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Italian Chopped Salad

Prep Time 15 minutes
Servings 4 People

Ingredients

  • 1 head fennel, halved lengthwise cored, thinly sliced (about 3 cups)
  • ½ red onion thinly sliced
  • ¼ cup red wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tsp kosher salt
  • 1 small head iceberg lettuce or 2 heads romaine, thinly sliced (about 4 cups)
  • 1 small head radicchio thinly sliced (about 2 cups)
  • 1 cucumber peeled, halved lengthwise, seeds removed, thinly sliced (about 1 ½ cups)*
  • 4 oz prosciutto salami, and/or ham thinly sliced
  • 3 oz provolone cheese, thinly sliced
  • 1 cup thinly sliced basil
  • ¼ cup Mama Lils Peppers (or olives or pepperoncinis) (optional)**
  • Black pepper
  • Crusty bread or baguette for serving (optional)

For the dressing:

  • ⅓ cup olive oil
  • 3 tbsp red wine vinegar
  • 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
  • 1 tsp dijon mustard
  • 1 tsp oregano or italian seasoning
  • ½ tsp kosher salt
  • *I’ve also made this with watermelon radish and it was delicious. You can use any raw crunchy veg.
  • **These little locally made pickled peppers level up any salad, avocado toast, and taco. Highly recommended!

Items you can prep ahead (optional)

  • Prep and wash your lettuce mix
  • Make dressing
  • Prep and pickle your fennel and red onion (you can do this ahead and just store in the fridge)
  • Prep your cucumber or radish
  • Slice up your meat and cheese

Instructions

  • In a medium bowl, add fennel, red onion, vinegar and salt. Mix to combine. Set aside to marinate for at least 10 minutes.
  • In a large bowl, add the lettuce, radicchio, cucumber, meat, and cheese.
  • Add all dressing ingredients to a jar with a tight fitting lid. Shake vigorously to combine.
  • Add fennel/red onion (leaving the liquid behind) to the large bowl. Pour ⅔ of dressing over the salad and toss to combine. Taste and add more dressing, if needed.
  • Serve topped with basil, peppers/olives/pepperoncinis (if using), freshly grated black pepper, and a side of crusty bread (if using).

Notes

Substitutions:

  • To make vegetarian: substitute the meat with Crispy Chickpeas!
  • To make vegan: see above + skip the cheese and add avocado. 
  • While hearty enough for a meal, it’s also delicious paired with pasta or pizza.
  • Use any combination of lettuce, but try to have a fresh crunchy lettuce in there like romaine, little gems, or frisee.
  • If you don’t have red wine vinegar, you can substitute with champagne vinegar, white wine vinegar, or apple cider vinegar
  • Use any cured meats and cheese you’d like here
  • For the cucumber/radish - you can use any raw crunchy veggie here

Storage:

  • Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer:
    • Store leftover dressing salad in the fridge and eat within 2 days (otherwise it will get too soggy - see notes below)

Leftovers + Repurposing:

  • If you don’t plan on eating this all at once, only dress however much salad you think you’ll eat.  Since many of the veggies/lettuce has high water content, the dressing will draw water out if it sits overnight.
  • If you do have leftover dressed salad, it will still be fine to eat the next day - it will just be very wet. Still delicious!
  • Eat it for dinner with pasta and enjoy for lunch the next day with a slice of crusty bread.