Italian Chopped Salad with Homemade Dressing (Printable)

Vibrant Italian chopped salad with fresh vegetables, salami, cheese, olives, and zesty homemade dressing ready in 20 minutes.

# What You'll Need:

→ Salad Components

01 - 4 cups chopped Romaine lettuce
02 - 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
03 - 1 cup cucumber, diced
04 - 1/2 cup red onion, thinly sliced
05 - 1/2 cup roasted red peppers, sliced
06 - 1/2 cup Kalamata olives, pitted and halved
07 - 1/2 cup pepperoncini, sliced
08 - 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, cubed
09 - 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, shaved
10 - 3.5 oz Genoa salami, cut into thin strips

→ Homemade Italian Dressing

11 - 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
12 - 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
13 - 1 tsp Dijon mustard
14 - 1 clove garlic, minced
15 - 1 tsp dried oregano
16 - 1/2 tsp dried basil
17 - 1/2 tsp salt
18 - 1/4 tsp black pepper
19 - 1/2 tsp honey

# How to Make It:

01 - Whisk together olive oil, red wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, minced garlic, oregano, basil, salt, pepper, and honey in a small bowl until fully emulsified.
02 - Place Romaine lettuce, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, roasted red peppers, olives, pepperoncini, mozzarella, Parmesan, and salami in a large salad bowl.
03 - Drizzle the prepared dressing over the salad mixture. Gently toss with tongs until all ingredients are evenly coated.
04 - Transfer to serving plates and garnish with additional shaved Parmesan if desired. Enjoy while crisp and fresh.

# Expert Suggestions:

01 -
  • The homemade dressing tastes infinitely better than anything bottled and comes together in under two minutes
  • Every forkful delivers perfect crunch salt and brightness like an Italian summer on your plate
02 -
  • Never dress this salad more than fifteen minutes before serving or the lettuce becomes sad and limp
  • The dressing tastes significantly better after resting for at least one hour so make it in advance
03 -
  • Dry your washed lettuce thoroughly with paper towels or a salad spinner before chopping
  • Let the dressed salad sit for five minutes before serving so flavors really marry together

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