My go-to salad recipe is this fresh and flavorful Italian Salad! (2024)

This fresh and flavorful Italian Salad is made with crisp lettuce, ripe tomatoes, red onion, sliced black olives, crunchy croutons, Parmesan cheeseand zesty pepperoncinis. All of that deliciousness gets tossed in an easy homemade Italian vinaigrette for an irresistible side dish, you’re going to want to serve with everything. It’s also great topped with chicken, shrimp or fishfor a light lunch or dinner.

Made this Italian salad for a small dinner party! Everyone loved it! Two people even asked for the recipe!

— Jeanne

I’m a total salad person. In fact, I try to eat one with all of my dinners (and many lunches, too!), no matter what is being served. My favorite salad recipe to whip up is this tasty Italian salad. It goes with just about everything from pasta to steak, and is super easy to throw together. There isn’t anything too fancy about it, but it has the best taste. Plus, it’s a great way to get in extra veggies!

Why you should make this recipe

• So delicious. This easy Italian salad is perfect for weeknight meals, but it is also great for serving to family and friends at dinner parties and potlucks because it is SO good.
• Easy to make. Everyone loves this salad recipe, yet there’s nothing complicated about it. Sometimes simple is best and that is true with this crowd-favorite recipe. It is perfection without any fuss!
• The perfect Italian side. This is great served alongside our favorite Italian-inspired recipes from spaghetti and meatballs to this easy baked chicken parmesan. And it’s a must when I bake up my easy lasagna recipe!

How to make the dressing

One of the best parts is the homemade Italian dressing! It’seasy to whisk together, with ingredients you probably already have in your kitchen. I love it so much more than store-bought dressing. You can make the vinaigrette in advance and keep it in the fridge for about 2 weeks. It’s great to have on-hand if you need to make a quick weeknight salad!

To make this Italian salad dressing, you’ll simply need to combine oil with red wine vinegar and seasonings. The oil and vinegar in vinaigrette dressings can separate, so it’s important to include the teaspoon of Dijon to keep the mixture from separating. You’ll also want to shake it up before each use. I like to whip mine up and store it in a mason jar with a lid.

Expert tips

This is super easy to toss together, but here are a few tips for the perfect Italian chopped salad!

• As previously mentioned, my family seriously loves this tossed with my easy Italian vinaigrette dressing, but you can use any dressing you’d like from blue cheese dressingto homemade ranch dressing.
• You can add other Italian-style ingredients to your salad such as sun dried tomatoes, marinated artichoke hearts, banana peppers, bell peppers, prosciutto, salami, kalamata olives, basil, parsley and/or pine nuts.
• This makes a great side dish, but amp it up and serve it as a main dish! I often enjoy it topped with my favorite grilled chicken. It’s also great with my foolproof pan fried salmon. And to keep it vegetarian, try adding chickpeas, white beans or even kidney beans.
• A goodquality olive oil is a must to make the BEST vinaigrette! This olive oil is my favorite and I also really like this more budget-friendly olive oil as well.

Frequently asked questions

Storage recommendations

Like most salad recipes, once the salad and dressing have combined, it is hard to store for any length of time. The dressing will quickly start to make the lettuce and croutons soggy. Only dress what you plan on eating and store the salad and dressing separately for longer storage. Both will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days.

If you try this recipe, let me know! Leave a comment and if your family loves it as much as mine does, be sure to giveit a five star ⭐️ rating! Also, tag @kimscravings on Instagramwith a picture of your creation. Be sure to subscribe to our mailing list to receive more healthy delicious recipes straight to your inbox.