Whisk together dressing: In a small bowl whisk together the olive oil, lime, honey.
3. Toss: Pour dressing on top of the watermelon and toss to coat.

How to Choose a Juicy Watermelon:

First of all I recommend buying your watermelon from a farmers market.  Farmers know their crop and will harvest and sell it at just the right time.  They often give samples and are available to help you choose one to take home if needed. However, choosing a great watermelon at the store can be done as well.  Here are things to look for:

• Weight: Big or small, the watermelon should feel heavy for its size.
• Color: Look for a yellow spot: Watermelons develop a splotch where they rest on the ground. When this splotch is creamy yellow, it’s ripe.
• Sound: Tap the underbelly of the watermelon it should make a hollow sound if it is ripe.  If it is over or under ripe the sound will be more dull.

How to Slice a Watermelon:

I don’t know about you but watermelons can be intimidating.  Like most people, I love how they taste but I have talked myself out of buying them so many times because I didn’t want to go through the trouble of cutting it.  However, now I have figured out a quick easy way to cut my watermelon at home that takes all the frustration out of it.

1. Cut the ends: Lay the watermelon on a cutting board and cut off the ends with a sharp knife.
2. Remove the Rind: Stand the watermelon up on the flat ends you just created and run your knife down the inside of the rind to remove it. (Curve the knife as you go so that you don’t cut off the good part!)
3. Slice it up:  Start by slicing it in half.  Then make a grid pattern to create slices which you can continue to cut into smaller squares.

Variations and Tips to Make the Best Watermelon Salad!

• Go Nuts: Adding nuts into this salad gives it a great crunch to match the softness of the watermelon.  I suggest trying walnuts, cashews, almonds, or pistachios.
• Avocado: Adding in avocado gives a little bit more creaminess to the salad.  Also the flavor of the avocado with the lime and watermelon is amazing!
• Heat: Add Serrano peppers if you like to have a little spice in your food.
• Lettuce: To turn this into a full blown salad put it on top of a bed of arugula or quinoa.
• Drizzle: Balsamic Vinaigrette drizzled over the top of this watermelon salad is just simply delicious!
• Fruit: An option would be to swap out the watermelon for another fruit like strawberry, however, I honestly think the watermelon is unbelievable and cannot be beat!
• Presentation: Use a melon-baller to cut the watermelon to give this salad a more unique look!

More Fresh Salad Ideas:

• Honey Lime Poppyseed Salad
• Blackberry Lime Fruit Salad
• Creamy Poppyseed Fruit Salad
• Honey Lime Quinoa Fruit Salad
• Mouthwatering Strawberry Spinach Salad

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Mouthwatering Watermelon Salad with Feta

Watermelon Salad is bursting with flavors from the juicy watermelon and salty feta cheese, then topped off with hints of lime and mint.  It is the perfect fresh sweet and savory mix of flavors that just scream summer!!

Course Salad, Side Dish

Cuisine American

Keyword watermelon salad, watermelon salad recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes

Total Time 15 minutes

Servings 8 People

Calories 91kcal

Author Alyssa Rivers

Ingredients

• 3 cups diced watermelon
• 1 medium cucumber sliced
• 1/4 cup red onion sliced
• 2 Tablespoon mint chopped
• 1 cup feta cheese crumbled
• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• Juice of one lime
• 1 Tablespoon honey

Instructions

• In a large bowl combine watermelon, cucumber, red onion, mint, and feta cheese.
• In a small bowl whisk together the olive oil, lime, honey. Pour on top of the watermelon and toss to coat.

Nutrition

Calories: 91kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 17mg | Sodium: 210mg | Potassium: 26mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 132IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 95mg | Iron: 1mg

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