Italian Chopped Salad – Barefeet in the Kitchen

It isn’t often that a salad manages to qualify as a full meal for my crew, but this Italian chopped salad checks all the boxes for us, with plenty of meat and cheese, crunchy fresh vegetables, tangy olives and pepperoncini, tossed in a zesty Italian dressing.

Italian Chopped Salad

This is a terrific make-ahead meal option for summer days and nights. Divide the prepped salad into separate containers or zip-close bags. Lay a paper towel in the containers or bags to help absorb any moisture that collects, and the salad will stay fresh longer.

When you’re ready to enjoy some salad, drizzle a portion of salad with the zesty Italian dressing and toss right before serving or eating. You can add croutons, chips, or even toast some garlic herb bread to enjoy along with the salad, if you’re like me and enjoy a bit of carb-y awesome crunch with your salads.

Chopped Italian Salad

The key to a great chopped salad is to make every bite the same size. My family goes a bit crazy over chopped salads, and they often comment how great it is to have a bit of each flavor in every bite. One of my boys even insists on reveling in his salad by eating it with a spoon. And the spoon never fails to make me laugh.

I’m willing to bet that after your first bite, you’ll agree that it is well worth the few minutes of extra effort to chop things small. To make a chopped salad, simply cut all the ingredients very small and as close to the same size as possible.

Want a shortcut to chopped salad happiness? Check out this salad chopping bowl. I rarely pick up single-task kitchen tools, but this salad chopper has been making me grin for a few weeks now.

And for washing your salad greens, nothing beats the original salad spinner. Apparently, salad-making tools earn their space in my kitchen, because I use the spinner several times a week for cleaning all sorts of greens.

In warm or cold weather, year-round, I tend to be all about the salad recipes. If you haven’t already figured out How To Eat A Salad Everyday, I wrote that post a few years ago and it is filled with plenty of tips and instructions for keeping your salads interesting and craveable day after day.

If you enjoy a great chopped salad as much as we do, this Bacon, Bleu Cheese, and Shrimp Salad combines crunchy bacon, garlicky shrimp, ripe avocado, juicy tomatoes, sweet corn, and creamy cheese, along with a generous handful of fresh parsley to brighten all of the flavors.