Classic Chopped Italian Salad

Classic chopped Italian salad has a pleasing mix of pickled vegetables, cured meats, and cheeses. Serve as a colorful dinner on its own, or a starter with pasta or pizza.

INGREDIENTS:

For the Italian vinaigrette:

1 lemon, juiced

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

2 teaspoons sugar

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 cup olive oil

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

For the salad:

2 heads romaine lettuce, chopped

1/2 red onion, chopped

1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained

1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved

4 ounces genoa salami, chopped

8 ounces fresh mozzarella, chopped

1/2 cup sliced pepperoncini

1/4 cup sliced roasted red peppers

10 fresh basil leaves, chopped

METHOD:

1.Making the dressing: 

In a jar with a lid add the lemon juice, mustard, vinegar, sugar, oregano, olive oil, kosher, salt, and black pepper. Add the lid and shake for 10 seconds until all of the ingredients are thoroughly combined. Taste and adjust seasonings to your liking.

2.Make the salad: 

Add the chopped Romaine to a large bowl and drizzle with a few tablespoons of dressing. Top the romaine with the red onion, chickpeas, cherry tomatoes, mozzarella, pepperoncini, roasted red peppers and basil. Stir together well before serving. Add more dressing, if desired.

3.Serve: 

Serve the salad in bowls with pasta or pizza for a classic Italian meal.

4.Leftovers and storage:

If you are planning to store this salad for later, I would recommend storing it without the dressing. 

If you do dress it and have some leftovers, that’s okay—the dressed salad will keep for 1-2 days in the fridge. The greens just wilt pretty quickly once they are dressed.