Italian Salad is filled with crisp lettuce, juicy tomatoes, olives, red onions and of course zesty pepperoncinis. We add in a simple homemade Italian vinaigrette for the perfect fresh salad. This salad is full of flavor and we love it as a fresh side dish next to our favorite Italian-inspired recipes. When we go to an Italian restaurant, one of the things I look forward to the most is endless bowls of fresh Italian Salad.
Ingredients
Lettuce – I love a combination of lettuce in this recipe, I start with either iceberg lettuce or a large head of romaine lettuce and add in a little bit of radicchio. Toppings – Keep it simple or add lots of goodies. This recipe uses red onion, Roma or cherry tomatoes, pepperoncini, olives, and homemade croutons. Dressing – I love homemade Italian dressing (or creamy Italian dressing) but any vinaigrette you love will go well with this recipe.
Variations
Pasta – Turn this into an Italian pasta salad by adding cooked and cooled cheese tortellini or penne.Veggies – Add artichoke hearts, red peppers, cucumbers.Other Additions – Try salami or white beans if you’d like.
How to Make Italian Salad
If you’re preparing this salad recipe in advance or planning for leftovers, don’t add the dressing until you’re ready to serve the salad!
Italian Salad Dressing
We love homemade Italian dressing but use any kind of vinaigrette including balsamic or dijon vinaigrette.
To make ahead of time, add the ingredients to the bowl (except croutons), and don’t cut the tomatoes. Cover with a slightly damp paper towel and loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate up to 24 hours. Add croutons and toss with dressing just before serving.
DRESSING TIP: Oil and vinegar (or vinaigrette) dressings can separate, including dijon or a bit of honey (or even an egg yolk like in Caesar Salad dressing) can help keep the mixture from separating so don’t skip them! Shake in a mason jar before serving as ingredients may settle. This Italian salad recipe can be topped with salmon or chicken as a full meal.
If prepping ahead, tear the lettuce leaves (rather than cutting) to prevent the salad from wilting or bruising. If you’re serving it right away, cutting is just fine.For a fancy presentation, use a vegetable peeler to shave pieces of parmesan cheese if you’d like.Add additional lemon juice or fresh or dried herbs (like dried oregano) and minced cloves of garlic to bottled dressing to boost the flavor. If planning for leftovers, don’t add dressing to the whole salad.
It is great serving with Italian favorites like chicken parmesan or chicken piccata. Don’t forget to add in a side of focaccia bread (with olive oil for dipping)
More Easy Salads
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