This easy Italian chopped salad is filled with spicy peppers, salty feta, and a delicious homemade dressing! It’s the perfect salad to serve with pizza or pasta, but it’s also an easy lunch recipe!

chopped salad
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Why I Love This Recipe

This salad is light and delicious with tons of flavor. I’ll share plenty of substitution options so you can make this with whatever vegetables you have sitting in your crisper drawer! The dressing is simple, with just a few pantry staples whisked and drizzled onto a bed of greens.

italian chopped salad

Italian Chopped Salad Ingredients

  • Romaine– I love crunchy romaine as the base of this salad. You could subsitute with other mixed greens, if you like.
  • Bell pepper– I like using a rainbow of small peppers but red, green, yellow, or orange bell peppers are all delicious i this salad.
  • Feta– I recommend buying a block of feta and cutting it into 1″ cubes. But feel free to substitute could use crumbled feta.
  • Tomato– I used a large slicing tomato, but cherry tomatoes will work, too!
  • Pepperoncini– Spicy Pepperoncini add tons of flavor to this salad. Don’t skimp on these peppers!
  • Red onion– I like raw red onion but if you want a more mild flavor, try fresh shallots instead.

This salad can be assembled up to a few hours in advance, but don’t add the dressing until you’re ready to enjoy it. This will help keep the vegetables crisp!

italian chopped salad

Substitution ideas

  • Peperoncinis can be spicy, so substitute for bell pepper if you don’t like spicy flavors.
  • You can substitute bell pepper for sweet peppers if you prefer.
  • I prefer a block of feta cut into cubes, but feel free to use crumbled feta.

How to Make Salad Dressing

  • Whisk together the olive oil, red wine vinegar, and lemon juice, salt, and pepper, then set aside.
  • The dressing will start to separate over time, but so give it a shake before serving!
homemade salad dressing

Salad Variations

  • Add chickpeas for additional protein to turn this salad into a main dish!
  • Add chopped fresh parsley to add an herby flavor to the salad.
  • Try this with kale instead of romaine for a hearty base! Just be sure to massage the kale to soften it before adding the rest of the ingredients.
  • Try this salad with this Balsamic Vinaigrette dressing for a different taste.

What to Serve with an Italian Chopped Salad

This salad is a great thing to pair with my favorite eggplant dish, Pasta Alla Norma or Creamy Goat Cheese Pasta. But it’s also a great side dish for pizza night! Try it with this Caramelized Onion and Goat Cheese Pizza!

How to Store Leftovers

I don’t recommend making this salad too far in advance, but if you do think you’ll have leftovers, only add the dressing to the portions you plan to eat right away. Store leftover salad in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 day. Add a paper towel to the container, to help absorb moisture and keep the lettuce crisp.

More Salad Recipes

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salad recipe

Easy Italian Chopped Salad

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 3 reviews
  • Author: Liz Thomson
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 0 minutes
  • Total Time: 10 minutes
  • Yield: 8 cups 1x
  • Category: Salad
  • Method: Tossed
  • Cuisine: Italian
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Description

This easy Italian chopped salad is the perfect side dish to pair with your favorite pizza! It’s simple to make and you can prepare it while your pizza is in the oven!

Ingredients

Scale
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon lemon juice
  • 1/8 teaspoon of salt
  • Pinch of pepper
  • 2 hearts romaine lettuce, chopped
  • 1 red or yellow bell pepper, chopped
  • 4 oz feta, cubed
  • 1 large tomato, chopped
  • 1/4 cup pepperoncinis, chopped
  • 1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion
  • Salt & pepper to taste

Instructions

  1. Whisk together the olive oil, red wine vinegar, and lemon juice, salt and pepper, then set aside.
  2. In a large bowl, toss the romaine, bell pepper, feta, tomato, pepperoncinis, and red onion.
  3. Drizzle with salad dressing and toss to coat. Add additional salt and pepper to taste.

Notes

Pepperoncinis can be spicy, so substitute for bell pepper if you don’t like spicy flavors.

Looking for more salad recipe ideas? This spicy kale salad is so good with pizza or pasta!

spicy kale salad

When peaches are in season, this peach feta salad is perfect for pizza night!

peach feta salad

What’s your favorite kind of pizza?