This post contains affiliate links
Easy Italian Chopped Salad
When Jody calls me from the grocery store asking ‘what did you put in that salad?’ we know we’ve got a winner. We’ve made a lot of salads in our day, but this one? This might just be the salad of the summer. Crunchy, colourful, packed with flavour, and satisfying enough to be dinner on its own (though is also amazing with grilled sausages, pizza, or just a really good hunk of focaccia).
An Italian Chopped Salad should craveable, addictive in the best way. The kind you eat with a spoon because every bite deserves to make it into your mouth. Sharp vinaigrette, pickled bites, creamy beans, crisp veggies—it’s got that full-spectrum flavour we’re always after. The real game changer is the addition of some of our favourite antipasto ingredients like marinated artichokes and pepperoncini, Unico brand is our favourite!
We love that it’s easy to prep, impossible to mess up, and somehow even better the next day. If you’re looking for a new “house salad,” this might just be it.
Make it your own too! Read on for recipe, substitutions & more and make this Italian Chopped Salad all summer long, or in cooler months when you need a real pick-me-up!
Ingredients
- 1 cup red cabbage, finely shredded
- 1/2 Cucumber, seeded & diced
- 1/2 red pepper, seeded & diced
- 1/2 yellow pepper, seeded & diced
- 8–10 cherry tomatoes, quartered
- 2–3 stalks of celery, diced
- 3 green onions, chopped
- 1 cup marinated artichokes, cut up into pieces (Unico brand is fantastic!)
- 1 small can mixed beans (ditto here for Unico brand!)
- 4–5 large pepperoncini peppers, seeded & chopped. This is the real TSN turning point (lol!). By seeding and chopping these little mildly spiced peppers, every bite is just a little spicy and refreshing. These peppers aren’t an afterthought, throwing 3-4 on top of the salad for good measure. Cut them up.
Dressing:
- 1/2 cup red wine vinegar
- 2 small cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
- 1 tsp. mustard powder
- 1 tsp. celery salt (like do not omit this!)
- 1/2 tsp. dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp. sugar
- 1/2 tsp. each Kosher salt & fresh ground black pepper
- 3 tbsp. grated parmesan cheese (such as Parmiggiano Reggiano or Grana Padano)
- 3/4 cup Olive Oil
Instructions
- Chop With Intention: This isn’t the time to be lazy with your knife work. Chop everything to a similar size, think bean-sized bits. That way, every bite has a little bit of everything.If you want to make a real showpiece of a salad, keep all the components separate and make an art piece of out it all.
- Make the Dressing: We like to make it in a blender: add the vinegar & garlic first, then add in the spices, sugar, salt, pepper, and grated cheese. Blend for 30 seconds then stream in the olive oil until emulsified. Taste. Adjust. It should be quite punchy. Note that this is almost a 1:1 ratio vinegar to oil.
- Serve: Option One: Add all your chopped ingredients to a giant bowl. Pour over the dressing (you’ll need about half of it) and toss until everything is evenly coated and glistening. Let it sit for 10–15 minutes before serving if you can—it only gets better.
- Option Two: Make a showpiece of this Italian Chopped Salad: display all the colours of this salad separately on a large platter, and drizzle over vinaigrette.
Notes
This Italian Chopped Salad is meal-prep friendly, potluck-perfect, and makes lunch feel like a restaurant treat. It’s also vegetarian, full of fibre, and keeps its crunch like a champ.
We’ve served it alongside grilled sausages for dinner parties, packed it into jars for beach lunches, and even tossed in some cooked pasta for a “chopped salad meets pasta salad” hybrid.
Substitutions for Italian Chopped Salad
Don’t have everything? No problem.
-
No pepperoncini? Try banana peppers or capers. Or even diced dill pickles!
-
No red cabbage? Green cabbage or romaine works in a pinch. Or omit it. Radicchio too, but add in at last minute.
-
Add-ins we love: olives, feta, grilled chicken, canned tuna, or crispy prosciutto. Bocconcini would be amazing!
-
Vegan version? Skip the parmesan in the vinaigrette or use a vegan hard cheese substitute, or nutritional yeast.
Cook With Us!
Like this recipe? You should try cooking with us! Start with an on-demand pre-recorded class, or jump in to the best experience with our live classes!
We have taken many classes over several years, and they never disappoint! Kristie & team always have great pointers and tricks to learn in the video. We love the Japanese burgers, and they are always a hit with guests. That's the thing: you make the recipe at home, it doesn't take a long time, and the result is so good that you want to make it again and again. Just try one, you'll see. 🙂I had such a fantastic experience at the cooking class! My daughter and I had an amazing time — our Bao Buns and Crispy Chicken turned out delicious, and we learned so much throughout the session. It was a fun, inspiring, and rewarding evening. I can’t wait to come back for another class. Highly recommend!Our virtual cooking class experience was top notch! Well organized, wonderfully communicated, and entertaining! A delicious outcome which boosted our confidence to try more challenging recipes in the future. Highly recommend!I have taken a few classes in the past - always find the products delicious, and I enjoy the challenge of trying to keep up 🙂
I subscribe the updates and get links to recipes - I recently made the Olive Oil Lemon cake. It turned out delicious – as you said in the description, very moist! My daughter has a birthday in strawberry season and typically she asks for strawberry shortcake with a traditional shortcake recipe… I served the lemon came this weekend with a bit of whipping cream and fresh strawberries (your picture was quite enticing) and her comment was that her birthday request this year would be to replace the traditional shortcake with this recipe!I've taken several on-line cooking classes from The Culinary Studio and have really enjoyed each one. The recipes are delicious and the instructions are very well laid out. I always learn new cooking tips and skills.It has been most likely a year and a half since I’ve made moussaka. Having the recording available was a godsend. So good and lots of leftovers! Having the recording is priceless!
I made Dan Dan noodles last month and again referred to the recording as it has been awhile. I was grateful for the reminders, tips and tricks. Not to mention, I love to cook with Kirstie and Jody. They make it so much fun!
Most of the meals I make are from your repertoire. I think I have close to 60!Love these ladies! Classes are easy to follow, informative, filled with all kinds of tricks & tips and best of all DELICIOUS!! This is our "night out" dining adventure that we can re-do & show off to our family & friends.My husband and I joined the Valentine's Day Date Night cooking class. Very enjoyable experience full of informative tips and thorough explanations followed by a delectable meal. Thank you Kirstie & Jodie. We'll be back!I recently did an online Lamb Briyani class. It used some cooking techniques I wasn't familiar with and produced a dish that was as tasty as the best Indian food I've ever had the pleasure of enjoying.I have done a few classes with the Culinary Studio and always enjoy the classes and the fabulous meals. They deliver the food to my door all prepped for the class if I like (which I do!). Highly recommended.We did a virtual zoom cooking class. It was better than cooking classes we have done in a actual class. We really enjoyed our ourselves. We have made the meal a couple of times since the class. We have friends over for the session and have great restaurant quality mealsThe Culinary Studio is an wonderful online chef duo!
You will learn delicious recipes taught in real time from start to end by two good friends who want nothing more than to teach you how to cook and and have fun doing it. Class presentation is practical and encouraging with one chef starting and one playing 'catch up' so you do not miss anything and no question will go unanswered!
The recipe with food pack is perfectly packaged and always arrives on time to make it easy so you do not have to shop!
Several recipes from the Culinary Studio are in our regular rotation!
Excited to keep cooking with you Kirstie and Jody!Online classes have allowed me the convenience to open my computer and learn in the comfort of my home and to do the class on my own schedule rather than missing out due to life's interruptions. Classes are paced well and the chef's are ready to answer your cooking questions even if they are unrelated to the class. I have used the recipes frequently in my day to day life and recently at an event where I overhead participants raving about the soup and cookies I had prepared, which were from Culinary Studio class recipes.
I was at the Studio for the very first class they held and I have continued to take classes for the past 13 years. While some things have changed over the years, the quality, knowledge and skills Jody and Kirstie bring to each class has not.The skills I learned through the their instruction have been used daily.To Chefs Kirstie & Jody! My family and I have thoroughly enjoyed the recipes and techniques we have acquired by following your live sessions and on-demand courses available on your website. You have a casual and an informative style that is very appealing. Most importantly both of you thrive on good food and beverage as much as we do! Bravo - we hope your future includes many more years of teaching and developing new dishes. Thank you. 🙂
Hot tips for the best Italian Chopped Salad:
-
Avoid overdressing. You want a light coating. You’ll have leftover dressing, thank us later!
-
Don’t skip the celery salt. Seriously, it adds the Italian deli magical taste.
-
Cut small, toss well. This isn’t a salad where the dressing sits on top; it needs to mingle.
-
Use a good olive oil. You’ll taste it, so make it count.
Storage Recommendations
This salad holds up surprisingly well!
-
Fridge: Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days. It gets better as it sits, just toss before serving.
-
Meal prep tip: Keep the dressing separate and mix just before eating if you want max crunch.
- Meal prep tip #2: Make a double batch of the dressing! Use it on lettuce salads, pasta salads, or as a chicken marinade!
FAQ for Italian Chopped Salad
Can I make Italian Chopped Salad in advance?
Yes! It’s actually better if it sits for 10–20 minutes before serving. Make the dressing and chopped mix up to a day ahead, combine when ready to serve.
Is this salad healthy?
Absolutely. It’s full of fibre, plant-based protein, and healthy fats from olive oil. Plus, it’s vegetarian and easily made vegan.
Can I use a different vinegar?
You could, but red wine vinegar gives the most authentic flavour here. White wine vinegar or lemon juice in a pinch.
Is this gluten-free?
Yes! Just check your canned goods to ensure there are no added fillers or wheat-based additives.
If you’re a follower, you know we love a good Summer Salad. Get this Broccoli Salad in your life, or our Jody’ Crab Pasta Salad!
