Big Italian Salad
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This big Italian salad is loaded with big flavor, fresh veggies, and zesty homemade dressing—just the kind of salad that makes any dinner feel special.
This big Italian salad is my go-to for spaghetti and meatballs, bolognese, pasta e fagioli, baked ziti, zuppa Tosacana, focaccia, or anything else in that Italian comfort food realm. The homemade dressing is what makes it so good. Think of it as a much, much-improved version of that bottled Italian vinaigrette dressing sitting in your fridge door. It takes just a few minutes to make—and if you’re used to the beige bottled stuff, you’ll be surprised to see how fresh herbs make this vinaigrette a beautiful and vibrant green.
Feel free to get creative with this salad—swap in your favorite veggies or add some diced salami, prosciutto, or grilled chicken, or roasted chickpeas for a protein boost. Topping it off with homemade croutons would also be delicious.
“We LOVE this salad!! Sometimes I add pepperoncini and artichoke hearts. The dressing is so fresh and herby. It’s our go-to salad for Italian dinners.”
What You’ll Need To Make A Big Italian Salad
- Herbs: Fresh basil and parsley bring fresh herb flavor to the dressing, while dried oregano adds that classic taste. (Pro tip: Many chefs prefer dried oregano over fresh because drying concentrates its earthy, slightly peppery flavor while also mellowing out the bitterness that fresh oregano can sometimes have.)
- Red wine vinegar, extra-virgin olive oil, honey, and garlic: Combine to create a balanced vinaigrette that’s tangy, slightly sweet, and rich with a garlicky flavor.
- Romaine lettuce: Crisp and refreshing—pre-washed romaine hearts make it easy.
- Romaine lettuce, red bell pepper, cucumbers, carrots, and grape tomatoes: This mix of greens and veggies adds crispness, vibrant color, sweetness, and crunch.
- Pitted olives and ricotta salata or feta cheese: Bring briny, salty, and creamy richness to the salad.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-by-Step Instructions
Make the dressing. In a food processor, combine the parsley, basil, oregano, garlic, red wine vinegar, olive oil, salt, pepper, and honey. Pulse until blended.
Step 2: Toss the salad and adjust to taste. Add all the salad ingredients to a large bowl. Right before serving, pour on about half the dressing and toss well. Add more dressing as needed—the greens should be generously coated. Taste and season with extra salt and pepper, if needed.
Pro tip: Save any extra dressing for another time—it lasts nicely in the fridge for up to 4 days and is great on just about everything, from sandwiches and grilled veggies to roasted potatoes.
More Italian salads and dressings you may like
Big Italian Salad
Crunchy, colorful, and bursting with flavor, this salad is the perfect side to brighten any hearty Italian dinner, from pasta to pizza.
Ingredients
For the Vinaigrette
- 1 cup loosely packed fresh Italian parsley leaves
- 1 cup loosely packed fresh basil leaves
- ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled
- ⅓ cup red wine vinegar, best quality such as Pompeian Gourmet
- ¾ cup extra virgin olive oil, best quality such as Lucini or Colavita
- Heaping ¾ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 teaspoons honey
For the Salad
- 1 large head romaine lettuce (or 3 hearts), washed, dried and cut into large, bite-sized pieces
- 1 large red bell pepper, chopped
- 1 cup seeded and chopped hothouse cucumbers
- 1 to 2 carrots, peeled into ribbons
- Handful grape tomatoes, halved
- Handful pitted olives
- Ricotta Salata or Feta, crumbled to taste
Instructions
- Make the dressing: Combine all dressing ingredients in a food processor and blitz to blend.
- Place all of the salad ingredients except for the cheese in a large bowl. Right before serving, add about half of the dressing and toss well. Add more dressing little by little as necessary; be sure to dress greens very generously, otherwise salad will be bland. Toss in the cheese, then taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper, if necessary.
- Note: Ricotta salata is an Italian sheep's milk cheese that has a salty, slightly tangy flavor, almost like a dry Italian feta. It is not the same as the wet ricotta in the tub. You can find it at Whole Foods, gourmet grocers or specialty cheese shops.
- Note: Nutritional information was calculated assuming ½ cup of ricotta salata and all of the dressing was used.
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (6 servings)
- Calories: 338
- Fat: 31 g
- Saturated fat: 6 g
- Carbohydrates: 12 g
- Sugar: 6 g
- Fiber: 5 g
- Protein: 5 g
- Sodium: 393 mg
- Cholesterol: 11 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
Gluten-Free Adaptable Note
To the best of my knowledge, all of the ingredients used in this recipe are gluten-free or widely available in gluten-free versions. There is hidden gluten in many foods; if you're following a gluten-free diet or cooking for someone with gluten allergies, always read the labels of your ingredients to verify that they are gluten-free.
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Made this salad last night. It is absolutely delicious. Followed recipe exactly but also added red onion.
This salad and dressing is fabulous! I first made it in December. All of the ingredients complement each other so well (I used feta as the cheese and also added some croutons). I’m making it again today to go along with the buttermilk fried chicken tenders 🙂 How long will the leftover dressing last in the fridge?
Hi Jennifer, It would probably keep well for 3-4 days.
I made this yesterday since I had almost everything in the fridge and added garbanzo beans to turn it into a whole meal. It was very good even though I didn’t have fresh basil or parsley for the dressing, which was probably the whole point of this salad.
I cannot express how much I loooove this salad! I’ve made it for so many guests and family, and it gets only rave reviews every single time. I enjoy adding cannellini beans, chopped walnuts and almonds to ours. I think next time I make it I’ll add sliced grilled chicken and homemade croutons. The dressing is hands-down my favorite homemade vinaigrette. I just can’t say enough good things about this salad! Thanks for an awesome recipe, Jennifer! Can’t wait to try more recipes from your site.
Delicious!! I’ve been meaning to make this recipe for a while. Finally made it tonight for guests, and got rave reviews. This salad is very pretty and very tasty! Excellent combination. Thank you!
This salad dressing was AMAZING – I brought it to a dinner party on Saturday and I’m still getting requests today for the recipe! Excited that I stumbled upon your blog – thanks for sharing!
WoW….this was an AMAZING Salad. We usually eat my version of Greek Salad w/ homemade dressing (to die for), but thought that I’d change it up this time w/ this salad. My entire family LOVED it! It did take some time, but it paid off. I made this with Grilled Mediterranean Open-Faced Sandwiches….Yummm! is all you could hear at the dinner table. Thanks so much for the recipes and I love looking at the recipe step by step (I don’t need it, but it’s nice to see it) along with wonderful photography.
Dressing turned out great! I used it at a dinner party with Chicken Parmesan, and the salad bowl was picked clean. Thanks!
Came upon this in a Google search for an Italian salad and it was amazing! It was a great success at my fiance’s birthday dinner party! I look forward to following your site more in depth!
Thanks for a wonderful looking recipe! I am always looking for new combinations and homemade dressings. My favorite “go to” salad is a BLAT salad – Turkey Bacon, romaine lettuce, avocado, tomato (and usually some cucumber and maybe a tiny bit of red onion) with a dijon mustard homemade vinigrette. I will have to try your italian dressing. It looks like my next “Go To” dressing.