Description
A vibrant Vegetarian Italian Chopped Salad loaded with fresh romaine, radicchio, crisp celery, tangy pickled pepperoncini, sun-dried tomatoes, and chickpeas, all tossed in a zesty Italian vinaigrette. This salad is perfect as a side dish or a light meal and can be made vegan by omitting cheese and substituting honey with maple syrup.
Ingredients
Scale
Salad:
- 10 ounces chopped romaine lettuce (about 2 medium or 3 small heads, chopped)
- ½ medium head of radicchio, finely chopped (about 2 cups)
- ½ medium red onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
- 2 ribs celery, chopped
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes, thinly sliced
- ⅓ cup stemmed and thinly sliced pickled pepperoncini peppers
- ⅓ cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, rinsed and roughly chopped
- 1 can (15 ounces) chickpeas, rinsed and drained, or 1 ½ cups cooked chickpeas
- 1 cup (4 ounces) ¼″ cubes of provolone cheese (optional)
Italian Vinaigrette:
- ⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- ⅓ cup red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 2 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
- 10 twists freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon salt, more to taste
- Pinch of red pepper flakes (optional)
Instructions
- Prepare the Salad Ingredients: Chop the romaine lettuce, radicchio, red onion, celery, and slice the cherry tomatoes and pepperoncini peppers as directed. Rinse and roughly chop the sun-dried tomatoes and drain the chickpeas.
- Make the Italian Vinaigrette: In a small bowl or jar, combine the extra-virgin olive oil, red wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, dried oregano, honey, minced garlic, black pepper, salt, and red pepper flakes if using. Whisk or shake well until the dressing emulsifies.
- Toss the Salad: In a large bowl, combine all the chopped salad ingredients. Pour the vinaigrette over the salad and toss thoroughly to coat everything evenly.
- Add Cheese (Optional): If using, gently fold in the provolone cheese cubes to the tossed salad just before serving.
- Serve: Serve immediately as a side dish or chilled as a light main course for 6 to 8 servings.
Notes
- This salad is inspired by the chopped salad at 1889 Pizza and influenced by Smitten Kitchen and The Kitchn.
- To make it dairy free or vegan, simply omit the provolone cheese and substitute maple syrup for honey in the dressing.
- If in a hurry, use pre-chopped romaine and radicchio mix and chop into smaller bite-sized pieces.
- Radicchio is optional—if unavailable or you dislike its bitterness, it can be omitted without compromising flavor.
- The dressing can be adjusted in salt and spice according to taste preferences.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 180 kcal
- Sugar: 3 g
- Sodium: 320 mg
- Fat: 12 g
- Saturated Fat: 3 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 8 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 15 g
- Fiber: 5 g
- Protein: 7 g
- Cholesterol: 10 mg
