Italian Chopped Salad with Toasted Oregano Dressing
Italian Chopped Salad with a delicious toasted oregano dressing, crisp romaine, salami, mozzarella, and fresh vegetables. It's a summer stunner.
Equipment
- None
Ingredients
- For the Dressing:
- ¼ cup red onion minced
- ¼ cup sherry vinegar
- 1 clove garlic crushed
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- For the Salad:
- 1 head romaine lettuce washed and chopped (about 8 cups)
- 2 ounces salami cut into matchsticks
- ½ cup small mozzarella balls
- ½ cup cherry tomatoes halved
- ½ cup cucumber thinly sliced
- ½ cup red pepper thinly sliced
- ½ cup artichoke hearts
- ½ cup cooked lupini beans or chickpeas
- 4 Pepperoncini
- Sea salt to taste
- Freshly cracked black pepper
Instructions
- Start the Salad Dressing: Mince the ¼ cup red onion and combine it with the ¼ cup sherry vinegar, 1 clove crushed garlic and ½ teaspoon salt in a small mixing bowl. Let it rest for 10 minutes while you make the salad.
- Preheat a small saute pan over medium heat and dry toast the ½ teaspoon of oregano until it’s fragrant and then add it to the red onion once it’s cooled.
- Make the Salad: Wash, dry and chop the head of romaine into bite sized pieces. Place it in a large bowl and add 2 ounces of cut salami, ½ cup each small mozzarella balls, halved cherry tomatoes, thinly sliced cucumber, thinly sliced red pepper, artichoke hearts and lupini beans.
- Finish the salad dressing: Add the ½ cup extra virgin olive oil to the salad dressing mixture. You’ll need to whisk or shake well right before dressing the salad to temporarily combine it.
- Dress the Salad: Combine the salad and the dressing, and season with sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper. Divide the salads between the plates, and garnish each salad with a pepperoncini. Serve immediately.