This is light and healthy Italian Chopped Salad The perfect post-holiday meal. Full of bold, rich flavors, this Italian Chopped Salad recipe is delicious as an entrée or side dish with your favorite vegetarian Italian dishes.
While dining with friends at an Italian restaurant recently, I ordered an Italian chopped salad. Of course, the authentic Italian restaurant had no vegetarian options other than salad, which of course I had to change, so I could eat it. Unfortunately, their version of a vegetarian Italian chopped salad recipe was far from meeting my expectations.
Jump:
When my salad arrived, I almost laughed out loud. The restaurant’s vegan chopped Italian salad featured lettuce, chickpeas, cucumber and red onion. I’m not Italian, but really?
Did I mention my poor excuse for a salad was $20.00? Or, I can add chicken or salmon for $7.00 more (ha)!
So, I decided to create an incredible vegetarian Italian chopped salad recipe worthy of serving in a restaurant that I would be proud to serve.
Salad ingredients
First, a chopped salad is “chopped” so everything is the same size, making it easier to eat and spread the dressing evenly.
- Romaine lettuce: Romaine lettuce is crisp and fresh and holds up well in this chopped salad.
- Radicchio: Radicchio, sometimes known as Italian chicory due to its everyday use in Italian cuisine, is a perennial cultivated leafy chicory.
- Roasted Asparagus: Roasted asparagus is the only cooked vegetable in the salad; However, it is fried and then cooled completely before adding to the salad with other ingredients.
- Red Onion: Red onions are sweet and sour.
- Celery: Chopped celery into bite-sized pieces adds freshness and crunch to salads.
- Grape tomatoes: Grape tomatoes are sweeter and have fewer seeds than other tomatoes.
- Cucumber: I prefer English or Persian cucumbers because they have fewer seeds than normal.
- Kalamata Olives: Kalamata olives are salty and a delicious ingredient in salads.
- Pepperoncini Peppers: Pepperoncini peppers are milder and sweeter than other peppers. They add a tanginess and deep flavor.
- Chickpeas: Chickpeas add protein as well as another texture to the salad.
- Fresh Parsley: Fresh parsley adds extra flavor as a garnish.
- Fresh Mint: Fresh basil is an Italian essential.
- Vegan Parmesan Cheese: I make homemade vegan parmesan cheese from cashews and some spices.
- Vegan Italian Dressing: I make two different vegetarian Italian dressings. Creamy Italian Dressing and Oil Free Italian Dressing are both easy to make and oil-free.
Substitute salad ingredients
- Any green works well in this Italian chopped salad recipe. Choose kale, Swiss chard or collard greens.
- If you don’t like the taste of radicchio, try adding red cabbage instead.
- Substitute green beans or Brussels sprouts for roasted asparagus.
- In recipes, white or green onions are an excellent substitute for red onions. I also love pickled red onions in an Italian chopped salad.
- Fennel is a great alternative to celery, but be aware that fennel tastes like black licorice.
- Cherry tomatoes are similar in size and flavor to grape tomatoes.
- If using regular cucumbers, I recommend removing the seeds, so the salad is very watery.
- Use black olives instead of Kalamata olives.
- Try using banana peppers instead of pepperoncini peppers.
- White beans work well as a substitute for chickpeas.
- A general rule of thumb for dry to fresh herb ratio: Use one-third the amount of dry herb for the fresh herb called for in the recipe.
- Instead of making vegan Parmesan cheese, try a store brand like Follow Your Heart.
- Buy bottled Italian dressing instead of making Italian dressing.
How to Make a Chopped Salad
The key to a perfect vegetarian Italian chopped salad, for example, is to incorporate a theme of Italian-based ingredients that all work together.
So, let’s start cutting. To get my vegetables the same size, I use my favorite vegetable chopper. Not only does it save time, it cuts all the vegetables in the same size.
Should a chopped salad be tossed?
Some people, like my daughter, like everything separated in a bowl. (Did I mention I bought him a grown-up split plate for Christmas?) Others prefer a tossed salad. Both options, of course, depend on your preferences.
I suggest you don’t dress the vegetarian Italian chopped salad until just before serving. And, if you meal prep for the week, make sure you set aside the dressing. Nobody likes a wet salad.
Vegan Italian Dressing Ingredients
Subsequently, people seem to struggle with making oil-free dressings. As a general rule, I recommend removing the oil and replacing it with water. Then, replace other unnecessary ingredients like sugar with healthy sweeteners and add extra fresh herbs.
- the water: Water acts as an emulsifier without using oil.
- Red wine vinegar: Quite sharp and tangy, it has the smoky notes and a fuller body you’d find in white vinegar.
- Dijon mustard: Dijon mustard has a tangy, pungent and pungent flavor with a hint of spice.
- Maple syrup: Maple syrup is a natural sweetener.
- garlic: I like to use fresh garlic whenever possible.
- Italian seasoning: Italian seasoning typically includes basil, oregano, rosemary, thyme, and marjoram in the herb blend, with other herbs and spices sometimes making an appearance.
- Bell pepper: I prefer fresh chilies for the best flavor.
- Sea salt: Sea salt is a general term for salt produced by the evaporation of seawater or saltwater lake water. It is less processed than table salt and retains trace minerals.
- Red chili flakes (optional): Crushed red pepper flakes are an icon of the Italian family restaurant table. Their use as a spice originated in Bukovo, a village in northern Macedonia where spicy red pepper grows in abundance.
I make two other Italian dressings that I love if you want to try a different recipe as an alternative to the dressing recipe provided:
Once you start experimenting with different combinations, oil-free dressings will taste better than you think. But don’t forget to write them down.
I started this blog to remember what I made because I couldn’t find my written versions of the recipes
Served with Italian chopped salad
Although I made an Italian chopped salad as an entrée, you can also serve it as a side dish. Here are some serving tips for entrants:
Recipe FAQs
By the early 1960s, Angelenos were eating slices of iceberg, romaine, salami, and mozzarella; All the hacks were so fine that you barely had to chew. Like most of LA’s cultural exports, it’s a celebrity-driven phenomenon that began in 1956 at a clubby Italian restaurant in Beverly Hills.
First, line the bottom of the pot with paper towels. They will absorb moisture. Then, pack the leaves gently into the container and top with another paper towel before storing in the crisper drawer. Don’t pack the leaves too tightly, or they won’t have room to breathe.
At its most basic, a chopped salad is one in which the ingredients are cut into an even size and tossed in the kitchen or on the table, so that each bite delivers all the flavors of the salad at once.
advice
- I serve Italian chopped salad with vegan parmesan cheese.
- Also, I add fresh chopped parsley to bring it all together. As I said before, the choice of whether or not to serve the tossed salad is up to you.
- Not only did I choose to toss my Italian chopped salad, but I served it with some crusty whole-grain bread.
- Use fresh herbs whenever possible for best flavor.
- Add grilled tofu or tempeh for extra protein.
- Serve with a crusty bread on the side.
And, just for the record, my vegan Italian chopped salad was much better than anything I’ve had at an authentic Italian restaurant.
Other great vegan salads
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đŸ“– Recipe
Vegan Italian Chopped Salad
This is light and healthy Italian Chopped Salad The perfect post-holiday meal. Full of bold, rich flavors, this Italian Chopped Salad recipe is delicious as an entrée or side dish with your favorite vegetarian Italian dishes.
material
Herb marinated tofu (optional)
Oil-free Italian dressing
instructions
Grilled Herb Marinated Tofu
- Drain and press extra firm tofu using a tofu press.
Then, cut the tofu into 6 equal-sized pieces.
Whisk together all the marinade ingredients.
Pour â…“ of the marinade into an air-tight container and add half of the tofu on top of the marinade.
Pour another â…“ of the marinade over the top, add another row of tofu and top with the rest of the marinade.
Place covered in a refrigerator for 12 hours.
When ready to grill, preheat grill to medium-low or 400 degrees.
Place the marinated strips of tofu on the grill, turning 4 times in 4 minute increments. This is so you get nice grill marks.
Return the tofu to the pot with the remaining marinade, and let cool to the touch.
Remove the tofu from the pot, and cut into bite-sized pieces, or into strips if you prefer.
Roasted Asparagus
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Cut off the rough ends of the asparagus.
Cut the asparagus into bite-sized pieces and place on a baking sheet lined with silicone mat or parchment paper.
Baked for 15 minutes; Remove from oven, and allow to cool.
Oil-free dressing
Whisk all ingredients together.
Store it in the refrigerator and stir before dressing the salad.
Do not dress the salad until you are ready to serve.
The dressing can be applied to the salad individually or tossed into a large salad.
Just remember, any left-over dressed salad will get soggy, so I recommend packing the salad separately with the dressing on the side when preparing the meal for lunch.
Comment
- Italian salad can be prepared in advance, but don’t dress until just before serving.
- Serve with bread or soup
- Italian Chopped Salad can be served as a side salad with your favorite Italian entree or bowl of soup.
- I serve Italian chopped salad with vegan parmesan cheese.
- Add grilled tofu or tempeh for extra protein.
- Serve with a crusty bread on the side.
- Use fresh herbs whenever possible for best flavor.
- Not only did I choose to toss my Italian chopped salad, but I served it with some crusty whole-grain bread.
- Also, I add fresh chopped parsley to bring it all together. As I said before, the choice of whether or not to serve the tossed salad is up to you.
nutrition
Worship: 6gCalories: 166kcalSugars: 25gProtein: 11gFat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fats: 1gSodium: 428mgPotassium: 1110mgFiber: 8gSugar: 11gVitamin A: 10648IUVitamin C: 47mgCalcium: 158mgIron: 5mg
Oh! My name is Cathy, I am a retired high school English teacher and vegetarian and blogger. My entire blog is completely plant-based vegan. I truly believe that what we eat and how we live determines our health and the preservation of our planet! đŸ™‚
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