Italian Chopped Salad with Zesty Dressing

Craving a hearty salad? This Italian Chopped Salad with Zesty Dressing is for you! It’s loaded with summer vegetables like cucumber, tomatoes, mozzarella balls, and hearty salami. This salad can serve as a meal or side dish. It holds up well to being taken to work for lunch or stored in the fridge for leftovers tomorrow. This is one salad you will make on repeat.

Italian Chopped Salad with Zesty Dressing Recipe

Prep time: 15 minutes
Servings: 2 large or 4 small servings

Ingredients:

For the Salad:

• 4 cups of Romaine lettuce, chopped
• 1 cup of cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 cup of cucumber, diced
• 1/2 cup of red onion, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup of black olives, pitted and sliced
• 1/2 cup of fresh mozzarella cheese, cubed
• 1/2 cup of green bell peppers, diced
• 1/4 cup of banana peppers, sliced
• 1/4 cup of salami, sliced
• 2 tablespoons of chopped fresh basil
• 2 tablespoons of chopped fresh parsley

For the Zesty Dressing:

• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil, preferably labeled “extra-light tasting”
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (from 1 or 2 lemons)
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
• 1 tablespoon sugar

Instructions:

• Begin by chopping, dicing, and slicing the ingredients listed in the salad ingredients section.
• In a deep glass, combine all the dressing ingredients and use an immersion blender to mix them thoroughly.
• Assemble the salad by layering it in the following order: start with the chopped lettuce, followed by the halved cherry tomatoes, diced green bell peppers, diced cucumbers, cubed mozzarella cheese, sliced salami, thinly sliced red onions, sliced black olives, banana peppers, and the chopped basil and parsley.
• Finish by topping the layered salad with the prepared zesty dressing.