Easy Italian Chopped Salad

June 01, 2023

Do you like salads with lots and LOTS of toppings and “extras”?

If so, add this Easy Italian Chopped Salad to your menu plan.

Fresh raw veggies paired with savory meat and Parmesan, all topped with a zesty red pepper Italian dressing. (Feel free to make your own homemade Italian dressing… or buy your favorite from the store)

Yup, it’s delicious!

Why we love Italian Chopped Salad

Aside from the fantastic flavor combinations, my favorite thing about Italian Chopped Salad is that it’s SO quick and easy to throw together.

There’s no meat to marinate, grill, or cook, and it uses canned garbanzo beans (which means less prep work!)

Another thing I love about this salad is that I can assemble it several hours (or even a full day) in advance without sacrificing freshness (I wait to add the cheese and dressing until I’m ready to serve).

Italian Chopped Salad is a wonderful summertime side dish using fresh-from-the-garden veggies, but it works year-round as well due to the canned beans and always-available Italian Salami.

Ingredients for Italian Chopped Salad

6-8 c. crunchy lettuce; chopped
1 can (15.5 0z) Chickpeas (Garbanzo Beans), drained and rinsed
1/2 medium red onion; diced
2-3 cucumbers; diced
1 pint cherry tomatoes; halved
4-6 oz. salami; diced
1 c. shredded Parmesan cheese
Italian dressing (store-bought or homemade)

How to make Italian Chopped Salad

1. Chop lettuce into small, bite-size pieces and place in the bottom of a platter or a food storage container.

2. Layer with chickpeas, onion, cucumber, tomatoes, and salami.

3. Cover and refrigerate until ready to eat.

4. Serve with Parmesan cheese and Italian dressing on the side.

5. Refrigerate leftovers to enjoy the next day!

This Italian Chopped Salad is a really hearty salad, full of protein AND veggies.

It pairs especially well with pizza and it can also be a main-dish salad all on its own.

And yes, you can easily make it ahead… just hold off adding the cheese and dressing.

As I mentioned above, I usually serve the cheese and dressing on the side, simply because I feel like it tastes better with fresh cheese and dressing added at the time of serving. I also think it helps the salad keep longer for leftovers (if you have any!)

If I’m taking the salad to a party, I’ll serve it in a pretty glass or decorative container. For our own consumption, I simply assemble it in a food storage container (see pictures above) to keep it fresher longer in our own fridge.

NOTE: If you’re looking for salad dressing recommendations…. the Roasted Red Pepper Italian dressing from Kraft tastes fantastic with Italian Chopped Salad.

I’ve also made my own Copycat Olive Garden Italian Dressing a few times with great results!

We enjoy this salad all year long as an easy way to integrate so much produce into our daily meals… I hope you love it as much as we do!

Yield: 4-6

Easy Italian Chopped Salad

If you like salads with lots of toppings and "extras", this Easy Italian Chopped Salad is perfect for you!

Enjoy the fresh tastes of raw veggies paired with savory meats and cheese. All topped with a zesty red pepper Italian dressing!

Prep Time 15 minutes

Total Time 15 minutes

Ingredients

6-8 c. crunchy lettuce; chopped
1 can (15.5 0z) Chickpeas (Garbanzo Beans), drained and rinsed
1/2 ofa medium red onion; diced
2-3 cucumbers; diced
1 pint cherry tomatoes; halved
4-6 oz. salami; diced
1 c. shredded Parmesan cheese (I usually serve this on the side)
Italian dressing (store-bought or homemade)

Instructions

Chop lettuce into small, bite-size pieces and place in the bottom of a platter or a food storage container.

Layer with chickpeas, onion, cucumber, tomatoes, and salami.

Cover and refrigerate until ready to eat.

Serve with Parmesan cheese and Italian dressing on the side.

Refrigerate leftovers to enjoy the next day!

Notes

ALL ingredients should be chopped into fairly small, bite-size pieces... hence the name "Chopped Salad"!

Feel free to add or omit any veggies you have in the house -- green or red peppers would be good, canned or roasted artichokes, avocados, etc.

Just make sure you start with good crunchy lettuce (not spinach or fancier leaf lettuces) so the salad has a nice crunch to every bite!

Nutrition Information

Yield

Serving Size

1
Amount Per Serving Calories 576Total Fat 41gSaturated Fat 15gTrans Fat 1gUnsaturated Fat 24gCholesterol 131mgSodium 252mgCarbohydrates 20gFiber 9gSugar 9gProtein 34g

Nutritional information is approximate and does not account for additional ingredients or added toppings.

More Easy Salad Recipes!

What are your favorite chopped salad ingredients?

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