Easy Italian Chopped Salad with Zesty Dressing
What is it about a chopped salad? Maybe it's the way that the dressing perfectly coats each and every element. Or perhaps it's the pretty presentation. Either way, this easy Italian chopped salad is sure to be a hit when you serve it.I just love this salad recipe! It has quite a few ingredients but they all complement each other beautifully resulting in a flavor explosion in your mouth that is out of this world.
Ingredients
For the Salad:
- 4 cups Romaine lettuce chopped
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes halved
- 1 cup cucumber diced
- 1/2 cup red onion thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup black olives pitted and sliced
- 1/2 cup fresh mozzarella cheese cubed
- 1/2 cup green bell peppers diced
- 1/4 cup banana peppers sliced
- 1/4 cup salami sliced
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
For the Zesty Dressing:
- 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil preferably labeled "extra-light tasting"
- 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
- 1 garlic clove minced
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice from 1 or 2 lemons
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
- 1 tablespoon sugar
Instructions
- Begin by chopping, dicing, and slicing the ingredients listed in the salad ingredients section.
- In a deep glass, combine all the dressing ingredients and use an immersion blender to mix them thoroughly.
- Assemble the salad by layering it in the following order: start with the chopped lettuce, followed by the halved cherry tomatoes, diced green bell peppers, diced cucumbers, cubed mozzarella cheese, sliced salami, thinly sliced red onions, sliced black olives, banana peppers, and the chopped basil and parsley.
- Finish by topping the layered salad with the prepared zesty dressing.
Nutrition
Calories: 386kcalCarbohydrates: 12gProtein: 7gFat: 36gSaturated Fat: 7gPolyunsaturated Fat: 4gMonounsaturated Fat: 24gCholesterol: 17mgSodium: 829mgPotassium: 405mgFiber: 3gSugar: 7gVitamin A: 4783IUVitamin C: 40mgCalcium: 125mgIron: 2mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!