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 deep dish pizza, spaghetti and meatballs, bolognese, pasta e fagioli, baked ziti, 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 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
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 freshly 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.
Notes
Nutrition Information
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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So fresh and delicious! My family begs for this salad. Thank you for ALL of your amazing recipes. You are the best!
Could you use fresh mozzarella instead ( not close to a Whole Foods)
Sure!
I can’t believe I haven’t made this salad before! I’ve been following your blog for years and have your cookbooks. My end of the year book club meeting is a potluck dinner. This month’s book was Taste by Stanley Tucci. So, it seemed appropriate to have an Italian themed dinner. I signed up to bring the salad. Your Big Italian Salad was perfect. The dressing is divine. I made a few tweaks (used white balsamic vinegar, used a 50:50 mix of olive oil and avocado oil and skipped the honey). I added thinly sliced fennel and radishes as well as grilled artichoke hearts in EVOO (instead of olives). The salad was yummy. Thanks Jen! This recipe is definitely a keeper. I wish I had tried it sooner.
This salad was one of the best I have ever had! The dressing is a flavor burst and was delicious. I made this to serve alongside your pasta bolognese. My family and I loved this dinner. Thank you Jen for your inspiration, your site is my go-to for weekly menu planning.
Just made it, haven’t tried it yet besides the dressing. The dressing is amazing! Just a question, it turned out chunky and a muddy green instead of bright green. Is that from where i used substitutions for my fresh herbs? (We had no available ones)
Yes, If you used dry herbs, it could’ve impacted the color and texture a bit (but glad it still tastes good)!
My go to salad ever since I found ur recipe. The dressing is so delicious & I just appreciate that it’s using fresh herbs.
I have made this salad so many times and it is simply incredible. So easy and the vinaigrette is fantastic enough to drink.
Looks amazing but am having trouble finding fresh basil in the winter. What would the dried basil substitution be?
Hi Laurin, I wouldn’t suggest using dried basil, but you could replace the basil with additional fresh parsley. Hope that helps!
Hi Jen, I’m hosting a heavy appetizers happy hour with an Italian theme. I’m serving this salad, your cocktail meatballs and your focaccia bread. Can you suggest any other appetizers? Thank you
Sure, Barbara, a few other things that come to mind:
Stromboli
Oven-Steamed Mussels
Margherita Pizza
Grilled Shrimp with Pesto (If you don’t want to use the grill, you can broil these)
Hope that helps and that everyone enjoys whatever you prepare!
This dressing is incredible. We make it all the time and freeze large portions. Buy large quantities of basil at Trader Joe’s.