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Home » Salads » Italian Salad Recipe: With Chopped Greens

Italian Salad Recipe: With Chopped Greens

December 31, 2016 , Updated May 18, 2019 Maria 10 Comments

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Best Italian Chopped Salad Greens in a bowl and close up.

This Italian Salad Recipe doesn’t just have a great texture – it also provides the wonderful flavor combinations of tangy and mildly bitter, with a hint of salt and sweetness that will leave you wanting more.

A large bowl of a colorful Italian Salad.

Italian Salad Recipe

I recently had a conversation with a colleague of mine as to when salads should be served: before, or after, the main course?

A Seafood Salad is without a doubt the best appetizer salad and a Italian Potato Salad is a great side salad dish.

My Italian upbringing dictated that green salad recipes are served at the end of a (big) meal… before the onslaught of cheese, fruit and, of course, desserts.

What about you?

Do you have a preference?

When do you serve this Italian salad?

During the same conversation, my colleague and I also discussed easy vs complicated recipes.

I don’t know about you, but when hosting, especially during the holidays, I like to have a balance between the two.

The presence of easy recipes gives me a sense of security, and creates an illusion that I have everything under control 😉 And nothing can be easier than a salad like this one.

Different varieties of salads in a bowl make this Italian Salad Recipe look very appetizing.

I can also assure you that it does not get any tastier than this Best Italian Chopped Salad Greens Recipe. Even if you are stuffed, you will always manage to have a few extra bites of this tossed Italian salad.

As in most salad recipes, you must put together two parts: the actual salad, and the dressing. 

I will usually combine the ingredients for the dressing in a mason jar, shake it vigorously, refrigerate it, and forget about it until I am ready to dress my salad. I will usually prepare the salad dressing the day before the big event.

A small head of endive salad ready to be chopped up.

As far as the actual salad recipe is concerned, I like to use a mixture of greens such as romaine, radicchio and endive.

I think everyone is familiar with romaine lettuce.

But what about these white veined purplish leaves?

Well, radicchio belongs to the chicory family, and has a distinctive, slightly bitter taste. According to Wikipedia, the vegetable can be traced back to the fifteenth century in the Veneto region of Italy. Radicchio is extremely pleasing to look at, and it’s a slightly healthier green than, say, iceberg lettuce!

Chopped up endive salad in a bowl.

As far as the endive is concerned, it also belongs to the chicory family. It is equally crispy, providing a slightly bitter taste, but is a lot nuttier than the radicchio. Both of these veggies will provide you with a healthy dose of vitamins, minerals, and even a little bit of fiber.

Wedge of the ricotta salata used to make the best Italian salad.

You are probably familiar with the rest of the salad ingredients. I would like to bring your attention to just two others. The first is the Roasted Garlic Cloves. It really is an easy recipe to make, and it is a game changer as far as taste is concerned.

The second is the ricotta salata. As you probably know, ricotta is a sheep milk’s cheese. Unlike its fresh, moist and wet counterpart ( Creamy Homemade Fresh Ricotta Cheese ), ricotta salata is an aged, pressed cheese whose final product has a crumbly, yet firm texture, with a salty, almost tangy flavor.

It is great to use in salads as it complements the bitterness from the greens perfectly. You should be able to find this cheese in your specialty cheese shop.

I will usually toss all the salad ingredients together. Then, when the time is right, just pour the dressing over the top, toss and plate.  Simply serve with a nice crusty bread. Whole wheat, of course!

A close up shot of the Best Italian Chopped Salad Greens.

Origins of the Italian Salad Recipe:

Along with this Refreshing Italian Fennel Citrus Salad, this was one of my Mom’s signature salads. Both of these salads are so ridiculously easy to put together. As an added bonus, they are definite crowd pleasers.

This Italian green salad will provide you and your guests with a colorful and tasty way to end any meal. I hope you enjoy this recipe.

THANKS SO MUCH for following and being part of the She Loves Biscotti community where you will find Simple & Tasty Family-Friendly Recipes with an Italian Twist.

Ciao for now,

Maria

★★★★★ If you have made this Italian chopped salad recipe, I would love to hear about it in the comments below and be sure to rate the recipe!

 

A close up of Italian greens in a big bowl.

Best Italian Chopped Salad Greens Recipe

Italian Salad Recipe

This Italian Salad Recipe has great texture & provides wonderful flavor combinations in just one bite.
5 from 2 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Salad
Cuisine: Italian
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 284kcal
Author: Maria Vannelli RD

Ingredients

The Dressing:

  • 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
  • 1-2 oven roasted garlic cloves minced and smashed into a paste
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt or to taste
  • generous pinch of pepper or to taste
  • 1 teaspoon honey

The Salad:

  • 1 large head romaine lettuce washed, dried and chopped
  • 1 head radicchio washed, dried and chopped
  • 1 head endive washed, dried and chopped
  • 1/4 cup parsley washed, dried and finely chopped
  • 4-5 fresh basil leaves washed, dried and torn up
  • 1 small cucumber washed, dried and chopped
  • 1 celery rib washed, dried and chopped (I also chop about 1 tablespoon of the celery leaves)
  • 1 cup cherry tomatoes washed, dried and chopped in half (about 1 large handful)
  • 1/2 cup pitted green olives
  • 1/2 cup crumbled Ricotta Salata in a pinch, can substitute with feta cheese
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Instructions

The Dressing:

  • Combine all the ingredients for the dressing in a mason jar.
  • Cover and shake vigorously.
  • Refrigerate until ready to be used (I will usually make the dressing the day before I need it).

The Salad:

  • In a large mixing bowl, add all the salad ingredients.
  • Toss to combine.
  • Shake the dressing one final time before pouring over your salad.
  • Toss well.
  • Transfer to your serving platter.
  • Serve immediately.
Scroll UP for the STEP by STEP PhotosDon't miss the process shots and videos included in most posts. Simply scroll up the post to find them. Those were created especially for you so that you can make the recipe perfectly every single time you try it.

Notes

Please keep in mind that the nutritional information provided below is just a rough estimate and variations can occur depending on the specific ingredients used. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 284kcal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 25g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 15mg | Sodium: 621mg | Potassium: 632mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 3870IU | Vitamin C: 24mg | Calcium: 159mg | Iron: 2.1mg
Tried this recipe?Mention @shelovesbiscotti or tag #shelovesbiscotti!

 

 

 

 

 
 

Salads, Vegetarian

About Maria

Maria Vannelli is a registered dietitian who lives in a suburb just outside Montreal, Canada. She's the founder of the food blog She Loves Biscotti. Maria hopes to inspire you and bring you and your loved ones closer together at meal times enabling you to create some memorable moments.

Comments

  1. Nella says

    October 20, 2020 at 17:21

    5 stars
    Had lots of radicchio and I’m so glad I found this recipe.
    It was simply perfect! Thank you!

    Reply
    • Maria says

      October 20, 2020 at 21:03

      Fantastic Nella! Glad to hear you enjoyed the recipe! Thanks for taking the time to comment, appreciate it!

      Reply
  2. Amy says

    July 13, 2017 at 17:40

    5 stars
    Thank you so much for posting this. My fiance declared that this was the best salad he ever had in his life!

    Reply
    • Maria says

      July 13, 2017 at 17:45

      Fantastic Amy! Glad you enjoyed it 🙂 Thanks so much for taking the time to comment, truly appreciate it ♥

      Reply
  3. Nicoletta @sugarlovespices says

    January 8, 2017 at 18:16

    This is my kind of salad! Lovely, delicious and so nutritious! Loved seeing the use of radicchio, together with romaine and endive, and also ricotta salata. No cucumbers, for me, though, but that’s my personal taste 🙂 . I’ve always known that the salad has to be enjoyed at the end of the meal or as a side to the “secondo”. I’ve never seen anyone in Italy starting with a salad, unless it is in antipasto form (like insalata di mare with seafood). Pinned it, so beautiful!

    Reply
    • Maria says

      January 8, 2017 at 20:59

      Thank-you Nicoletta! We are so lucky to have so much wonderful produce in the dead of winter… Thanks for taking the time to comment 🙂

      Reply
  4. Barbarito-Levitt Paula says

    January 6, 2017 at 17:55

    Always after the meal…no question. That being said this salad is a meal in and of itself and your instructions for preparing it as part of a large meal are spot on.

    Reply
    • Maria says

      January 8, 2017 at 20:56

      Thanks so much Paula. I just love salads. In my mind I am already planning my summer garden… can’t wait! Thanks so much for taking the time to comment 🙂

      Reply
  5. Sonia and mom says

    December 31, 2016 at 19:26

    My dear Mary and family thinking about you and wishing you all health ❤️ ✌???? thanks for the greatest recipes and your wonderful precious memories of your loving family god bless

    Reply
    • Maria says

      January 2, 2017 at 09:08

      Thank you so much Sonia and mom ♥♥♥

      Reply

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Hello and Welcome to She Loves Biscotti!
I'm Maria: dietitian and full time content creator. Join me as I share traditional Italian recipes from my youth, to modern twists on classics using fresh and seasonal ingredients.

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