Big Italian Salad
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This Italian salad pairs nicely with Italian comfort food. You’ll love the homemade dressing!
This big Italian salad is my go-to for spaghetti and meatballs, bolognese, pasta e fagioli, baked ziti, 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 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.
“We LOVE this salad!! 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
- Fresh Italian Parsley: Adds herby depth to the dressing. Italian parsley is also referred to as flat-leaf parsley and it has a more robust flavor than its curly counterpart.
- Fresh Basil: Adds a refreshing aroma and taste to the vinaigrette.
- Dried Oregano: Provides classic Italian seasoning and depth of flavor.
- Garlic: Offers aromatic intensity to the dressing.
- Red Wine Vinegar: Provides tanginess and acidity to the vinaigrette.
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil: Forms a smooth, rich base for the dressing.
- Salt and Pepper: Enhance the overall flavor of the vinaigrette.
- Honey: Balances the acidity of the vinegar with the slightest hint of sweetness.
- Romaine Lettuce: Creates a crisp and refreshing base for the salad. I suggest buying pre-washed romaine hearts if possible so you don’t have to bother rinsing the leaves.
- Red Bell Pepper: Adds vibrant color and a sweet crunch to the salad.
- Hothouse Cucumbers: Contribute freshness and crunchiness to the salad. Also known as English cucumbers.
- Carrots: Provide additional crunch and color to the salad.
- Grape Tomatoes: Offer bursts of juicy sweetness and texture.
- Pitted Olives: Add briny flavor and a salty kick to the salad.
- Ricotta Salata or Feta Cheese: Provides creaminess and a savory element to the salad.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Make the Homemade Italian Dressing
Combine the parsley, basil, oregano, garlic, red wine vinegar, olive oil, salt, pepper, and honey in the bowl of a food processor; blitz to blend.
Step Two: Assemble and Toss the Salad
Place all salad ingredients 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. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Reserve the leftover dressing for another use.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yep, it will keep nicely in the fridge for up to 4 days. Just give it a good shake before using it to recombine any separated ingredients.
In the interest of time, I like buying the pre-washed romaine hearts, but if you buy a full head of romaine, discard any damaged or wilted outer leaves from the lettuce head. Trim off the stem’s bottom and discard. Then, separate the lettuce leaves and immerse them in a bowl of water, gently swishing to remove any dirt or debris. (Be sure to dry the leaves completely after rinsing, otherwise, the romaine will turn the dressing watery.) I’m a big fan of a salad spinner for this task, but if you don’t have one, a clean kitchen towel or paper towels both work well.
Plenty! Feel free to improvise with whatever vegetables you have on hand, add some diced salami or prosciutto for extra protein, or swap the cheese with shaved Parmigiano-Regianno or even fresh mozzarella pearls for a different taste and texture.
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Big Italian Salad
This Italian salad pairs nicely with Italian comfort food. You’ll love the homemade dressing!
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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Delicious dressing. So fresh and different. I hate bottled dressing so many additives in them. Always looking for new ones. I will make this again.
Making this dressing now in anticipation of a girls weekend away in five days. Will the dressing keep til then? Should I freeze? Can’t wait to serve this beautiful salad alongside some stuffed shells. A decadent meal – thank you!
Hi Stacey, I think it should be fine in the refrigerator for 5 days. Hope everyone enjoys!
This is now my go-to salad for almost any meal! Crisp, fresh, and delicious. If there are leftovers, they can almost always be eaten with lunch the next day.
I’ve made this multiple times and everyone loves the flavors of the dressing. Continuing the holiday celebrations tomorrow with family and am making this salad to serve with lasagna…my mom’s recipe…but I saw someone said you also have a great recipe. Next time! Happy new year!! 🍾
I made this last night for my husband and a friend of ours. We all LOVED it. GREAT salad dressing! I did use all of it for two small-ish heads of lettuce cut up, and it was heavily dressed but perfect. Thank you!
This dressing is awesome!
Planning on a spicy rosemary chicken penne dish for dinner tomorrow night, I’m wondering if this salad would be a nice a compliment or not? If not, could you recommend another salad?
I love your recipes!!!
Hi Sharron, I think this salad would be perfect. Enjoy!
This salad is excellent!! Dressing is fabulous. We loved the fresh flavor. Served last night at my gourmet group dinner. Served veal ham rollups with fresh sage and tomato cream sauce and a side of wilted spinach and rigatoni. Bananas Foster for dessert!
This salad is incredible! I’ve made it 5+ times now. The salad dressing is SO good – I’ve even used it as a pasta sauce! It even freezes well- I just defrosted & re-blended in the vitamix.
Thank you for sharing! Will definitely try to freeze.
This looks delicious! Can I make the dressing the day before?
Definitely!
Not a feta cheese fan. What other cheese could work with this. Love fontinella. Would that work.
Sure, Linda. Hope you enjoy!
Every single recipe of yours that I have tried is fascinating. I will cook with you with my eyes closed. Thank you.
I initially made this salad for a progressive dinner in my neighborhood and have made it several times since. It has been a big hit every time I’ve served it! The dressing is so bright and fresh and is equally good on grilled veggies. The recipe is easily tweaked for personal tastes and dietary concerns. It goes great with Jen’s lasagna recipe, which is also divine. Try this older recipe, you won’t be disappointed!
5 stars! What a great recipe and easy to alter to make for a big crowd! I served this salad with lasagna for a huge crowd and it could not have been easier. It is a very flavorful and colorful salad and I had many requests for the recipe. I did not add parsley (preference) and I did add additional chopped basil to the salad mixture because I had it and our family really loves basil. Used Feta cheese. Yum!
I have made this Big Italian Salad several times for pot luck dinners at church and for large family gatherings. It is always a huge hit with everyone! “Lick the bowl clean” type of hit! I follow the recipe exactly, with the exception of using the organic mixed greens from Costco instead of the romaine. The dressing is what makes it spectacular – it is so fresh and lovely tasting. Be generous with the dressing – you will not regret it. When I take it for pot luck, I wait and put on the dressing right before it served. Thanks for the great recipe.
This is a wonderful salad, bright tasting and colorful, full of crunch. The dressing pulls it all together. Even leftovers are good! The first time I made it, I tried the ricotta salata cheese that Jen suggests, but now I use feta (my husband is Greek American, so of course I do!). My mother-in-law taught me to use feta in brine and to crumble it myself, rather than already crumbled feta, which has more taste in our opinion. Elaine Benes of “Seinfeld,” lover of “big salads,” would really go for this salad! I do, too.
I really love your zesty Italian dressing. Would that work on this big Italian Salad too?
Yep 🙂
Hi Jennifer — This dressing was FABULOUS! I am always looking for a good, homemade Italian dressing and yours really hit the spot. It’s so easy, too! Thanks again; I love your recipes!
A family member brought your salad dressing to a gathering it was so good I asked her for the recipe. Today I made for my self, not as good guess my garlic cloves were two big. So I started over and used no garlic this time and than blended it to make a larger batch. Voila perfection!!!! Thanks for a great dressing
Hi Jenn,
Having a pot luck at work and plan on bring this salad. Could I add crisp pieces of pancetta to this dish? Thanks for your input. I so much enjoy your recipes.
Barb
Definitely, that sounds delicious :).
For me the best part of this recipe is the dressing. The stuff is amazing! I can feel the nutrition and goodness coursing through my veins after eating it. I will even use it as a spread on artisan crusty bread. I use a lot of basil. Those large plastic tubs, I use the whole thing. Then strip the leaves off an entire bunch of parsley and put all that in. Next I add oregano, one of those plastic containers of fresh organic oregano that hang on the rack, strip off the leaves and use it all. Then the garlic, salt, pepper, and honey. This makes a big batch, so I add at least a whole cup of olive oil and a half cup of good red wine vinegar. I was short on red wine vinegar tonight and added balsamic vinegar and some dry red wine to make up the difference. Came out fantastic. Oh, my food processer is not large enough to hold it all, so I blend it all up in a Blentec blender.
Had this over the weekend for family and it was a huge hit– everyone raved about it! I made a massive salad, eyeballed all of the salad components and used the whole jar of dressing and it was delicious. Basically was like a big marinated veggie salad. Used feta instead of ricotta salata because I couldn’t find it. I can’t wait to make this again!
I love this salad. I usually have the basil dressing in my refrigerator ready to go. This is one of the favorite salads and I make it often. Thank you!
I want to make a chef salad with chunks of deli meat. Will this dressing work? Would you have a preferred deli salad recipe?
Sure, Gay, I think this dressing would work nicely here. You could also consider this one, which has a bit of a Mediterranean bent, but is delicious on just about anything!
Awesome dressing!! (I didn’t have any parsley on hand so used cilantro instead. IT was delicious. Kids begged to have it for lunch the next day!)
Can’t wait to try this with the parsley.
This is, without question, the greatest salad I’ve ever had! The dressing is incredible!! I’ve since made the dressing at least 10x! I cannot even believe how good it is! I’ve had numerous friends ask for the recipe & I send them here 🙂
Made the Big Italian Salad tonight to go along with pizza. It was a huge hit with everyone. Had lots of pizza left but no salad left! Will definitely be making this again!!
Absolutely amazing!! I have made the dressing – once using a Sicilian Lemon Vinigrette and once with a grapefruit Vinigrette and basil infused olive oil —so fantastic!! Thank you so much for sharing!
Made this salad for guests for a pizza night…there was lots of pizza left over but no salad! Love the dressing!! I used green olives, added garbanzo beans, and used shaved parmesan cheese. Will definitely be using this recipe again.
Hi Jen,
I am making this salad for 12 people; do you think I should make double the dressing, in case one batch isn’t enough? I have made it before for 12, but cannot remember what I did!
Thank you!
Debbie
I think doubling it would be perfect. And if you have any left over, it keeps nicely for 2 – 3 days.
I could DRINK the dressing! I just discovered your website and have loved every single recipe tried! Thank you!!!!
I liked the salad and dressing but the rest of my family were not big fans of the dressing. I think too many fresh herbs for their taste. We prefer your other Italian dressing recipe which I use all of the time.
This dressing is spectacular! Made it ahead and refrigerated for 5 hours. This is the first time I used ricotta salata cheese. If you’re unfamiliar with this cheese (like I was), I found it to be the same texture as feta cheese but extremely mild. My feta hating family wolfed this salad!
Jenn, your recipes never disappoint!
This is by far one of the best salads I’ve ever made. I make it frequently for large gatherings. The dressing tastes so bright and fresh. Everyone always wants the recipe!
I have to THANK YOU generally I may try 1 or 2 recipes from a blog but I have been using yours all day today. You have such a diverse amount of recipes and ideas. We had Lasagna for dinner (My Great Grandmothers recipe) and I paired it with this salad, some crusty fresh baked Italian Bread and Sangria talk about a satisfying comfort food dinner!! The only thing I added was some Artichoke Hearts and Kalamata Olives to the Salad Your Dressing SUBLIME
One of the best “winter” salads I have ever presented to company and as a bonus I used the leftover dressing drizzled on focaccia and tomatoes and broiled the whole thing.
Has this dressing ever been tried with apple cider vinegar?
This recipe brought me to your website and I am so glad it did. This is my mom’s favorite salad (probably her favorite food). The dressing works perfectly with the salad. My family has made this salad about 15 times since October – once for 50 people! Thanks for this great recipe.
The dressing steals the show with this salad! Absolutely delicious.
So easy and good, did it without the olives and cheese. The dressing is amazing better then any store bought and healthier, no need for that added soy/canola or other garbage in in-store bought dressings.
Tried this out on a dinner party served alongside lasagna and garlic bread, it was a big hit! The salad dressing is divine, and I will be making it again. I ran out of ricotta and used Parmesan instead, the saltiness of the Parmesan was actually a nice compliment to the rest of the salad ingredients and I might do it again next time. Thank you for the excellent salad recipe!
Had to make this with champagne white wine vinegar as I was out of red wine vinegar. Still delicious with the fresh herbs!
LOVED this salad! I took a risk and made it for a dinner party without test trying it first after reading the glowing reviews and I was not disappointed 🙂 everyone commented on how delicious the dressing was, this recipe is divine and easy to make! It’s so hard to find good salad recipes and I’m so impressed with this! 🙂 thank you!
Could I pair this with a slow cooker pork roast?
Sure Catherine. If the pork has Italian flavors/seasonings, that would probably pair best with this salad.
Another fantastic recipe! My husband and I are trying to eat less processed foods and have been able to do so with your delicious recipes. For the dressings made from oil, should the extra dressing be refrigerated- such as the dressing in this salad and the Dijon mustard vinegrette dressing for the roasted beet salad?
Glad you liked it Amy! Yes, I would refrigerate whatever remaining dressing you have.
Perfect salad! I always receive so many compliments on this. I also like to make extra dressing to use it throughout the week. I normally use feta, but have been meaning to try it with the ricotta salata.
Absolutely delicious! My favorite salad dressing. The fresh herbs really make it. I honestly have not tried any recipe from this site that my husband and I haven’t LOVED! My absolute favorite recipe site! I easily make at least one recipe from here a week. Thank you, Jenn for your wonderful recipes.
Finest Italian dressing I’ve ever tried! Thanks!
The salad dressing is so delicious! We use it as a sauce for multiple items!!
I want to make this for a dinner party on Thursday. Can I use balsamic vinegar instead?
Yes Monet, I think you could get away with using balsamic vinegar. Enjoy the dinner party!
Like so many of the reviews, we loved the salad. The dressing is definitely key as you could do a lot of vegetable combinations.
However, the first time I made the dressing in my blender, the consistency was thin, the second time, my blender was broken so I made it in my food processor and the consistency was more creamy. Both were great, your thoughts?
Hi Kimberlee, Interesting that you got a thicker dressing from your food processor– I find that my blender usually results in a thicker dressing or sauce. I guess from here on out, you can just use whichever appliance gives you the texture you like best.