Tips and Variations for Italian Chopped Salad

The beauty of this salad is you can customize it to your liking.

• Chop: This is called a chopped salad for a reason, everything in it should be chopped, not just sliced or diced. This helps the salad mix thoroughly, makes it easier to eat, and better-tasting.
• Lettuce: I like to use romaine lettuce because it has both crunchy and leafy parts that give all the texture I could want. You can use iceberg or a mixture of both. Also, try mixing in some spinach for an extra boost of iron.
• Meat: Salami is the meat most often found in a chopped salad, you can also substitute in pepperoni, just note it will give you a slightly different flavor. To save time buy the bite-sized salami all ready to go.
• Cheese: For a shortcut, you can use cheese sticks and cut them up. They are a perfect size already! Try substituting parmesan or provolone or using a mixture of all of the above too.
• Add-Ins: For other ingredient ideas try chickpeas, sun-dried tomatoes, kalamata olives, and fresh diced peppers.
• Storage: Unfortunately once the salad and dressing have combined, it is hard to store. The salad will get soggy. Only dress what you plan on eating and store the salad and dressing separately for longer storage. Both will keep in the fridge for 2-3 days.

This is a robust, satisfying salad that can be used either as a main course or a side dish. The meat and cheese give it protein and the vegetables, well are your vegetables. Serve it along with a nice fruit salad and a hunk of toasted crusty bread and you have a light dinner or hearty lunch ready to go.  Here are more ideas to serve insanely delicious salad with.

Italian food is comfort food. Whether it’s a light decadent dessert, a robust salad, or creamy pasta, Italian Food has it all! It is no wonder it is an American favorite and the top choice in many households. Even the Americanized Italian food is dreamy. You just can’t beat a bowl of pasta smothered in various sauces or hearty bread and savory meat dishes. Italian food has a wide variety, tastes, and textures with something for everyone. Pizza, fish, and vegetarian all have incredible recipes under the umbrella of Italian. There are so many scrumptious dishes it’s hard to know where to begin. Here are just a few though to get you started.

Ingredients

Instructions