Fresh Italian Chopped Salad with Mozzarella and Salami
A fresh, vibrant Italian chopped salad loaded with crisp veggies, salami, mozzarella, and a zesty homemade dressing—perfect for a quick lunch or light dinner!
Servings: 4
Ingredients
For the Salad:
- 4 cups of Romaine lettuce chopped
- 1 cup of cherry tomatoes halved
- 1 cup of cucumber diced
- 1/2 cup of red onion thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup of black olives pitted and sliced
- 1/2 cup of fresh mozzarella cheese cubed
- 1/2 cup of green bell peppers diced
- 1/4 cup of banana peppers sliced
- 1/4 cup of salami sliced
- 2 tablespoons of chopped fresh basil
- 2 tablespoons of chopped fresh parsley
For the Zesty Dressing:
- 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil preferably labeled "extra-light tasting"
- 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
- 1 garlic clove minced
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice from 1 or 2 lemons
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
- 1 tablespoon sugar
Instructions
- Begin by chopping, dicing, and slicing the ingredients listed in the salad ingredients section.
- In a deep glass, combine all the dressing ingredients and use an immersion blender to mix them thoroughly.
- Assemble the salad by layering it in the following order: start with the chopped lettuce, followed by the halved cherry tomatoes, diced green bell peppers, diced cucumbers, cubed mozzarella cheese, sliced salami, thinly sliced red onions, sliced black olives, banana peppers, and the chopped basil and parsley.
- Finish by topping the layered salad with the prepared zesty dressing.Chop, dice, and slice all salad ingredients.
- Thoroughly mix all dressing ingredients in a deep glass using an immersion blender.
- Layer the salad in a bowl starting with lettuce, then tomatoes, bell peppers, cucumbers, mozzarella, salami, red onions, olives, banana peppers, basil, and parsley.
- Pour the prepared dressing over the layered salad.