Fresh, crunchy, tangy, and addictive, this is my FAVORITE Italian Salad of all time and the perfect side dish to every meal.
I love a good dinner salad. The kind that's cool and refreshing with lots of crunch and tang, that will complement everything from soup to bread to meat off the grill.
THIS Italian Salad is my go-to side salad!Â
In fact, it's the salad that got 2 of my 3 kids to realize that salad actually isn't poisonous — it's that good!
Here's what we've got going on here in this lovely bowl:
A delightful mix of tender AND crunchy greens (so important!), sweet juicy tomatoes, fresh crisp cucumber, briney olives, salty parmesan, more croutons than one might think necessary, and a handful of pepperoncini peppers because that spicy, vinegary bite is just oh-so-fabulous.
Then drizzle that bowl with the ultra-vibrant Italian Salad Dressing, and you will find yourself addictively munching away like you just opened a bag of salty chocolate-covered cashews (my snack weakness).
I'm telling you, it goes with everything!
- Juicy meat hot off the grill? Heck yes! Especially if you chop it up and toss it into your salad!
- Soup? My favorite! Love a chilled side with a hot bowl of soup.
- Hot bread right out of the oven? Swoon, I love nothing better than a Swirly Garlic Roll and a big bowl of this salad.
Plan right now to quadruple the salad dressing and have it ready to go for the next two weeks. You'll be so happy you did!
WHY YOU WILL LOVE MY FAVORITE ITALIAN SALAD
- AN EXPERIENCE: The whole salad is an adventurous walk through the crunchy, crispy, cheesy, tangy land of my dreams. I love fun food, and this is FUN to eat.
- GOOD FOR YOU:Â Bonus when fun food is actually busting with veggies and dressing to nourish your body and soul.
- VERSATILE: Once you've got the dressing on hand, you really can use whatever vegetables and greens you have on hand. 90% of the time I eat it as written below, but if I have a few sad broccoli florets hangin' out in the fridge, they get to join the party.
HOW TO MAKE
- Whisk of the dressing in jar
- Prep and chop up the vegetables
- Arrange one big salad or smaller individual bowls
SEE RECIPE CARD BELOW FOR DETAILED COOKING INSTRUCTIONS
TIPS FOR SUCCESS
- PARMESAN SNOW: Use fresh parmesan, not the kind in the green bottle. I prefer to buy a block of parmesan and grate it myself on the finest grater I own. We call it “parmesan snow” because it's so fluffy and elevates salad beautifully. Totally worth the extra effort! I grate the whole thing and then store it in the freezer for ease on another night.
- TIPS FOR THE GREENS: I love a mix of crunchy and tender greens like spring mix plus romaine. But use what you love and what you have!
- MAKE THE DRESSING IN ADVANCE: This dressing gets even more vibrant as it sits. I love to make a double or triple batch at the beginning of the week, so I always have it on hand.
HOW TO STORE
- STORE: Store each fresh component of the salad separately. This will keep them fresh and easy to toss together whenever you need a salad side dish. Store dressing in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
MAKE AHEAD TIPS
- Dressing:Â As I mentioned, make a big batch and keep it on hand for a couple of weeks.
- Vegetables: Wash and prep your greens. Chop the vegetables. Store each in individual containers so you can quickly toss the salad together in a few minutes.
WHAT TO SERVE WITH ITALIAN SALAD
- Soup: I love it with heartier soups like Chili, Chicken Corn Chowder, or Beef Stew.
- Bread: Rolls, Breadsticks, Crusty Bread . . . Anything fresh out of the oven 🙂
- Meat: If meat is the main course, I'm gonna need a big salad to go alongside. I love it with this Pork Tenderloin.
- Pasta: Love this salad with this Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese or Lasagna!
VARIATIONS
- KALE SALAD: This dressing does wonders for kale! Drizzle a little on chopped kale and massage for 2-3 minutes until it's dark green and tender.
- CHOPPED SALAD: If you love a chopped salad, get in there with a sharp knife and chop everything into small pieces. You'll be in heaven!
- ADD MEAT: Diced pepperoni or salami is AMAZING! Grilled meat is also perfect.
If you ever join me for dinner, plan on me putting a giant-sized bowl of this in front of you with the cheesiest grin and a quiet giggle as I wait for you to take your very first bite.
And now that you never want to join me at my table, make it very soon at your home and let me know what you think!
Enjoy!
MORE INSTANT POT SALAD RECIPES
- Classic Italian Pasta Salad: Similar to this salad but with pasta. Also yummy!
- Mixed Berry Spinach Salad with Farro
- Nicoise Salad
Favorite Italian Salad
This Favorite Italian Salad is a joyful mix of crispy, crunchy, sweet, tangy, spicy flavors and is an absolute joy to eat!
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: Salad
- Method: Chopping
- Cuisine: Italian
- Diet: Gluten Free
Ingredients
For the Italian Salad Dressing
- ½ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup red wine vinegar
- 1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon honey
For the Salad
- 5 ounces mixed spring greens or chopped romaine (or a mix of both)
- 2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 cucumber, chopped (about 1 cup)
- 1 cup black olives
- ½ cup freshly grated or shaved parmesan cheese
- 1 cup garlic croutons
- Whole pepperoncini peppers (put 5 or so in the bowl depending on if you have people who like to eat them)
Instructions
- Prepare the Italian Salad Dressing: Combine all of the ingredients in a mason jar. Screw the lid on tightly and shake well to combine. This can be made up to a week or 2 in advance and stored in the fridge.
- Prepare the salad: Place greens in a large bowl and scatter the tomatoes, cucumbers, olives, parmesan, and croutons over top. Leave them on top or toss them into the greens.
- Arrange the pepperoncini peppers on top.
- You can drizzle the dressing over the top and toss or serve the salad with the dressing on the side.
- Serve immediately with an extra side of parmesan for anyone who wants an extra garnish.
Notes
- For the parmesan cheese, you can finely grate it so it’s like parmesan snow, or shave thin slices of it over the salad; whatever you prefer!
- Any salad green will work. I even like using kale and massaging it in a splash of the salad dressing to soften it before serving.
Trombley Sigrid says
You used the incorrect spelling of compliment/complement.
complement – this dressing complements the salad ingredients.
compliment – this salad is delicious
Marci says
Sigrid, I got it fixed! Thank you for correcting my error. I really do appreciate you catching that for me 🙂