In 20 minutes you can have this Italian Chopped Salad with all the goodness of an antipasto platter ready to serve. Loaded with salami, pepperoni, cheeses, olives, pepperoncinis, fresh veggies, and our favorite bottled Italian dressing, this restaurant-style salad is perfect for serving your family or a crowd any time of year.
Check out all of our favorite Vegetable Side Dish Recipes we just can't get enough of!
Every year at Christmas my husband's side of the family has a progressive dinner. We split up the courses of a meal, and each family serves one course. Then we pack up and move to the next house for the next course. One year my sister-in-law served us this for the salad course. Oh. My. It has been a family favorite ever since.
Think of it like a restaurant-style antipasto salad. This one has been modeled after Buca di Beppo's. It is so good that it has been served at graduation celebrations, big Sunday Dinners, holiday feasts, and as part of our Game Day Recipes spread. Chopping up enough for 25 or 50 doesn't take much longer, which makes it a dream to serve a crowd.
Recipe Notes from Danielle & Misty
After making this at least 4-5 times per year for the past 15 years, we've nailed down the best ratio of toppings to lettuce. Along the way there have been many different dressings: ones with too much cheese, too much vinegar, the wrong kind of vinegar, or not enough flavor. The brands we like best are listed below.
The other thing that really matters with a chopped salad is the size of the chop. You want each bite to get a little bit of several toppings and flavors. That is what makes a chopped salad so good, it's more than just a forkful of lettuce with a little topping here or there.
My best recommendation? Make more than you think you need. Every single time I make this salad, the serving bowl gets completely devoured.
Made this salad for a group today - it was SO good and pretty too. Lots of compliments. Will definitely be on my regular rotation.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ - Susan
Ingredients for Italian chopped salad
Ingredient quantities are in the recipe card below, but here are a few noteworthy tips.
- Iceberg lettuce: In this case using a head of lettuce and cutting it yourself is key. Bagged salad won't come chopped in small enough pieces, and in a chopped salad similar-sized pieces are key.
- Pepperoni: If using pizza-sized or larger, cut to size. Mini ones are already the perfect size.
- Salami: Thinly-sliced dry salami is my preference.
- Provolone: Creamy and mild. Pre-sliced from the deli or in the package works great.
- Feta: Salty, creamy, and full of flavor. Athenos and President are my favorite brands.
- Tomatoes: Romas are perfect, but you can substitute with cherry tomatoes if desired.
- Red onion: Slightly milder flavor than regular onions.
- Cucumber: English cucumbers are best, but if you substitute with regular cucumbers be sure to peel them first.
- Black and green olives: Fruity bursts of salty flavor.
- Pepperoncinis: These provide a vinegary bite with a touch of heat. Cuts through the richness of the meat and cheese.
- Dried oregano: Rub between your fingers to release the oils.
- Bernstein's Restaurant Recipe Italian or Newman's Own Family Recipe Italian: Both of these dressings are great on this salad. (This is not sponsored in any way. We just really do use these dressings.)
Helpful kitchen tools
How to make Italian chopped salad
This salad can be broken down into three parts.
- Chop
- Combine
- Dress
First, chop the lettuce, pepperoni, salami, provolone, tomatoes, red onion, and cucumbers into approximately the same size pieces. Second, add in the feta and olives. Rub the dried oregano between your fingertips then sprinkle over the top and mix everything together. Finally, toss with the dressing.
Honestly, so much reward for so little work. Seems too good to be true, but it's not.
Variations
- Add in blue cheese, little mozzarella pearls, or top with a grating of parmesan.
- For a bit more substance add chickpeas or navy beans.
- If you want to make your own dressing, use the one from this Greek Quinoa Salad post. It is delicious.
- Use romaine lettuce or a mix of the two.
What to serve with Italian chopped salad
These are some of our favorites recipes to serve alongside and after this crowd-pleasing salad.
- 25 Minute Lemon Broccoli Pasta
- Easy Chicken Piccata Pasta
- Beef and Pork Meatballs
- Crispy Chicken Parmesan
- Simple Chicken Piccata with Artichokes
- Cast Iron Pan Pizza (check out 50 Side Dishes for Pizza for a full list of ideas!)
- Italian Stuffed Pepper Casserole
- Chocolate Lava Cakes for a Crowd
- Applebee's Blondie Recipe
Tips & Tricks
- Thoroughly dry the lettuce. I use this salad spinner to make quick work of it. But laying out clean kitchen towels and gently rolling them up will do the trick. Just know that method takes a little bit longer.
- Chop things in relatively the same size. A chopped salad is about texture.
- DO NOT dress the salad until right before serving. It will continue to soften as it sits so last minute is key.
- Also, don't overdo the dressing. Soggy salad is not your friend. Slowly add the the dressing. Mix well and taste. It would be better to slightly under dress the salad and serve extra dressing on the side. That way people can choose how much dressing they want.
More recipes
Looking for other recipes? Try these:
Recipe
Italian Chopped Salad (with options for a crowd)
Ingredients
Small size (feeds 6-8)
- 8 cups iceberg lettuce diced, about 1 small head
- 1½ ounces pepperoni diced
- 1½ ounces salami diced
- 1½ ounces provolone diced
- ½ cup tomatoes, roma or cherry diced
- ¼ cup red onion diced
- ¼ cup English cucumber diced
- 1 tablespoon pepperoncini peppers sliced
- black and green olives
- 1 ounce feta
- ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ cup Bernstein's Restaurant Recipe Italian or Newman's Own Family Recipe Italian plus more to taste
Large Size (feeds about 25)
- 24 cups iceberg lettuce diced, about 2 large heads or 3 small
- 6 ounces pepperoni diced
- 6 ounces salami diced
- 6 ounces provolone diced
- 2 cups tomatoes, roma or cherry diced
- 1½ cup red onion diced
- 1½ cup English cucumbers diced
- ¼ cup pepperoncini peppers sliced
- black and green olives
- 4 ounces feta
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 cup Newman's Own Family Recipe Italian plus more to taste
Instructions
- Please note that the ingredients listed underneath each step are for the small salad that feeds 6-8. For a salad that serves a large crowd, please use the ingredient quantities listed above under "Large Size."
- Chop the lettuce, pepperoni, salami, provolone, tomatoes, red onion, and cucumbers into approximately the same size pieces. Add to mixing bowl. Note: If making the large size salad, please reference amounts above.8 cups iceberg lettuce, 1½ ounces pepperoni, 1½ ounces salami, 1½ ounces provolone, ½ cup tomatoes, roma or cherry, ¼ cup red onion, ¼ cup English cucumber
- Add in the feta and olives. Sprinkle dried oregano over the top and toss everything together.black and green olives, 1 ounce feta, ¼ tsp dried oregano, 1 tbsp pepperoncini peppers
- Pour in about half the dressing. Mix everything together. Taste and add more dressing as desired. Pour into serving bowl.¼ cup Bernstein's Restaurant Recipe Italian or Newman's Own Family Recipe Italian
Notes
Add Your Own Notes
Nutrition
All nutrition information is provided by a third party and is an estimate only. Use your own nutritional calculator for more specific measurements.
The nutritional information above only includes the basic components of the salad. Depending on amounts this information will vary tremendously. Please use nutritional calculator of your own to determine the calorie content of your salad.
Cynthia says
One of my very favorite salads!!
Danielle says
So glad you enjoy it!
Lyn says
I look forward to using this salad for an upcoming family gathering! I like the illustration of the bowl with triangular sections of each ingredient. How do you achieve that look?
Danielle says
Hello! In order to get that look we put down a base layer of lettuce. Then take each of the toppings and arrange them in that pattern creating a "pizza slice" out of each one alternating colors. Hope that helps! We would love to hear how it turns out.
CJ says
I made this yesterday to have for lunch today and it was amazing. I could have eaten just that salad and nothing else. It's definitely a keeper. Thanks for the great recipe.
Danielle says
I can totally relate! It is super yummy. Thanks so much for taking the time to let us know. You can't know how that makes our day!
Susan says
Made this salad for a group today - it was SO good and pretty too. Lots of compliments. Will definitely be on my regular rotation. Thanks!
Misty says
That makes us so happy to hear! Thanks for sharing. We're glad you all loved it!
Ella says
I made it for dinner last night, took for lunch today then made it again for dinner tonight. I have to do it again and again! I loved it!
Danielle says
It does have an addicting quality, doesn't it? So happy to hear that you enjoyed it. Thanks for leaving a review!!
Karen says
Very good!
Danielle says
So glad you liked it!