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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Comments
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Attended a pot luck Italian feast last night and I was asked to bring a salad. So glad I found this recipe — it was perfect! Not to mention incredibly easy to make! Even found the Ricotta cheese at Whole Foods as suggested in the notes. Thanks!
This salad dressing is super simple and quick and absolutely delish!
i’ve made your asparagus soup ( a few times now) and the chocolate meringues as well and they were amazing.
I love love love your recipes and website and your pics are great… best way for no fail executions of your recipes.
thank you!!
Thank you, Lynne!
Can you clarify the ingredients for the dressing please as the pic appears to show a cheese but this not listed. Can you alo give cup measures in fluid ounces . Thanks
Hi Charles, The cheese is Ricotta Salata or Feta; it’s the last ingredient listed.
Wow,what a hit this was with my bookclub group.
Family finished leftovers next day and still tasted great.
Went well with Lasagne.
Will be saving this recipe.
Thanks for sharing it.
Can this dressing be made ahead of time? How long?
Thanks
Hi Victoria, Yes, it’s fine to make it up to 4 days ahead of time.
This was a great dressing. I did use less red wine vinegar. It’s so overwhelming that the 1/4 cup seemed like a lot so I added it in slowly. Also, I used Queso Fresco as the cheese. It’s a Mexican cheese, very crumbly, salty and fresh. It’s a light, airy cheese and with such a fresh dressing it worked great. Thanks for a great dressing!
I made this today and it was delicious! One question, can I leave the honey out next time? Thanks for the great, easy recipes and the useful tips!
Hi Cleo, Yes it is fine to leave out the honey.
I was looking for a dressing for a dinner party Sunday night. I came across your recipe. Wow it received rave reviews and is fantastic.
I loved it so much that I woke up yesterday and ate a salad for breakfast. I will keep on making this.
Thanks!
I’m making a lasagna for some friends, and wanted to make something different than the basic dinner salad. I was able to follow everything step-by-step except for the cheese. I got feta, but it was moldy, so I opted to leave it out. The dressing turned out FANTASTIC, and will definitely be my go-to Italian from now on. Thanks for the recipe! Hope it’s a hit with these foodies.
I made this tonight – it was tasty and super fresh! One of my favorite salads and I’ll be making this a lot in the future! Even my 4 year old loved it!
I’m not much of an olive person though, so I don’t know much about them. When I went to my grocery store and was faced with the olive bar, I was totally confused! What kind of olives do you use?
Hi Crystal, So glad you enjoyed! As for the olives, yes, it can be confusing! I love the black kalamata olives or the large green Greek olives but it’s really a matter of personal preference…taste a few to see which ones you like. I also try to buy my olives pitted so we don’t have to deal with the pits.