Creamy Italian Chopped Salad is a hearty dish made with loads of flavor and lots of savory, filling ingredients. Packed with your favorites, this provolone, pepperoni, and salami dish is an easy crowd pleaser!
The heartiest creamy Italian salad
There's nothing quite like a homemade salad complete with your own croutons — it just tastes extra refreshing! And when it comes to this creamy Italian chopped salad, things are just as savory, hearty, and filling as they are refreshing.
To make this meaty salad filled with loads of flavor, we're rolling up (literally) cheese, salami, and pepperoni for a delicious Italian-style flavor in every bite. Oh, and we're also whipping up a yummy mayo and yogurt dressing as the perfect finishing touch!
This is my go-to salad when I want something with a bit more oomph, and it's perfect as a main course or side dish for a crowd. Let's dig in!
Italian chopped salad recipe ingredients
To begin making your Italian chopped salad recipe, gather ingredients for both the salad and the dressing. For each part, we're using flavor-filled ingredients that pack a punch!
Salad
- Lettuce: Start with 2 medium heads of chopped romaine lettuce.
- Meats and cheeses: Next, you will need 10 slices of each of the following: provolone, pepperoni, genoa salami, and ham.
- Onion: As for onion, include ½ of a red onion cut into thin slices. This will add a delicious potent flavor to the dish.
- Pepper: Cut 1 red pepper into thin slices to add a bit of a tasty crunch.
- Pepperoncini peppers: Next, include ½ cup of pickled, chopped pepperoncini peppers.
- Bread: ½ of a small loaf of old country bread will be used as the homemade croutons. Stale is better!
- Avocado oil: Use 2 tablespoon of avocado oil for baking the bread pieces.
- Salt: Finally, ¼ teaspoon will be used to sprinkle on the bread before baking.
Dressing
- Mayo: The base of the dressing will be made of ¼ cup of mayo.
- Yogurt: Combine that with ¼ cup of plain Greek yogurt to add flavor and thickness.
- Garlic: Next, throw in 2 cloves of minced garlic.
- Oregano: For flavor, add 1 teaspoon of oregano.
- Salt and pepper: Include ½ teaspoon each of salt and pepper.
- Red Pepper Flakes: Last but not least, optionally add a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes for a bit of heat.
Tools needed to create this dish
To make creamy Italian chopped salad, you will need a baking sheet, parchment paper, large mixing bowl, cutting board, chopping knife, and whisk!
Grab the following measuring cups: ¼ tsp, ½ tsp, 1 tsp, 1 tbsp, ¼ cup, and ½ cup.
How to make creamy Italian chopped salad
This salad is made like any other, there's just a bit of rolled up meats and baked croutons thrown in! Expect this recipe prep to take about 20 minutes from start to finish.
To begin, preheat the oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Next, prepare the salad by adding all of the salad ingredients to a bowl.
Make meat roll ups by stacking a slice of provolone, ham, pepperoni, and salami, in that order. Repeat 10 times. Once rolled up, slice into thin pinwheels.
Prepare the rest of the salad by assembling lettuce, red onion, red pepper, and pepperoncini, and then add the meat pinwheels.
Cut the bread into cubes, toss with the avocado oil and salt, and bake at 350ªF for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown. Add to the salad.
While the bread is toasting, make the dressing by whisking together the remaining ingredients.
Add the dressing to the salad, toss to coat, and enjoy!
Italian salad add on ideas
The options for these salads are endless! Here are some more easy ingredients that you can add if you'd like.
- Cherry tomatoes
- Mozzarella balls
- Celery
- Black olives
- Green pepper
Go vegetarian-style
If you want to enjoy an Italian salad without the meat, there are a couple of options to consider! First, you can replace the meats with plant-based alternatives like Lightlife slices or Yves Veggie Pepperoni. Additionally, you can simply skip the meat and throw in chickpeas for a delicious, meatless alternative that supplies protein.
How to store leftovers
Leftover Italian chopped salad can be kept in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. Use an airtight container to keep things fresh, and I recommend keeping the salad, croutons, and dressing separate to prevent soggy lettuce and bread.
If you liked this recipe, you'll want to try these!
You need more mouth watering salads in your life, and lucky for you I have a bunch of ideas for you to enjoy! Here are some of my favorites, kicking off with a savory zucchini noodle rendition (with walnut pesto).
- Zucchini Noodle Caprese Salad with Walnut Pesto
- Cranberry Quinoa Salad
- Pear Salad with Dijon Vinaigrette
- Healthy Greek Pasta Salad (Gluten-Free)
All recipes by Erin Morrissey and Photos by Sierra Inn
Creamy Italian Chopped Salad
Ingredients
Method
- Preheat oven to 350F and line baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Cut bread into cubes, toss with avocado oil and salt, and bake for 10-15 minutes at 350 until golden brown.
- Prepare salad by adding all lettuce to a bowl.
- Chop all meat and cheese into bite sized pieces.
- Prepare rest of salad by assembling lettuce, red onion, red pepper, and pepperoncini. Then add meat and cheese to the top.
- While bread is toasting, make salad dressing by whisking together all of the ingredients.
- Add the croutons and dressing to salad and toss to coat.
Kirsten says
Loved this recipe! Easy to make and quick chopping! I made this as a dish to pass at a friends cookout this weekend! The leftovers were just as yummy!
Erin says
Hi Kirsten, so happy you all loved it!!
Lakyn m says
Ok- I have made this over a dozen times. Obsessed with it in any season and love how easy it is and how I can add anything in it! My all time fav
Erin says
Hi Lakyn, so glad you love the salad so much!!
Lakyn says
Ok- I have made this over a dozen times. Obsessed with it in any season and love how easy it is and how I can add anything in it! My all time fav
Erin says
Hi Lakyn, so glad you love it! 🙂
Kristin M says
Do not sleep on this salad! So good, so easy. Good all year round! It’s a frequent meal in rotation for us.
Erin says
Hi Kristin, so glad you loved it! 🙂
Val Dorsey says
SO DELICIOUS! Such a fun meal for football season. The dressing is so good. There was a lot of meat in the ratio so we added a 3rd head of romaine.
Erin says
Hi Val, so glad you loved it! 🙂
Sara T says
How long will the dressing last if I am making it for lunch all week?
Erin says
Hi Sara, it will last all week!
Erin says
Loved it! Where did you get the white scalloped bowl? I need this in my life!
Erin says
Hi Erin, so happy you liked the salad and it is my photographer's sorry!!
Ciara says
The star of this recipe is obviously the dressing! Creamy, zesty, herby. It’s perfect.
Erin says
Hi Ciara, so happy you loved it! 🙂
Brynn says
So delicious!! The dressing is amazing. Perfect when craving a hoagie but trying to eat healthy 🙂
Erin says
Hi Brynn, so happy you love it so much!!
Kayla says
My family all loved this, will definitely be a staple in our house! Great easy go to meal!
Erin says
Hi Kayla, so glad everyone enjoyed it!!
Ashley Sedler says
I made this for my whole family last night and everyone loved it!! This is going to be a staple salad in our house! So fresh and light!!! That dressing….so delicious!
Erin says
Hi Ashley, so happy it was a hit!!
Bri Wilbur says
This was a huge hit with me and my fiancé for an easy summer dinner! So tasty and a quick, easy meal to make!
Erin says
Hi Bri, so happy you both loved it! 🙂
Kirsten says
This was a huge hit with my hoagie-loving family! I subbed sour cream and white wine vinegar and it was great. Will be making again!
Erin says
Hi Kirsten, so happy everyone loved it and you made it your own!!
Erin says
Such a great summer dinner! Quick and delicious!
Erin says
Hi Erin, so glad you loved it! 🙂
Jenna S says
I had some leftover salami and pepperoni’s from making my husband sandwiches and decided to try this salad! I didn’t have red wine vinegar so I used balsamic vinegar and WOW - so so good. Took less than 10 minutes to put everything together. Thanks, Erin! And other fabulous recipe.
Erin says
Hi Jenna, so happy you loved it and made it your own! 🙂
Janet says
This salad tasted just like my favorite subject sandwich from Jersey Mike's. The Original Italian Sub. It was so delicious!
Erin says
Hi Janet, so happy you loved it!!
MaryKate says
This is one of my favorite salads ever!! I've made it countless times, and it's always a huge hit. Filling and so delish! Thanks, ELW!
Erin says
Hi MaryKate, so glad you loved it so much! 🙂
Ashley says
One of our favorites! Even my picky 4 year old loves this salad!!
Erin says
Hi Ashley, so glad it was such a big hit! 🙂
Steph says
Great salad! Meal prepped this for lunches and it was so delicious and filling.
Erin says
Hi Steph, so happy you loved it! 🙂
Jamie says
This has become a staple in our house. The DRESSING - so yummy!
Erin says
Hi Jamie, so glad everyone loves it!!
Tara says
This was absolutely delicious! My husband, who isn't even a fan of salads thought this was amazing! The dressing is on point!
Erin says
Hi Tara, so happy you both loved it! 🙂