My Favorite Italian Salad Food

ITALIAN CHOPPED SALAD

Italian Chopped Salad image

This Italian Chopped Salad rivals any restaurant Italian salad there is. It's one of my favorite chopped salad recipes because it's loaded with a variety of healthy ingredients tossed in a delicious homemade Italian dressing that will have you coming back for seconds!

Provided by Deborah

Categories Salads

Time 20m

Number Of Ingredients 21

Ingredients

2-1/2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1-1/2 tablespoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, plus more to taste
2 garlic cloves, minced
1-1/2 tablespoons minced kalamata olives
2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste
1-1/2 cups good extra-virgin olive oil
Half of a small red onion, halved through the core
1-1/2 cups canned garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
4 cups romaine lettuce (about 1 large or two small heads), rinsed, dried and chopped
2 cups radicchio (about 1 medium head)
1 pint small sweet cherry tomatoes, halved through the stem ends
1 large cucumber, peeled and seeded then cut in half and sliced
1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese (or 4 ounces aged provolone, sliced into strips)
5 peperoncini, stems cut off and discarded, thinly sliced
1/2 cup kalamata olives
1/2 cup Italian Vinaigrette
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Dired oregano, for sprinkling

Steps:

Slice the layers of onions lengthwise 1/16 inch thick. Place the onion slices in a small bowl of ice water and set aside.
Drain the onion and pat dry with paper towels before adding them to the salad.
Thinly slice the lettuce and radicchio.
In a large bowl, combine the lettuce, radicchio, tomatoes,cucumber, garbanzo beans, cheese, ,peperoncini, and onion slices.
Toss to thoroughly combine the ingredients.
Drizzle 1/2 cup of the vinaigrette and the juice of the lemon over the salad, then toss gently to coat the salad with the dressing.
Taste for seasoning and add more lemon juice, or vinaigrette if desired.
Sprinkle with extra oregano and serve.
Combine the vinegar, oregano, lemon juice, garlic, kalamata olives, Parmesan cheese, and pepper in a medium bowl and whisk to combine the ingredients.
Set aside for 5 minutes to marinate the oregano and basil.
Add the olive oil in a slow thin stream, whisking constantly to combine. You can also add all the ingredients to a glass jar with a lid and shake to combine.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 673 calories, Carbohydrate 26 grams carbohydrates, Cholesterol 5 milligrams cholesterol, Fat 62 grams fat, Fiber 6 grams fiber, Protein 7 grams protein, SaturatedFat 9 grams saturated fat, ServingSize 1, Sodium 1043 milligrams sodium, Sugar 11 grams sugar, TransFat 0 grams trans fat, UnsaturatedFat 51 grams unsaturated fat

SIMPLE ITALIAN SALAD

Simple Italian Salad image

Homemade croutons star in this easy Italian salad recipe, filled with grape tomatoes, olives and pepperoncinis. I like to serve it with fresh Italian or focaccia bread. —Nancy Granaman, Burlington, Iowa

Provided by Taste of Home

Categories Lunch

Time 30m

Yield 6 servings.

Number Of Ingredients 11

Ingredients

3 slices Italian bread, cubed
Butter-flavored cooking spray
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
2 bunches romaine, torn
2 cups grape tomatoes, halved
1 can (2-1/4 ounces) sliced ripe olives, drained
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 small red onion, thinly sliced and separated into rings
8 pepperoncini
1/2 cup fat-free Italian salad dressing

Steps:

Preheat oven to 450°. For croutons, spritz bread cubes with butter-flavored spray; place in a bowl. Sprinkle with Italian seasoning and garlic powder; toss to coat evenly. , Transfer to a greased 15x10x1-in. baking pan. Bake until golden brown, 8-10 minutes, stirring once or twice. Cool. , Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine romaine, tomatoes, olives, Parmesan cheese, onion and pepperoncini. Drizzle with salad dressing; toss to coat. Top with croutons.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 120 calories, Fat 3g fat (1g saturated fat), Cholesterol 3mg cholesterol, Sodium 943mg sodium, Carbohydrate 18g carbohydrate (5g sugars, Fiber 4g fiber), Protein 6g protein.