If you’re familiar with my Italian Chopped Sandwich and you’re looking for a low-carb option, you will love this Italian Chopped Salad. This salad takes just a few minutes to make and is incredibly satisfying. Although it’s not traditional, it uses fresh Italian ingredients that you may even already have on hand, including any sliced ham or cured pork, sliced cheese, and Italian seasoning.
What makes this salad so special is that every ingredient is chopped as finely as possible. This allows you to experience each flavor and enjoy a perfect bite every time. This Italian chopped salad is perfect for a picnic, school lunches, or even camping. You can prep all of the ingredients the night before (leaving the lettuce on the side so that it doesn’t get soggy) and assemble the following day.
If you feel like leveling up, you can absolutely make this into an Italian chopped pasta salad and add your favorite cooked, cooled small pasta shape of choice.
Italian Chopped Salad
Ingredients
- ½ head iceberg lettuce
- 3 slices prosciutto cotto or any sliced ham
- 3 slices mortadella
- 3 slices provolone cheese
- ⅓ cup sliced pepperoncini (optional)
Dressing
- 2 heaping tablespoons mayo, or to taste
- Italian seasoning to taste
- 1 to 2 tablespoons pepperoncini juice
Instructions
- Chop the lettuce of choice into small pieces. Add it to a clean cutting board with slices of prosciutto cotto, mortadella, provolone cheese, and pepperoncini (if using).
- With a big sharp knife, chop everything as small as possible. Note: You can transfer this into a bowl and add the dressing or simply add it on top.
- Once finely chopped, add the mayo, Italian seasoning and the pickled juice from the pepperoncini jar.
- Mix well and enjoy!
- Note: You can definitely add more protein to it or use lean ground turkey to lighten it up.
4 Responses
So good. Found the panini pak of deli meat at Costco has both the prosciutto cotto and mortadella (plus bonus capicolla) that works perfectly. Will be perfect for packed lunch
omg so happy you made this recipe and loved it
I made this for lunch today and it was delicious! I got my meats and cheese at Kroger. The mortadella was no problem, but the woman at the counter had never heard of prosciutto cotto so I had to make a quick substitution. Luckily I had read the notes to this recipe so I knew not to go with traditional proscuitto but rather a deli ham.
I shared this with my three kids and they all loved it and asked me to make it again! My only complaint was it got watery very quickly. I’m not sure if it’s because I didn’t dry the lettuce enough or maybe I went too heavy on the pepperocini juice. Regardless, I’ll be sure to make this again!
Nice improvising, Blair! You really can use any kind of deli or cured meat you like here, and it sounds like it worked out! The wateriness could be due to wet lettuce, but in any case, be sure to serve the salad as soon as you’re finished preparing it — it will get soggy if it sits around.