So I am definitely on this salad kick these days. It is definitely better than a butter and heavy cream kick. That is usually my November/December kick.
Another salad post, you might be thinking…
These salads are so much better than your usual salads. I mean this kale salad? I could eat this DAILY. I am talking about kale and saying I could eat it daily. You know it MUST be good! This taco salad? A pure win with my family. My five year old who is the pickiest of all my kids (who aren’t really picky at all, so he probably isn’t too picky to most standards, but to us, he is picky!) will eat this salad as if he hasn’t eaten in days!
This Italian Chopped Salad is good with a lasagna just pulled from the oven, but can also stand on its own as a meal. The tangy, flavorful dressing pulls all the crunchy veggies together and the decadent tasting croutons make this indulgent without it really being an indulgence. As I say with all my salad recipes, this can be easily customized to your tastes too. Feel free to add different veggies, cheeses and meats that you like, or take away the things you do not.
I love this salad with some crusty bread, or along side a pizza that we ordered in. So, dig in, and enjoy those vegetables in a way that tastes good!
- SALAD:
- 4 cups chopped romaine lettuce
- 4 cups chopped spinach leaves
- 1 cucumber, peeled, quartered
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, quartered
- 1 red pepper, diced
- 1/ 2 cup asiago cheese, cubed
- ½ cups pepperoni, cubed
- Other options:
- red onion
- artichokes
- black olives
- green olives
- blue cheese
- cooked, cubed chicken
- roasted red peppers
- CROUTONS:
- 1 loaf crusty bread, cubed
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 2 tsp garlic salt
- 2 tsp dried Italian Seasoning
- 2 tsp dried thyme
- ½ tsp black pepper
- DRESSING:
- ⅔ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp garlic salt
- ½ tsp onion salt
- 2 tsp Italian Seasoning
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- Combine dressing ingredients in a jar. Shake well and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- To make the croutons:
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees
- Line a 13x9 baking sheet with parchment paper
- Toss bread cubes with olive oil and spices in a large bowl
- Spread in a layer on baking sheet
- Bake for 15 minutes
- Turn off oven but leave croutons in there until oven completely cools down
- Remove and let sit for 10 more minutes
- Combine all salad vegetables/cheese/meat in a bowl
- Toss with croutons and dressing
- Serve immediately
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