If you asked me about the heartiest, dinner worthy salad that I make, my answer would be Italian Chopped Salad. It's lighter than a sandwich, with beans for heft rather than bread, but is equally satisfying.
It's one of those recipes that has endless ingredient options. Once you work out the basics, you can always adjust it to the ingredients you have on hand.
Jump to:
Recipe Options
My go-to combination for this salad uses kalamata olives (but Greek olives work beautifully too), cannellini beans instead of the more common chickpeas, and a dressing that's slightly more astringent than some, because I love a vinegary bite. But know that this salad is amenable to most any variety of olive, bean, cured meat or cheese that you love, so make it your own!
- Add a zesty edge with sliced pepperoncini, Giardiniera, or marinated artichoke hearts.
- Toss in a handful of halved cherry tomatoes (or grape tomatoes), torn radicchio, or thinly sliced sweet red pepper or zucchini for added flavor depth.
- Swap in coarsely grated parmesan cheese or chunks of fresh mozzarella for the provolone.
- Add in buttery black olives or tangy green olives in place of or in addition to kalamata olives.
- Replace salami with pepperoni or other thinly sliced, cured meat. (Or use a combination of two or three.)
Serve this as a meal on its own or as a hearty side salad. And definitely note the Italian Salad Dressing (Italian vinaigrette) recipe - it's a go to for me for all kinds of green and pasta salads - especially my favorite Italian Pasta Salad. Just the right amount of smooth spice and vinegar kick!
More Must-Try Salad Recipes
- Strawberry Spinach Salad (So easy to make and unbelievably good!)
- Spinach Salad (This recipe is a family heirloom that's better than jewelry!)
- Nicoise Salad (A simple and delicious French bistro classic!)
- Greek Salad (We eat this on repeat!)
- Greek Farro Salad (A hearty version of the classic that's great for picnics.)
- Caesar Salad (I worked for years to perfect this one. Please try it!)
How to Make Italian Chopped Salad
Step 1: Make Italian Salad Dressing: whisk vinegar, mustard, garlic, shallot and Italian seasoning together in a medium bowl. Add beans to and set aside to marinate for 10 minutes.
Step 2: To a large salad bowl add lettuce, provolone cheese, salami, sun dried tomatoes and beans with dressing; toss to combine and serve.
Italian Chopped Salad Recipe Video
Italian Chopped Salad
Ingredients
For the Dressing:
- 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
- 1 small clove garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon minced shallot or red onion
- ½ teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the Salad:
- 15 ½ ounce can cannellini beans drained (or 1 ½ cups home cooked)
- 1 head romaine lettuce chopped
- 4 ounces provolone cheese diced small
- 4 ounces salami sliced into thin ribbons
- 6 oil packed sun dried tomatoes coarsely chopped
- 12 kalamata olives pitted and coarsely chopped
Instructions
To make the Italian dressing:
- In a medium bowl, whisk together vinegar, mustard, garlic, shallot and Italian seasoning. Slowly drizzle in olive oil, whisking constantly. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
For the salad:
- Add cannellini beans to dressing and gently stir to combine. Let stand 10 minutes.
- Place chopped romaine in a large salad bowl. Top with cheese, salami, sun dried tomatoes, olives and beans with dressing. Gently toss to combine ingredients and coat with dressing; serve.
Notes
- Even though it adds 10 minutes, it worth it to give the beans time to marinate in dressing before tossing with the rest of the ingredients. Gives them so much flavor!
- Don't hesitate to swap in some of your favorite meats, cheeses, and/or beans in this recipe. Or add homemade croutons to make it heartier and more like a sandwich! Feel free to make it your own!
I think you are a salad queen! Really, your salads are always beautiful and hold their own as a main course. This one is calling my name. I would love a bottle of the dressing at the ready at all times. 🙂
So kind, Valentina! Thank you!
I have a thing for salads too, especially when it's as flavour and texture packed as this one! I would LOVE to have this for lunch today!! There's always tmw though 😉 Hope you have a lovely weekend ahead, my friend.
Thank you, Dawn!
I have a thing for salads too--and this one looks fabulous! You're packing a lot of my favorite ingredients into one delicious dish!
More goodies the better, right? 😉 Thank you, Kelsie!
This salad sounds delicious, Marissa! My mother-in-law makes a pasta salad that incorporates a lot of these same ingredients, and it's definitely a summer favorite. However, I'm loving the switch to lettuce here. This would be a great salad for summer lunch on the back porch!
Love how you think, David! Thank you.
This actually sounds like a perfect summer salad to me: relatively light yet satisfying and delicious. The combo of salami, sun-dried tomatoes, and cheese is beautiful!
Thanks, Ben!
Whoa, I could live off this salad! Perfect for summer lunches and I love all the options for tweaking it!
Endless options!! Thanks so much, Liz!!
Looks great. Beautifully simple vinaigrette that is absolutely delicious. The best part about making your own dressing is cutting out the sugar that us so often hidden in store bought dressings. Thanks for a great recipe.
Thank you! And I'm with you on that, Brian! Definitely doesn't need sugar.
This looks like the perfect salad to me! I love your addition of the beans and I bet that dressing is so flavorful!
The dressing is a keeper for sure! Thanks, Sonali!
I saw those sun-dried tomatoes and kalamata olives and my mouth watered! What a great looking salad - I am loving the depth of flavors!
Thanks, Kristi! Yes, you can't go wrong with sun-dried tomatoes and kalamata olives!
Marissa! now after seeing crazy indulgent brownies and cookies and cakes, THIS is something I can get down with!! love this salad!! and Italian Chopped Salads happen to be one of my faves!! love!! and I actually have all of these ingredients here at home now! this was meant to be! 🙂
Love it, Alice! I'm with you, I need a break from holiday indulgence. That's why I loaded this up with salami and cheese. 😉
Looks yum and I agree the more vinegar the better! I recently made one like this and pan fried the salami first for a little texture. It was delicious... I want that cutting board too. Have a great weekend.
Thanks Kevin! Yes, I'm going to try that pan fried salami next time. You have a great weekend too!
This looks so good - I love hearty salads! I'm like you, I prefer a vinegary dressing, so this would be perfect for me. Love the use of cannellini beans!
Thanks, Faith! xo
Oooo LOVE THIS. I'd have to leave out the salami, but i bet it would be majorly tasty even without it!
You could definitely leave it out - maybe throw in a few more sun dried tomatoes to compensate.
I love a big crunchy salad with loads of goodies in it (in fact I just had one for lunch) and this one looks amazing!
Thanks, Anna! I completely agree...
We're having a salad tomorrow and now I know which one. I think I'll do the crunchy salami too.
Awesome! Let me know what you think...
Marissa! I've never seen a salad with salami in it before and I love love LOVE it!! I could even see myself sautéing it to brown and crispy them a bit.....oh boy, can you imagine little crunchy bits of salami all through a salad??
Pinning! Thanks Marissa! 🙂
What a great idea, Nagi! I'm going to try that next time...
This is such a great idea for a quick and tasty lunch! I bet the salami and olives make it super flavorful.
Thanks Eileen! And yes, absolutely - the salami and olives add a lot!
I love everything about this salad! Olives, beans, sun-dried tomatoes, and salami are all things I pick out of the fridge daily, and you've put them all in one epic salad. Pinning to remember to make this for lunch soon!
Perfect! Thanks, Sarah...xx
I think I have everything to make this in my fridge now! Thanks Marissa 😀
Perfect, Lorraine! Knowing you, I bet your fridge is loaded with all kinds of lovely...
what a perfect meal for summer evenings. My gals would inhale this 🙂
Don't forget a couple of glasses of Pinot Grigio - that'll make it even better. 😉