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    Recipes » Salad Recipes » Italian Salads

    Italian Chopped Salad

    Published: May 22, 2019 · Modified: Mar 22, 2022 by Marissa Stevens · 56 Comments

    Gluten FreeMediterraneanQuick Meals

    This post may contain affiliate links.

    Jump to Recipe Jump to Video
    Italian Chopped Salad served in a white bowl

    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.

    Italian Salad in a white bowl

    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
    • More Must-Try Salad Recipes
    • How to Make Italian Chopped Salad
    • Italian Chopped Salad Recipe Video
    • Italian Chopped Salad
    • 💬 Comments
    Marinated Cannellini Beans

    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.)
    Italian Salad Ingredients Prepped

    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.

    stirring Italian Salad dressing into cannellini beans

    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 Salad ingredients in a bowl
    adding marinated beans to Italian salad
    tossing italian salad before serving

    Italian Chopped Salad Recipe Video

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    Italian Chopped Salad

    Marissa Stevens
    Feel free to play around with amounts and ingredients in this salad to make it your own! 
    5 from 8 votes
    Save Recipe Saved! Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 15 mins
    Total Time 15 mins
    Course Main Course, Salad
    Cuisine Italian
    Servings 4 people
    Calories 472 kcal

    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

    1. 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!
    2. 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! 

    Nutrition

    Calories: 472kcalCarbohydrates: 25gProtein: 22gFat: 33gSaturated Fat: 10gCholesterol: 41mgSodium: 1352mgPotassium: 603mgFiber: 9gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 13985IUVitamin C: 11.1mgCalcium: 346mgIron: 4.8mg
    Keyword 4th of July, easy, gluten free, labor day, Memorial Day, picnic, summer
    Tried this recipe?I'd love to see it! Tag me on Instagram at @pinchandswirl or leave me a comment and rating below.

    More Italian Salads

    • Italian Pasta Salad
    • Italian Potato Salad
    • Heirloom Tomato Salad with Cucumber, Mozzarella and Olives

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

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      Recipe Rating




    1. Valentina says

      May 23, 2019 at 9:07 am

      5 stars
      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. 🙂

      Reply
      • Marissa says

        June 03, 2019 at 3:41 pm

        So kind, Valentina! Thank you!

        Reply
    2. Dawn - Girl Heart Food says

      May 23, 2019 at 7:55 am

      5 stars
      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.

      Reply
      • Marissa says

        June 03, 2019 at 3:42 pm

        Thank you, Dawn!

        Reply
    3. Kelsie | the itsy-bitsy kitchen says

      May 23, 2019 at 6:15 am

      5 stars
      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!

      Reply
      • Marissa says

        June 03, 2019 at 3:42 pm

        More goodies the better, right? 😉 Thank you, Kelsie!

        Reply
    4. David @ Spiced says

      May 23, 2019 at 4:42 am

      5 stars
      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!

      Reply
      • Marissa says

        June 03, 2019 at 3:42 pm

        Love how you think, David! Thank you.

        Reply
    5. Ben|Havocinthekitchen says

      May 22, 2019 at 5:27 pm

      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!

      Reply
      • Marissa says

        June 03, 2019 at 3:43 pm

        Thanks, Ben!

        Reply
    6. Liz says

      May 22, 2019 at 2:08 pm

      5 stars
      Whoa, I could live off this salad! Perfect for summer lunches and I love all the options for tweaking it!

      Reply
      • Marissa says

        May 22, 2019 at 2:51 pm

        Endless options!! Thanks so much, Liz!!

        Reply
    7. Brian says

      March 05, 2016 at 7:45 am

      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.

      Reply
      • Marissa says

        March 06, 2016 at 2:50 pm

        Thank you! And I'm with you on that, Brian! Definitely doesn't need sugar.

        Reply
    8. Sonali- The Foodie Physician says

      January 12, 2015 at 7:00 am

      This looks like the perfect salad to me! I love your addition of the beans and I bet that dressing is so flavorful!

      Reply
      • Marissa says

        January 13, 2015 at 2:49 pm

        The dressing is a keeper for sure! Thanks, Sonali!

        Reply
    9. Kristi @ Inspiration Kitchen says

      January 10, 2015 at 8:38 am

      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!

      Reply
      • Marissa says

        January 10, 2015 at 12:44 pm

        Thanks, Kristi! Yes, you can't go wrong with sun-dried tomatoes and kalamata olives!

        Reply
    10. hipfoodiemom says

      January 10, 2015 at 7:25 am

      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! 🙂

      Reply
      • Marissa says

        January 10, 2015 at 12:43 pm

        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. 😉

        Reply
    11. Kevin | keviniscooking says

      January 09, 2015 at 1:00 pm

      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.

      Reply
      • Marissa says

        January 09, 2015 at 1:11 pm

        Thanks Kevin! Yes, I'm going to try that pan fried salami next time. You have a great weekend too!

        Reply
    12. Faith (An Edible Mosaic) says

      January 09, 2015 at 8:26 am

      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!

      Reply
      • Marissa says

        January 09, 2015 at 1:10 pm

        Thanks, Faith! xo

        Reply
    13. Joanne says

      January 09, 2015 at 5:30 am

      Oooo LOVE THIS. I'd have to leave out the salami, but i bet it would be majorly tasty even without it!

      Reply
      • Marissa says

        January 09, 2015 at 1:10 pm

        You could definitely leave it out - maybe throw in a few more sun dried tomatoes to compensate.

        Reply
    14. anna @ annamayeveryday says

      January 09, 2015 at 5:26 am

      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!

      Reply
      • Marissa says

        January 09, 2015 at 1:09 pm

        Thanks, Anna! I completely agree...

        Reply
    15. Maureen | Orgasmic Chef says

      January 09, 2015 at 3:05 am

      We're having a salad tomorrow and now I know which one. I think I'll do the crunchy salami too.

      Reply
      • Marissa says

        January 09, 2015 at 1:08 pm

        Awesome! Let me know what you think...

        Reply
    16. nagimaehashi says

      January 08, 2015 at 3:53 pm

      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! 🙂

      Reply
      • Marissa says

        January 08, 2015 at 4:14 pm

        What a great idea, Nagi! I'm going to try that next time...

        Reply
    17. Eileen says

      January 08, 2015 at 1:01 pm

      This is such a great idea for a quick and tasty lunch! I bet the salami and olives make it super flavorful.

      Reply
      • Marissa says

        January 08, 2015 at 3:19 pm

        Thanks Eileen! And yes, absolutely - the salami and olives add a lot!

        Reply
    18. Sarah @ SnixyKitchen says

      January 08, 2015 at 12:41 am

      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!

      Reply
      • Marissa says

        January 08, 2015 at 7:42 am

        Perfect! Thanks, Sarah...xx

        Reply
    19. Lorraine @ Not Quite Nigella says

      January 07, 2015 at 6:32 pm

      I think I have everything to make this in my fridge now! Thanks Marissa 😀

      Reply
      • Marissa says

        January 08, 2015 at 7:45 am

        Perfect, Lorraine! Knowing you, I bet your fridge is loaded with all kinds of lovely...

        Reply
    20. thehungrymum says

      January 07, 2015 at 3:41 pm

      what a perfect meal for summer evenings. My gals would inhale this 🙂

      Reply
      • Marissa says

        January 08, 2015 at 7:44 am

        Don't forget a couple of glasses of Pinot Grigio - that'll make it even better. 😉

        Reply
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