Perfect Italian Salad

May 08, 2020

This classic Italian salad is your soul mate side dish! It features crisp veggies, crunchy croutons, tangy pepperoncini, and a punchy homemade dressing.

Here’s a great salad that’s simply perfection, in our books. Meet this Italian salad! It’s full of all the right flavors and textures: crisp lettuce, crunchy garlic croutons, and zingy pepperoncini. It’s covered in punchy, herby Italian vinaigrette that makes the flavors sing! And shaved Parmesan seals the deal. It can play sidekick to just about anything. It’s no secret: this salad is staunchly Italian-American, not a classic Italian recipe. But that’s what we love about it!

What you need for the best Italian salad

Perhaps you’ve had a salad like this at an Italian American restaurant (the nostalgia factor is one thing Alex and I love about it). Somehow all the components come together into perfect harmony. Here’s what you need to make the best Italian salad…or really, the best salad:

Crisp greens: Use contrasting greens for variety: we like crunchy romaine and bright green butter lettuce.
Tomato & red onion: The veggies bring color and crunch.
Olives & pepperoncini: This is what brings that classic “Italian salad” vibe: tangy, briny, and zingy flavors. Do not omit!
Parmesan shavings (optional): Thick slices of Parmesan make a savory counterpoint; they’re easy to omit for a vegan salad.
Italian dressing: The dressing brings a punch that only homemade dressing can.
Garlic croutons: Crunchy, garlicky and totally worth the time to make!

Tricks for Italian salad dressing

A few tricks for the Italian salad dressing! This dressing is one of our favorites, and it comes together quickly. The only thing you need to know is how to get the perfect emulsion. Emulsion is when the olive oil and vinegar combine into a creamy liquid, versus separating into their separate parts. Here’s what to remember:

Use a medium sized bowl. Whisk in too small a bowl, and you won’t be able to get the whisking motion large enough to get an emulsion.
Pour the oil in 1 tablespoon at a time. Drizzle in the oil gradually and whisk vigorously before adding more. This makes it combine perfectly!

Why make homemade croutons?

Not everyone has time for homemade croutons. But they only take a few minutes of hands on time, and take this Italian salad to the next level! It’s a great way to use up bread that’s starting to get stale. All you’ll need is 15 minutes to bake (and the oven preheat time). The garlic flavor and the massive crunch is absolutely worth the time. Another reason to make homemade? They have no preservatives, and they don’t overdo it on the salt.

You can also make the croutons in advance. Just store them in a sealed container at room temperature until serving. They last for about 1 week, but are best when fresh. You can absolutely omit for a gluten-free salad and it still tastes great.

Ways to serve Italian salad

This Italian salad is perfect with Mediterranean or Italian-style foods like pizza and pasta. You can even make it into a main dish! Here’s what we recommend:

Make it a main dish salad. Add hard boiled eggs, white beans, tuna, or chopped chicken.
Serve with pizza. This our favorite way to serve it! Try it with Margherita Pizza, Perfect Pan Pizza, Eggplant Pizza, Flatbread Pizza, Best Healthy Pizza, or Homemade Cheese Pizza.
Serve with lasagna. Try our Favorite Vegan Lasagna or Spicy Kale Lasagna.
Serve with pasta. It’s perfect with Roasted Cauliflower Pasta, Vegan Pasta Primavera or Roasted Eggplant Pasta.
Serve with soup. Try this Pasta e Ceci (Italian Chickpea Soup) or Vegetarian Tortellini Soup.

This Italian salad recipe is…

Vegetarian. For vegan, plant-based, and dairy-free, omit the Parmesan cheese. For gluten-free, omit the croutons.