The Easiest Italian Chopped Salad

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This Italian chopped salad is the perfect dish for a summer picnic! It's easy to make and it's sure to please everyone. The salad is made with fresh ingredients, including chickpeas for protein. This is going to be the star of dinner, whether it is a hot summer day or as part of your family get together.

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Italian Chopped Salad
What Do I Serve a Chopped Salad With?
Ingredients
Handy Kitchen Tools
How to Make an Italian Chopped Salad
Frequently Asked Questions
More Salad Recipes
📖 Recipe

Italian Chopped Salad

Craving a delicious Italian salad? This super easy chopped salad is easy to make and full of flavor. You’ll love the combination of fresh vegetables with a simple Italian dressing and even a sprinkle of cheese. While it can be served as a side to many meals, it's also a great entree for those who want something without a heavy meat addition.

You won’t be able to resist the delicious combination in this salad. The ingredients are simple but so flavorful. Once you try it, you’ll want to make it again and again. This salad will be your go-to for a simple weeknight dinner but is good enough to serve guests!

white bowl of salad with lemon wedges on top

What Do I Serve a Chopped Salad With?

While it is perfectly good as a stand-alone meal thanks to the heartiness of the chickpeas, you can definitely serve this as a starter or side to other meals. If serving alone, I like to add a bit of this homemade cheesy garlic bread on the side. You could also use homemade pita chips for an added crunch that goes well with the Mediterranean/Italian flavor of the dressing.

You can add a simple baked chicken breast or even this blackened chicken breast for more protein if you wanted. Of course, it's also an excellent starter to go alongside this cheesy lasagna, a homemade spaghetti bolognese, or even this pesto zucchini pasta dish.

Ingredients

½ small red onion
1 15oz can garbanzo beans/chickpeas
4 cups romaine lettuce
2 cups radicchio
2 cups cherry tomatoes
⅓ cup grated parmesan cheese
1 large cucumber
5 peperoncini
Dried oregano, to sprinkle

For the Italian Vinaigrette:

2 ½ tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 ½ tablespoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 ½ tablespoon minced kalamata olives
2 tablespoons parmesan cheese
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
1 ½ cup olive oil

ingredients for salad on white platter with bowl of parmesan in middle

Handy Kitchen Tools

white oval bowl of salad on grey table with vegetables in background

How to Make an Italian Chopped Salad

Start by making your vinaigrette. You will combine the oregano, basil, black pepper, parmesan, minced garlic, and red wine vinegar together until nicely combined.

spoon in white bowl stirring salad dressing herbs

Then whisk in the olives and olive oil and set the vinaigrette aside until ready to dress the salad.

olive oil being poured into white bowl of herbs

Next, slice the onion thinly, then place it into a bowl filled with ice water.

Let it sit for 5 minutes before removing them and patting them dry.

Place the now dry onions into a large bowl for mixing up the salad.

Prep and slice the other vegetables into bite-sized pieces. I used lettuce, radicchio, cherry tomatoes, and cucumber.

In the bowl with the onions, add the lettuce, radicchio, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, drained chickpeas, Parmesan cheese, salt, and the chopped pepperoncini peppers.

hand adding shredded cheese to bowl of chickpeas cucumber and tomato

Pour around ½ cup of the vinaigrette over the vegetables. Add the olives, then toss the mixture together.

white bowl of green dressing held over stainless steel bowl of vegetables

Taste and add additional lemon juice if desired, and season with extra salt and pepper if needed. Serve immediately.

fork with lettuce and tomato above black bowl of salad

Frequently Asked Questions

What Does the term Chopped Mean in a Salad?

The term “chopped” simply refers to the method of preparation. All of the ingredients are chopped into small pieces before being mixed together. This allows for a more even distribution of flavors in each bite. Using the chopped method is also an easier way to prepare the ingredients for the salad.

The chops can be bite-sized or smaller pieces. In this case, we cut our vegetables into bite-sized pieces, but you can shred or finely dice yours if preferred.

What’s the Difference Between a Regular and Chopped Salad?

The main difference between a regular salad and a chopped salad is the texture. A chopped salad has all of the ingredients chopped into smaller more uniform pieces. This gives the salad a more consistent texture. It also allows for the flavors to be better distributed throughout each bite.

Can I Use Fresh Herbs for the Red Wine Vinaigrette?

If you want to use fresh herbs for the vinaigrette, feel free! This salad is delicious with either fresh or dried herbs. If you’re using fresh herbs, you may want to add a little more than what the recipe calls for. Dried herbs are more concentrated, so you do not need as much as fresh herbs. A good rule of thumb is that 1 teaspoon of dried herbs is equivalent to 1 tablespoon of fresh herbs.

Is This an Antipasto Salad?

This Italian chopped salad is not traditionally considered an antipasto salad. Antipasto salads usually contain cured meats, cheeses, and olives. This salad does not contain any meats and only has Parmesan rather than mozzarella more commonly found in antipasto.

Can I Add Different Proteins?

I am using chickpeas in my salad as the protein but you can add in other meats, lentils, beans, or even tofu. I love using salami and ham. Pepperoni is another classic Italian-inspired meat. You can use prosciutto or bacon. You can even add sliced Italian seasoned chicken breast to your chopped salad.

What if I don’t have Chickpeas?

If you don’t have chickpeas, you can substitute any other type of bean. Kidney beans, black beans, and cannellini beans would all be delicious in this salad. I prefer a classic white bean if not using chickpeas/garbanzo beans, but you can mix and match what you prefer or leave them out completely if you want.

black bowl of Italian chopped salad on grey table with fresh tomato and herb in corner

More Salad Recipes

If you are looking to fill in your menu with more salads, we have you covered. Whether it be a side dish, a starter for a meal, or an entree, below are some of our favorite options in the salad category. Make sure that you bookmark the posts, print out the recipes, or pin them to your salads board on Pinterest to make soon!

📖 Recipe

Yield: 6

The Easiest Italian Chopped Salad

This Italian chopped salad is the perfect fresh starter or meal with tons of flavor and nutrients in every bite! A great summer or springtime meal!

Prep Time 20 minutes

Total Time 20 minutes

Ingredients

For Salad

½ small red onion
1 15oz can garbanzo beans/chickpeas
4 cups romaine lettuce
2 cups radicchio
2 cups cherry tomatoes
⅓ cup grated parmesan cheese
1 large cucumber
5 peperoncini
Dried oregano, to sprinkle

For Vinaigrette

2 ½ tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 ½ tablespoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 ½ tablespoon minced kalamata olives
2 tablespoons parmesan cheese
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
1 ½ cup olive oil

Optional

2 to 3 tablespoons lemon juice

Instructions

In a small bowl, whisk together the vinaigrette starting by whisking the oregano, basil, black pepper, parmesan cheese, garlic cloves, and red wine vinegar together.
Add in the minced olives and the olive oil and whisk until combined nicely then set it aside.
Slice the red onion into thin strips, then place those into a bowl of ice water and let it stand for 5 minutes.
Remove the onions from the water and pat them dry before adding them to a large bowl.
Prepare the remaining vegetables by cutting or chopping them into small pieces. We did traditionally bite-sized pieces, but you can chop as small as you prefer.
To the bowl with onions, add the lettuce, radicchio, tomatoes, cucumber, drained and rinsed chickpeas, grated parmesan cheese, and diced pepperoncini peppers, and salt.
Then pour ½ cup of the homemade vinaigrette over the vegetables. You can add more if desired, but start with ½ cup.
Add the whole kalamata olives, then toss the salad to distribute the vinaigrette evenly.
If desired, you can also add a few tablespoons of lemon juice to lighten up the flavors before serving. Just toss well so it's not overwhelming to the palate.