Description
A vibrant and hearty Vegetarian Italian Chopped Salad featuring chopped romaine, radicchio, chickpeas, provolone cheese, and a zesty Italian vinaigrette. Perfect as a flavorful side or light main dish, this salad balances fresh vegetables with tangy pickled peppers and sun-dried tomatoes for an unforgettable taste.
Ingredients
Scale
Salad:
- 10 ounces chopped romaine lettuce (about 2 medium or 3 small heads, chopped)
- ½ medium head of radicchio, finely chopped (about 2 cups)
- ½ medium red onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
- 2 ribs celery, chopped
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes, thinly sliced
- ⅓ cup stemmed and thinly sliced pickled pepperoncini peppers
- ⅓ cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, rinsed and roughly chopped
- 1 can (15 ounces) chickpeas, rinsed and drained, or 1 ½ cups cooked chickpeas
- 1 cup (4 ounces) ¼″ cubes of provolone cheese (optional)
Italian Vinaigrette:
- ⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- ⅓ cup red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 2 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
- 10 twists freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon salt, more to taste
- Pinch of red pepper flakes, for heat (optional)
Instructions
- Prepare the vegetables. Wash and chop the romaine lettuce, radicchio, red onion, celery, cherry tomatoes, pickled pepperoncini peppers, and sun-dried tomatoes as described. Drain and rinse the chickpeas thoroughly.
- Make the Italian vinaigrette. In a bowl, whisk together the extra-virgin olive oil, red wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, dried oregano, honey, pressed garlic, freshly ground black pepper, salt, and red pepper flakes until emulsified and well combined.
- Toss the salad ingredients. In a large mixing bowl, combine the chopped romaine, radicchio, red onion, celery, cherry tomatoes, pickled pepperoncini, sun-dried tomatoes, and chickpeas. Add the vinaigrette and toss thoroughly to coat all ingredients.
- Add cheese and serve. Gently fold in the cubed provolone cheese if using. Taste and adjust seasoning with additional salt or pepper if desired. Serve immediately as a refreshing side or light main course.
Notes
- To make it dairy-free or vegan, simply omit the provolone cheese and substitute maple syrup for honey in the vinaigrette.
- You can speed up prep by using pre-chopped romaine and radicchio mix, chopping into smaller bite-sized pieces.
- Radicchio adds a unique slightly bitter flavor; if unavailable or disliked, it can be omitted without greatly affecting the salad’s character.
- The salad serves best fresh but can be stored covered in the refrigerator for up to 1 day; vinaigrette may be added just before serving to maintain crispness.
