Home > Salads > Leafy Green Salads > Italian Salad Italian Salad April 7, 2019 | 29 Comments SAVE TO RECIPE BOX Jump to Recipe This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy. Delicious and flavorful Italian Salad with a perfect herb dressing and plenty of veggies is easy to customize. Why We Love This Italian Salad Customizable: Adapts easily to personal preferences with various veggies and proteins. Tasty Dressing: Features a fresh, herb-based olive oil dressing. Veggie Packed: Offers a flavorful mix of vegetables and optional protein sources. Refreshing: The crunchy veggies and tangy dressing give a fresh and delicious flavor. Simple: Quick to assemble with make-ahead options for convenience. Complementary: Perfect side dish to compliment any meal. Ingredients In Italian Salad Salad: Lettuce: Forms the crisp foundation in this salad. Cucumbers, artichokes, tomatoes, olives: Gives the salad different textures and flavors. Avocado: Adds creaminess. Parmesan cheese and croutons: Gives a salty flavor and crunch. Dressing: Dressing: Combine parsley, basil, oregano, garlic, red wine vinegar, sugar, and olive oil for a balanced blend of fresh herbal taste, spice, tanginess, sweetness, and a rich, smooth base. How To Make Italian Salad Dressing: Blend parsley, basil, oregano, garlic, vinegar, sugar, salt, pepper, and olive oil. Chill. Salad: Toss Romaine lettuce, cucumbers, artichokes, tomatoes, olives, and optional pepperoncini in a bowl. Serve: Add dressing, avocado, Parmesan, and croutons just before serving. Adjust seasoning. STORAGE Make-ahead: Prepare dressing and salad components separately, refrigerate, and combine just before serving. Storage: Store dressing and salad ingredients (excluding avocado, cheese, and croutons) separately in airtight containers in the fridge. Add perishables fresh when serving. Variations Make into an Italian Pasta Salad by replacing the lettuce with rotini pasta. Replace or add any of the veggies for bell peppers, red onion, banana peppers, green olives, or sun-dried tomatoes. Add protein like this grilled steak, chicken, or for a plant-based option add Air Fryer Chickpeas. More Italian-Style Dishes One-Pan Italian Sausage and Veggies Caprese Salad Italian Chickpea Salad Panzanella Salad Chicken Salad with Apples FOLLOW ALONG! Subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram for the latest updates, recipes and content. Easy Italian Salad 4.96 from 21 votes - Review this recipe Delicious and flavorful Italian Salad with a perfect herb dressing and plenty of veggies is easy to customize. SAVE TO RECIPE BOX Print Recipe Easy Italian Salad 4.96 from 21 votes - Review this recipe SAVE TO RECIPE BOX Print Recipe Delicious and flavorful Italian Salad with a perfect herb dressing and plenty of veggies is easy to customize. Course Salad Cuisine Italian Keyword italian salad Prep Time 15 minutes minutes Total Time 15 minutes minutes Servings 12 servings Chelsea Lords Calories 170kcal Author Chelsea Lords Cost $5.60 IngredientsFor the Dressing▢ 1 cup fresh flat-leaf Italian parsley, loosely packed, chopped (measured into 1 cup before chopping)▢ 1/4 cup packed fresh basil leaves chopped▢ 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano▢ 2 cloves garlic minced▢ 1/4 cup red wine vinegar▢ 1 teaspoon white sugar▢ Freshly cracked black pepper and fine sea salt▢ 3/4 cup extra virgin olive oilFor the Salad▢ 1 large head Romaine lettuce washed, dried and cut into bite-sized pieces▢ 3/4 cup English cucumbers halved and quartered▢ 1/2 cup artichokes drained and coarsely chopped (Note 1)▢ 1/2 cup grape tomatoes halved▢ 1/3 cup pitted black olives halved▢ 1 large avocado, chopped or thinly sliced▢ Croutons store-bought or homemade▢ Optional: pepperoncini, parmesan cheese InstructionsDRESSING: In a food processor/blender, combine chopped parsley, chopped basil, oregano, garlic cloves, red wine vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper (1/4 teaspoon pepper and 3/4 teaspoon salt). Pulse until combined. Slowly add olive oil while pulsing until combined, being careful not to overmix to avoid a metallic taste. Refrigerate dressing in a Mason jar. Shake before use to recombine ingredients.ASSEMBLE: In a large bowl, combine chopped lettuce, cucumbers, artichokes, tomatoes, olives, and optional pepperoncini. Just before serving, add half of dressing, avocado, and Parmesan cheese, tossing well. Adjust dressing as needed to coat lettuce generously. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Top with croutons and additional Parmesan cheese. Serve immediately.SERVING: Add avocado, dressing, cheese, and croutons only to the portion of salad that will be finished immediately. This salad doesn't hold well with dressing; leftover salad may result in soggy croutons and browning avocado. Video Recipe NotesNote 1: Often, I'll trade out artichokes for thinly sliced baby sweet bell peppers. Nutrition FactsCalories: 170kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 1mg | Sodium: 100mg | Potassium: 175mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 762IU | Vitamin C: 11mg | Calcium: 39mg | Iron: 1mg We do our best to provide accurate nutritional analysis for our recipes. Our nutritional data is calculated using a third-party algorithm and may vary, based on individual cooking styles, measurements, and ingredient sizes. Please use this information for comparison purposes and consult a health professional for nutrition guidance as needed. DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE? I love hearing from you when you've made one of my recipes! Tag me on Instagram at @ChelseasMessyApron or leave me a comment below.
I’ve eaten three batches of this salad using my original dressing. I swear I could eat it every day! Making for a party next week too. Best dressing ever! Reply
LOVE this dressing!! It makes the salad next level! Even my “ranch dressing only” daughter liked the dressing!! Thanks. Reply
The dressing was out of this world! I topped my salad with some chicken breast and it hit the spot Reply
This is my go to salad! I get compliments on it every time I serve it to someone new. The dressing is so easy and amazing. I love this salad! Reply
Loved this salad—- but the dressing didn’t keep well for me. Once refrigerated it turned really thick, almost paste like in the jar. Idk what I did wrong Reply
You didn’t do anything wrong! That’s just the olive oil solidifying, which it does at cold temps. Take the vinaigrette out of the fridge about 20-30 minutes or so before you need it to bring it back up to temperature; then shake it up to remix. Reply