Description
A vibrant and flavorful Vegetarian Italian Chopped Salad featuring romaine, radicchio, cherry tomatoes, chickpeas, and provolone cheese, tossed with a zesty Italian vinaigrette. Perfect as a refreshing side dish or light meal.
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
- Prepare the vegetables: Wash and chop the romaine lettuce, radicchio, red onion, celery, cherry tomatoes, pepperoncini peppers, and sun-dried tomatoes as specified. Rinse and drain chickpeas if using canned.
- Make the vinaigrette: In a small bowl or jar, whisk together the extra-virgin olive oil, red wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, dried oregano, honey, garlic, black pepper, salt, and red pepper flakes until emulsified.
- Combine the salad: In a large mixing bowl, toss together the chopped romaine, radicchio, red onion, celery, cherry tomatoes, pepperoncini peppers, sun-dried tomatoes, chickpeas, and provolone cheese if using.
- Toss with vinaigrette: Pour the prepared Italian vinaigrette over the salad and toss thoroughly to coat all ingredients evenly with the dressing.
- Serve: Serve the salad immediately for fresh crispness or chill briefly to meld flavors. Enjoy as a side dish or light main course.
Notes
- To make this salad dairy free or vegan, omit the provolone cheese and substitute maple syrup for honey in the dressing.
- If short on time, use two bags of pre-chopped romaine/radicchio mix and chop into smaller pieces.
- Radicchio adds distinctive bitterness and color; if unavailable or disliked, you can skip it or use the whole head if you love it.
- The salad pairs well with crusty bread or as a topping for pizza slices.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup
- Calories: 180 kcal
- Sugar: 4 g
- Sodium: 280 mg
- Fat: 12 g
- Saturated Fat: 3 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 8 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 15 g
- Fiber: 5 g
- Protein: 6 g
- Cholesterol: 10 mg
