This Italian chopped salad is what I make when the fridge is halfway full and dinner still has to happen. I simply toss together romaine, radicchio, ditalini pasta, salami, and fresh mozzarella, all chopped into bite-sized pieces, with a light lemon vinaigrette for the freshest, most delicious salad that’s ready in less than 30 minutes.
Half of what makes this bowl worth cooking is that it is a garbage salad, aka the kitchen-sink salad. That random half cucumber on the top shelf, the last four cherry tomatoes rolling around in the crisper, and the half jar of olives nobody has touched all go in the bowl and nothing about it tastes like a compromise on the plate. The dressing is a lemony vinaigrette that would go on any salad, and the same jar shows up in my lemon vinaigrette and my homemade Italian dressing rotation. If you’re looking for more hearty salads, I also highly recommend my Italian salad and my lemon chicken chopped salad, which my family loves just as much.
Italian Chopped Salad
An Italian chopped salad is a mixed-green salad, usually made with romaine and radicchio, with the vegetables, cheese, salami, and any add-ins all cut to roughly the same small pieces so every forkful catches a little of everything. The pasta in my recipe is optional, and adding it is what makes the bowl a full meal instead of a side salad.
Now let me tell you how I put it together at home, starting with the dressing, of course. Fresh lemon juice, white wine vinegar, dried oregano, and a spoonful of honey go into the bowl, then I slowly drizzle in a blend of olive oil and avocado oil while whisking until everything comes together. It’s light, lemony, and honestly, I’d put it on just about any salad. My wife loves this dressing because she’s a huge salad fan, and she always says the combination of fresh ingredients and bright flavors is what makes this salad so delicious.
As I mentioned, I love adding pasta to this recipe. After cooking, I let the ditalini cool and drizzle it with a little olive oil so it stays loose instead of clumping together. For a make-ahead version, I prep the remaining ingredients, including the greens, vegetables, and salami, and store everything separately in its own container. That way, I can build myself a fresh salad whenever I want and add as much of each ingredient I prefer. When I’m serving family or friends, I simply toss everything together in one big bowl. I mean, it doesn’t get any easier than this, guys! Now let me show you exactly how I make it, step by step. Sound good? Let’s cook!
Ingredients and Substitutions
Every component on this salad has a job, from the vinaigrette on the bowl walls to the salami and pearls of mozzarella tossed with the greens. Here is the list, along with a few substitutions that work well too:
For the Vinaigrette:
- Lemon juice – Fresh-squeezed lemon juice is what brightens the whole dressing and makes the salad taste fresher.
- White wine vinegar – The other half of the acid, and where the aromatics and crispness in the dressing come from. White distilled vinegar or champagne vinegar are both fair swaps.
- Dry oregano is the single dried herb in the mix. It adds an earthy, slightly peppery note that plays into the Italian-antipasto flavor of the salad. Fresh oregano works too, and I double the amount when I swap.
- Honey – Balances the acid of the lemon and vinegar so the finished dressing tastes rounded instead of sharp. Sugar or agave are the direct swaps.
- Oil, a blend of olive and avocado is my default, because the avocado keeps the dressing from tasting one-note grassy and any neutral oil that stretches the olive is doing the job. Any neutral-flavored oil works alongside olive oil.
- Salt and pepper – Diamond Crystal kosher and fresh-cracked black pepper are the ones I use.
For the Salad:
- Romaine lettuce – The base of the salad. A mild, slightly sweet green that goes great on any salad and one of the major Italian greens. Green leaf, red leaf, boston bibb, curly escarole, spring mix, and iceberg all work in its place.
- Radicchio is the chicory-family leaf that adds a sharp, peppery note and a little bitterness to balance the coolness of the romaine. Optional, but a staple leafy Italian ingredient in my bowl.
- Ditalini pasta – The starchy element that fills the bowl out and gives the vinaigrette something to cling to. Any tubular pasta works.
- Cherry tomatoes – Sweet and fruity, and the ingredient that blends every other vegetable in the bowl together. Romas are the swap out of season; in season I go for vine-ripes or heirlooms.
- Cucumber – Coolness, crispness, and texture. English, persian, or pickling all work and I do not peel any of them when the skin is thin.
- Olives – Buttery, herby, salty. Black, castelvetrano, or kalamata all work; a mix of two is my default.
- Pepperoncinis – A hint of tang and mild heat for balance against the salt of the salami and olives. Optional, but I like the spice.
- Cannellini beans are my favorite, they’re soft, creamy, earthy, nutty. Drained and rinsed. Kidney beans are the direct swap.
- Artichokes – A buttery herby note that is a natural match for anything Italian. Canned quartered hearts drained well are what I reach for.
- Salami is the umami bomb. A tangy, smoky, aged funk that ties the whole antipasto together. Genoa is my default, and capicola or prosciutto are both dang tasty in its place.
- Fresh mozzarella – Buttery richness and fat, which is where a lot of the flavor sits on a cold salad. Pearls are the easiest cut; a shredded fresh mozzarella works when pearls are not at the counter.
- Parmigiano is a must, grated over the top at the finish for a cheesy, umami hit. Pecorino works and comes in saltier and sharper.
How to Make Italian Chopped Salad
Whisk the vinaigrette base: Add the lemon juice, white wine vinegar, dry oregano, and honey to a medium bowl and whisk until the honey is fully dissolved into the acid.
Emulsify the oil in: Slowly drizzle the oil into the bowl while whisking, in a thin, steady stream, until the dressing thickens and looks like one liquid instead of two layers. Season with salt and cracked pepper to taste and set the bowl to the side.
Cool the pasta: Cook the ditalini in well-salted boiling water to al dente per the box, drain, and rinse briefly under cold water to stop the cook. Toss with a light drizzle of olive oil, and set it aside to finish cooling.
Cut the greens and vegetables: Core the romaine and radicchio and cut each into 1-inch pieces. Halve the cherry tomatoes, medium-dice the cucumber, and slice the olives. Medium-dice the pepperoncinis, drain and rinse the cannellini beans, drain and medium-dice the artichokes, and cut the salami into small pieces.
Dress the bowl walls, not the salad: Add the greens, cooled pasta, tomatoes, cucumber, olives, pepperoncinis, cannellini beans, artichokes, salami, and mozzarella pearls to a large bowl. Spoon the vinaigrette around the inside walls of the bowl, right on the ceramic, not directly on the salad. That is the technique that separates a home-cook chopped salad from a restaurant one. Plus it only takes about 20 seconds to do.
Fold and season: Fold the salad over on itself repeatedly with tongs, catching the dressing off the walls of the bowl as everything rolls through it. Season with a pinch of salt and cracked pepper and finish with grated Parmigiano over the top. Serve immediately.
Chef Tip + Notes
The most important tip I can give you is to drizzle the vinaigrette around the sides of the bowl instead of pouring it right into the middle. Then, let the tongs do the work as you toss the salad. Every piece of tomato, every olive, every salami cut catches the dressing on the ride, and the finished bowl tastes seasoned all the way through.
- Dress at the last minute: A dressed chopped salad is a right-now salad. Once the vinaigrette hits the greens, the clock starts, and the romaine and radicchio start to wilt inside 20 minutes. Prep every component ahead of time in its own container and keep the dressing in a jar on the counter. Toss the salad the second before it goes on the table.
- Greens should be seasoned! A pinch of kosher salt and cracked black pepper goes on top of the folded salad right before it hits the table. A salt-and-pepper hit at the finish is what wakes up the vinaigrette on the leaves.
- Toss the pasta in oil. Cool cooked ditalini clumps into one lump inside 5 minutes if it goes straight into the bowl naked. A drizzle of olive oil over the pasta once it comes out of the strainer is what keeps every piece loose and coated when it get mix in the salad.
- Cut everything to the same size: Match the salami dice, the cucumber dice, and the cherry-tomato half all to the same rough size as the ditalini. That is the reason a chopped salad tastes like one bowl on the fork and not 11 separate ingredients on a plate. Ha!
- Big bowl energy: Please use a bowl at least twice the size of the finished salad. Folding the salad over on itself needs room to move, and a bowl that is too small is what makes the tongs shred the greens instead of dressing them.
- Scale it back if the crowd is small: This recipe makes a lot. Cut it in half for 2 people, or keep the full batch and prep in components for a make-ahead lunch rotation.
Serving Suggestions
This is the salad I make for Sunday dinner when a big pot of something Italian is coming off the stove behind it. Next to a plate of chicken piccata with a squeeze of lemon over the top, or a family-style bowl of Italian sausage pasta with a freshly made homemade garlic bread on the side or a delicious eggplant parm casserole.
I love preparing it as a full meal in the summer, especially with the ditalini in the bowl. I serve it next to a tray of Italian tomato bruschetta and a stack of baguette sandwiches made with my homemade French baguette. It’s the perfect spread because anyone who wants a lighter meal can enjoy the salad, while everyone else digs into the sandwiches.
Make-Ahead and Storage
Make-Ahead: I prep every ingredient separately and keep each one in its own container in the fridge for up to a day. The dressing goes in a mason jar, the pasta gets tossed in olive oil in a small container. Then the greens, vegetables, salami, and cheeses all stay in their own labeled containers so nothing wilts.
How to Store: I store leftover un-dressed components separately in airtight containers in the fridge for up to 3 days. A leftover dressed salad goes in its own container and holds for a day, but the greens will wilt against the vinaigrette after 24 hours.
How to Reheat: I do not reheat this one.
How to Freeze: I skip the freezer for this salad.
More Salad Recipes
- Mediterranean Bean Salad Recipe
- Panzanella Salad
- Traditional Greek Salad (Horiatiki Salata)
- Traditional Cobb Salad Recipe
- Broccoli Salad Recipe
Italian Chopped Salad Recipe
Ingredients
For the Vinaigrette:
- 1 lemon, juice, about 2 ½ to 3 tablespoons
- 3 tbsp white wine vinegar
- 2 tsp dry oregano
- 2 tbsp honey
- 2/3 cup oil, I like a blend of olive and avocado oil
- salt and pepper to taste
For the Salad:
- 2 head romaine lettuce, core removed and cut into 1” pieces
- 1 head radicchio, core removed and cut into 1” pieces
- 1/2 pound ditalini pasta, cooked
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
- 1 medium cucumber, diced
- 1/2 cup olives, sliced black or Castelvetrano, or both
- 1/2 cup pepperoncini’s, diced
- 15 ounce can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
- 15 ounce can artichokes, drained and medium diced
- 8 ounces genoa salami, sliced or medium diced to bite size pieces
- 8 ounces fresh mozzarella pearls, you can substitute with shreds
- grated Parmigiano for garnish
Instructions
For the vinaigrette:
- Add the lemon juice, vinegar, oregano, and honey to a medium sized bowl.Slowly drizzle in the oil while whisking until it is emulsified. Season with salt and pepper and set it to the side.
For the Salad:
- Add the ingredients to a bowl, mix and serve with vinaigrette on the side.
- The other option is to add all the ingredients to a large bowl and spoon the vinaigrette on to the inside walls of the bowl around the salad.
- Then, fold it over repeatedly coating every ingredient in the dressing.
- Serve with optional grated parmigiano.
Italian Chopped Salad Recipe