Flavorful and hearty, this Italian Chopped Salad has all of the great flavors of Italy in one huge salad! Filled with salami, cheese, vegetables, and so much more, then topped with and easy homemade dressing, this salad will become an instant favorite.
Want more Italian favorites? Try this Mediterranean Pizza or this Focaccia Bread.
I love how hearty and filling this Chopped Italian Salad is. It is a perfect main dish salad. Or if you are serving an Italian themed dinner, it works as a side salad as well. But for me? Just give me a big fork and I’ll dig right in!!
This salad is great because you can add or take away ingredients depending on what you like. Or what you have on hand.
And let’s not forget to mention the homemade Italian salad dressing. It’s super easy to make, and I always have the ingredients on hand. You may never want to buy Italian salad dressing again!
Ingredients
This recipe is very adaptable, so you can leave out ingredients or add other ingredients. As it is written, it does have a lot of ingredients, but feel free to cut back if you want to go more simple.
For the Dressing:
- Red Wine Vinegar
- Honey
- Dijon Mustard
- Italian Seasoning
- Garlic
- Salt and Pepper
- Olive Oil
For the Salad:
- Ditalini Pasta
- Romaine
- Chickpeas
- Marinated Artichoke Hearts
- Tomatoes
- Salami
- Provolone
- Cucumber
- Pepperoni
- Green Onions
- Pepperoncini
How to Make this Italian Chopped Salad
Start by cooking the pasta. This will take the most time, so it’s best to start it first.
Make the dressing by combining all of the ingredients except the oil in a blender. Blend to combine, then remove the top and stream the olive oil into the mixture until it is smooth and slightly thickened.
Combine all of your salad ingredients in a large bowl.
Pour the dressing over the salad and toss to combine.
Serve the salad topped with pepperonci peppers.
Italian Chopped Salad Video
If you want to see how this salad is made, you can watch the video below.
Tips and Tricks
If you have some extra time, make the dressing ahead of time and refrigerate it until needed. The flavors will come together more if it has had some time to sit.
You may not need to use all of the dressing. Start by adding about 2/3 of the dressing, then adding more if needed.
This salad is best served just after assembling.
Throw some Roasted Chickpeas on top for extra crunch.
More Chopped Salads
Summer Berry Chopped Salad
Thai Chicken Salad
Asian Chopped Salad
Chopped Cobb Salad
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Italian Chopped Salad
Ingredients
Dressing
- 1/2 cup red wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon dry Italian seasoning
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- Salt and pepper
- 1/2 cup olive oil
Salad
- 1 cup ditalini pasta
- 3 cups chopped romaine hearts
- 1 (15 oz) can chickpeas drained
- 1 (7.5 oz) jar marinated artichoke hearts drained and chopped
- 1 cup grape tomatoes quartered
- 1 cup cubed salami
- 1 cup cubed Provolone
- 3/4 cup chopped cucumber
- 1/2 cup mini pepperoni
- 1/2 cup sliced green onions
- Pepperoncini peppers
Instructions
- To make the dressing, combine the vinegar, honey, mustard, seasoning and garlic in a blender. Season with salt and pepper. Blend to combine. Slowly stream in the olive oil to emulsify. Alternately, add all the ingredients to a jar and shake until completely combined slightly thickened.1/2 cup red wine vinegar, 2 tablespoons honey, 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard, 1 teaspoon dry Italian seasoning, 2 cloves garlic, Salt and pepper, 1/2 cup olive oil
- Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until al dente. Drain and cool.1 cup ditalini pasta
- In a large bowl, combine the romaine, chickpeas, artichoke hearts, tomatoes, salami, provolone, cucumber, pepperoni and green onions. Add in the cooled pasta. Add in the dressing and toss to coat.3 cups chopped romaine hearts, 1 (15 oz) can chickpeas, 1 (7.5 oz) jar marinated artichoke hearts, 1 cup grape tomatoes, 1 cup cubed salami, 1 cup cubed Provolone, 3/4 cup chopped cucumber, 1/2 cup mini pepperoni, 1/2 cup sliced green onions
- Serve the salad topped with a few whole pepperoncini peppers.Pepperoncini peppers
Carm says
Best chopped salad ever! This is a regular on the menu. The flavors of the salad (don’t get me started on the dressing) are amazing.
Darla Coffman says
All of these salads look so good. Can’t wait to try them
Cindy Artino says
This salad and salad dressing is amazing! Thank you so much for this recipe!
Carmen Colón says
I am addicted to the Chopped Italian Salad! For me, it’s best after the dressing marinates in a jar in the fridge for at least 2 hours. ❤️
Carmen says
So, so amazing! My friend also made it and her adult children love it, too! Thank you for sharing! ❤️
Tonya says
Made for lunch and served with garlic bread- it’s a keeper! Only thing I would suggest is to not use all of the dressing, perhaps just half to 3/4 of it and to add another cup of lettuce and a bit more of pepperoni and salami.
Kristen says
Delicious! A family favorite!
Julie says
Do you think it would be as good if I made it the night before for a party the next day, if I left the dressing off? Or, would it be wilted/soggy?
Deborah says
I would be afraid that it might be a little soggy. Maybe prep all the ingredients but keep them separate?
Peggy says
Made this today. Wow what a great salad. dressing is on point. But I am single… I will be eating this forever lol.
Natalia says
Delicious! Made it for my book club and couldn’t stop eating it myself. My husband also loved it and glad I made a lot of it (I doubled the recipe). Thanks for the recipe!!
Cindy says
Was delicious, I only put half the dressing in because I do not like a lot of dressing. My husband and I both agreed that we would only put half of the chickpeas in. Thank you.
HD says
I made the Italian chopped salad and it was really delicious. Love the complexity of flavors from the great variety of ingredients. It’s now my go to Italian salad.