Description
A vibrant and flavorful Vegetarian Italian Chopped Salad featuring crisp romaine, bitter radicchio, peppery cherry tomatoes, tangy pickled pepperoncini, sun-dried tomatoes, chickpeas, and provolone cheese, all tossed in a zesty homemade Italian vinaigrette. Perfect as a side dish or light main course that is refreshing and easy to prepare.
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 and radicchio into bite-sized pieces. Finely chop the red onion and celery. Thinly slice the cherry tomatoes and pickled pepperoncini peppers. Rinse and roughly chop the oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes.
- Rinse and drain chickpeas: Open the can of chickpeas, rinse thoroughly under cold water, and drain well. Alternatively, measure 1 ½ cups of cooked chickpeas if using fresh or pre-cooked.
- Make the vinaigrette: In a bowl, whisk together extra-virgin olive oil, red wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, dried oregano, honey, pressed garlic, black pepper, salt, and optional red pepper flakes until emulsified and well combined.
- Combine salad ingredients: In a large salad bowl, add chopped romaine, radicchio, red onion, celery, cherry tomatoes, pickled pepperoncini, sun-dried tomatoes, chickpeas, and provolone cheese if using.
- Toss with dressing: Pour the Italian vinaigrette over the salad ingredients. Toss thoroughly to coat every ingredient evenly with the dressing.
- Serve: Serve immediately as a side dish or light main course. The salad can be chilled briefly if preferred but is best enjoyed fresh.
Notes
- To make this salad dairy free or vegan, omit the provolone cheese and substitute maple syrup for honey in the vinaigrette to keep it vegan-friendly.
- If short on time, use pre-washed chopped romaine and radicchio mix and chop into smaller bite-sized pieces for easier preparation.
- Radicchio adds a pleasant bitterness that balances the salad; if unavailable or disliked, it can be omitted or substituted with additional romaine.
- The salad keeps well for several hours but is best served fresh to maintain crispness.
- Adjust seasoning of the vinaigrette according to taste, adding more salt or pepper if desired.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup
- Calories: 220 kcal
- Sugar: 5 g
- Sodium: 320 mg
- Fat: 14 g
- Saturated Fat: 4 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 10 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 18 g
- Fiber: 6 g
- Protein: 8 g
- Cholesterol: 15 mg
