Italian Chopped Salad

Italian Chopped Salad is basically an Italian sub in a salad! This Chopped Italian Salad is filled with chopped romaine lettuce, red onions, tomatoes, green bell pepper, salami, garbanzo beans, Parmesan cheese, and a homemade Italian vinaigrette. It's a delicious light dinner or perfect as a side dish or potluck salad.

Italian Chop Salad

Even though the word "greens" is in my blog name, I still struggle to eat my veggies most days. Before kids, I used to be so good about eating a big salad for lunch, but these days laziness usually wins and I end up eating their lunch leftover. But when I have a salad like this Italian Chopped Salad prepped and ready for me to eat, getting my veggies in is not only easy, but delicious too!

This chopped Italian salad is like a huge Italian sub chopped up (minus the bread) and thrown into a big salad bowl.  No wimpy salad here. This is so far from one of those salads where some people just pick all the good toppings off and ignore the lettuce.  

This Italian Chopped Salad is a salad that you will actually eat allllll the lettuce.  All that crunchy delicious romaine lettuce.  It balances out the salami, cheese, tomatoes, and chickpeas, and holds up so well to the yummy Italian dressing.

Italian Chopped Salad Ingredients

• Romaine Lettuce - I love crunchy romaine lettuce and it is the perfect option in this salad. Romaine lettuce or iceberg lettuce is typically found on an Italian sub and I think romaine is a much better choice than iceberg. Pro tip: I have seen pre-chopped romaine lettuce which is super convenient if you want to save time!
• Red Onion - diced red onions give the chop salad a bit of a bite which I love.
• Tomatoes - cherry tomatoes or grape tomatoes are my tomatoes of choice, as they are easy to cut into small pieces and offer a delicious pop of flavor!
• Green Bell Pepper - red, orange, or yellow peppers would also work.
• Garbanzo Beans - these beans give the salad a boost of protein and fiber. I also love the texture that they add.
• Parmesan Cheese
• Salami
• Olive Oil
• Red Wine Vinegar - red wine vinegar is a very classic ingredient in Italian dressing. It offers a tanginess and balances out the olive oil in the dressing.
• Dijon Mustard - another ingredient that offers a tang to the dressing, which is balanced out by the olive oil.
• Italian Seasoning - it IS an Italian salad, after all!
• Salt and Black Pepper - salt and black pepper are added, to taste.

Italian Chopped Salad Meal Prep

This Chopped Italian Salad is a great option for prepping ahead of time and having for lunch throughout the week. OR, make it in advance for dinner the next night.

Given the crunchy nature of the romaine lettuce, I would recommend only adding dressing to the salad you are planning to eat immediately.  The Italian Chopped salad will not hold up too well with the dressing on it. That said, this salad is great for meal prepping! Just prep the salad all the way up to adding the dressing and then divide it up among your containers. Then when it's time to eat, just toss with the dressing.

Speaking of the Italian dressing!  This is my new favorite and SO easy.  EVOO, red wine vinegar, dijon mustard, garlic, and Italian seasoning.  And a pinch of salt.  So tasty!

How to Make Italian Chopped Salad Recipe

This recipe involves some chopping but no cooking!

Chop, chop, chop! Start by chopping up the romaine lettuce until it is bite-sized. Then finely dice the bell pepper, tomatoes, onion and salami.

Make the Italian vinaigrette dressing. In a small bowl or a mason jar, add the Italian vinaigrette dressing ingredients and whisk well or (if using a mason jar) put the lid on and shake until combined.

Assemble. Place the salad ingredients, including the garbanzo beans, in a large salad bowl and then toss with the Italian dressing. Sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese and serve! If you are meal prepping or making this in advance, don't add the dressing until you are ready to eat or serve.

Storage. Store leftovers or meal prep portions in airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

Serving Suggestions for Chopped Italian Salad

I like to serve this Italian Chopped Salad with some Italian bread, either fresh from the oven, or sliced, buttered, and baked until golden brown. This makes them a little crispy and perfect for scooping up the chopped salad.

Italian Chopped Salad Tips and Variations

This chopped Italian salad is delicious as is, but here are some variations and tips for making this delicious salad recipe!

Swap the greens. I love using romaine lettuce in this recipe, however you can use other greens that you prefer. I think chopped arugula would be delicious, as would some baby spinach. You could add these greens to the romaine to keep the crunchiness of the romaine, but add the nutrients and flavor of the greens.

Add some olives. I love kalamata olives, but Marc isn't a fan so I left them out. I think they would be delicious in this chopped Italian salad.

Switch up the cheese. OR add more cheese! You could do some shredded or fresh mozzarella, cubed mozzarella, or add some shredded provolone cheese.

Add some fresh herbs. During the summer, I love adding some fresh basil to this salad.

Add some more protein. If you want to make this a heartier main dish salad, add some meat! I think grilled chicken, grilled steak, and salmon would all be perfect choices.

Add croutons. Put the bread back in the Italian sub, by adding croutons! This will add some crunch and flavor to this delicious chopped salad.

Store-bought dressing. If you want to make this salad semi-homemade, you can totally use your favorite store bought Italian vinaigrette. I like the Marzetti brand!

So if you're looking to cut back on the sugar, cut back on the carbs, or just add more greens to your life, I have a salad for you...a crunchy, delicious, and satisfying Italian chopped salad!

Like this recipe? Check these out, too!

BLT Chopped Salad

Chopped Kale Salad

Strawberry Arugula Salad

Southwestern Chopped Chicken Salad