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Vegetarian Italian Chopped Salad Recipe

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4.6 from 7 reviews

A vibrant and hearty Vegetarian Italian Chopped Salad featuring a mix of romaine, radicchio, chickpeas, and sun-dried tomatoes tossed in a zesty homemade Italian vinaigrette. Perfect as a side dish or light meal, this salad can easily be made vegan by omitting the 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, for heat (optional)

Instructions

  1. Prepare the Salad Vegetables: Thoroughly rinse and chop the romaine lettuce, radicchio, red onion, and celery into bite-sized pieces. Thinly slice the cherry tomatoes and stem and slice the pepperoncini peppers. Rinse and roughly chop the oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes.
  2. Drain Chickpeas: Rinse and drain canned chickpeas or use cooked chickpeas. Set aside.
  3. Make the Italian Vinaigrette: In a small bowl or jar, whisk or shake together extra-virgin olive oil, red wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, dried oregano, honey, pressed or minced garlic, freshly ground black pepper, salt, and red pepper flakes if using. Adjust salt and pepper to taste.
  4. Toss the Salad: In a large bowl, combine all the chopped salad ingredients along with the chickpeas and provolone cheese cubes if using. Pour the Italian vinaigrette over the salad and toss well to coat evenly.
  5. Serve and Enjoy: Serve immediately as a side dish or refrigerate for up to an hour for flavors to meld. The salad can be enjoyed chilled or at room temperature.

Notes

  • To make this salad dairy free and vegan, simply omit the provolone cheese and substitute maple syrup for honey in the dressing.
  • If short on time, use store-bought chopped romaine and radicchio mix; chop into smaller pieces for better texture.
  • Radicchio adds a pleasant bitterness but can be omitted if unavailable or disliked.
  • The salad is inspired by 1889 Pizza and adapted with ideas from Smitten Kitchen and The Kitchn.

Nutrition

Find it online: https://judyrecipes.com/vegetarian-italian-chopped-salad-recipe/