Italian Salad

from kristineskitchenblog.com

This Italian salad has crisp lettuce, crunchy veggies, olives, pepperoncini peppers and Parmesan cheese, all tossed in a zesty homemade Italian dressing. It's my go-to side salad for a pasta dinner, don't forget the garlic bread!

Prep Time20

Total Time20

Servings: servings

Calories: 309kcal

Ingredients

For the Salad:

6 cups (loosely packed) chopped romaine lettuce or mixed greens, or lettuce of choice
1 small cucumber chopped
¼ small red onion thinly sliced
1 cup cherry tomatoes halved
1 cup canned chickpeas rinsed and drained
½ cup pitted kalamata olives
½ cup sliced pepperoncini
¼ cup shredded Parmesan cheese

For the Salad Dressing:

6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
½ teaspoon dried basil
½ teaspoon dried parsley
½ teaspoon dried oregano
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon salt
⅛ teaspoon black pepper
½ teaspoon honey or more, to taste

Instructions

To Make the Dressing:

Combine all salad dressing ingredients in a small bowl. Whisk until everything is mixed together well. (You can also make the dressing in a jar with a tight-fitting lid and shake the jar to combine.)
Taste dressing and adjust seasonings as needed.

To Make the Salad:

Place lettuce in a large bowl. Add the cucumber, red onion, tomatoes, chickpeas, kalamata olives and pepperoncini.
Pour dressing over the salad, a little at a time, tossing to combine, until salad is dressed to your liking.
Sprinkle on the shredded Parmesan cheese and toss to mix in the cheese. Serve immediately.

Notes

Salad (without dressing) can be made up to 2-3 days ahead of time and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Toss the salad with the dressing right before serving. The dressing can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

Nutrition

Nutrition information is only an estimate.