Italian Chopped Salad with Parmesan Vinaigrette
Perfectly paired with our grilled steaks, this Italian Chopped Salad with Parmesan Vinaigrette was chock full of delicious flavors and textures. It was a huge hit with our friends!
When entertaining, I love a green salad on the menu. This versatile Chopped Salad Recipe can be tweaked with your favorite ingredients!
Why You Must Make
- I’m not sure you’d ever find this particular salad in Italy, but it has a certain Italian flair. With roasted peppers, pine nuts, greens, and a Parmesan vinaigrette, it’s tasty and versatile!
- I’m a sucker for a chopped salad! Where the hubby would be happy with a salad of lettuce, tomatoes, and Ranch dressing, I’m more inclined to add multiple ingredients with varied textures like in this colorful Italian salad recipe.
- You can easily personalize this salad by adding or eliminating ingredients according to your preferences.
Ingredient Notes
- Kitchen Staples – Red Wine Vinegar, Kosher Salt, Freshly Ground Black Pepper, Garlic Powder, Olive Oil
- Parmesan Cheese – Use real grated Parmesano Reggianno cheese, not the stuff in the green can on the store shelves.
- Romaine and Iceberg Lettuce – Slice the Romaine into ribbons and chop the iceberg into bite-sized pieces.
- Small Red Onion – Use half. Peel, slice into thin strips, and soak in ice water, sherry vinegar, or champagne vinegar to help remove some of the sharpness or bite.
- Marinated Artichoke Hearts – Drain. Cut into halves or quarters and remove any tough exterior leaves.
- Hearts of Palm – Drain and slice.
- Piquillo Peppers – Drain and chop.
- Pine Nuts – Toasted to bring out their flavor, then cooled to room temperature.
Frequently Asked Questions
A traditional Italian salad is composed of lettuce, red onions, cherry tomatoes, olives, pepperoncinis, mini Mozzarella balls, and/or grated Parmesan cheese. It’s dressed with a simple vinaigrette made with olive oil, vinegar, salt and pepper. This salad has some elements you would find in an Italian salad, but it is not a classic salad found in Italy.
Serve this salad with pasta smothered in an Italian Meat Sauce, Creamy Chicken Marsala or even an Italian Pesto Burger.
I’m used to finding a pile of artichoke hearts or hearts of palm on the side of the picky hubby’s plate, so feel free to leave out any ingredient your family does not enjoy. You can also add any of the traditional Italian salad ingredients listed above.
If you love onions, you may not need to pickle them by soaking them in vinegar to tame down their sharpness. I like a red or yellow onion as they tend to be sweeter than white onions. Or use green onions/scallions instead.
I found some of my favorite jarred piquillo peppers and diced them up. Feel free to use roasted bell peppers or even chopped raw red bell peppers for some crunch.
Don’t like pine nuts? Sliced almonds would work well, too, or just leave them out. My husband would like the latter option.
Feel free to use your favorite lettuces, add cucumbers, grape tomatoes, etc.
Make sure to shake the vinaigrette well before dressing the salad. Any simple vinaigrette will work with this salad though the Parmesan gives another taste of Italy!
You can prep this salad well ahead of time. Just keep all the components refrigerated and toss with the dressing right before serving so the greens don’t get bogged down from the dressing.
When you make a chopped salad, cut all the components into bite-sized pieces. A chopped salad can also be a composed salad where all the ingredients are arranged instead of tossed together. The dressing is drizzled over the salad to serve. In France, this is known as a salad composée.
You May Also Like
- Green Salad with Feta and Beets from The Food Charlatan
- Israeli Chopped Salad from The View from Great Island
- This Kitchen Sink Chopped Salad needs to return to our menu soon as I love leftovers for lunch. It’s simple and delicious.
- Marinated Vegetable Salad is an old classic that’s perfect for a summer picnic since it doesn’t pose a risk when left out at room temperature for an hour or two.
- You can easily make a Caesar Salad at home, it’s high time you do!
- Plus, check out all my favorites in my Salad Category.
Italian Chopped Salad with Parmesan Vinaigrette
A loaded Italian chopped salad with an easy Parmesan dressing
Ingredients
- 1 head Romaine lettuce, sliced crosswise into ½-inch ribbons
- ¼ head of iceberg lettuce, chopped into bite sized pieces
- ½ small red onion, peeled, thinly sliced and soaked in sherry or champagne vinegar while salad is prepped
- 1 jar marinated artichoke hearts (14 ounces), cut into quarters and tough leaves removed if needed
- 1 jar (or can) hearts of palm, drained and sliced
- 1 jar piquillo peppers, drained and chopped
- ½ cup pine nuts, toasted
Dressing:
- ¼ cup red wine vinegar
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- ⅓ cup olive oil
Instructions
- Place the lettuce in the bottom of a large salad bowl.
- Add the toppings.
- To make the dressing, whisk red wine vinegar, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and Parmesan in a large Pyrex measuring up.
- Slowly whisk in olive oil.
- To serve, rewhisk the dressing and pour over the salad ingredients. Toss until combined. Serve immediately.
- May top with more Parmesan if desired.
Notes
Dressing can be made ahead of time. If you refrigerate it, it must come to room temperature before serving.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
6Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 255Total Fat: 22gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 17gCholesterol: 7mgSodium: 300mgCarbohydrates: 10gFiber: 4gSugar: 3gProtein: 6g
22 Comments on “Italian Chopped Salad with Parmesan Vinaigrette”
You can never go wrong with an Italian chopped salad! This dish is healthy and perfect for nights when I have no clue what to cook.
I love Italian Salad…Very healthy and tasty.. l love this salad and thanks for the recipe..Photos are also good and tempting. I will make make it once in my home.