If I had to pick my top five salads, this is one of them. The Chopped Antipasto Salad is salty, creamy, crunchy, and filled with delicious textures and colors. It’s enveloped in a simple, naturally sweet balsamic dressing that perfectly balances the flavors. Serve this salad as a main dish and is also equally suitable for a starter. But you can bet that I eat this every time I make an Antipasto platter. I use up whatever is left over and left in the fridge, and it’s divine!

top view of chopped antipasto salad in blue platter with breadsticks

In Los Angeles, the birthplace of the chopped salad, so many restaurants serve variations of chopped salads. My favorites are any type of Asian chopped salad, any variation of an Italian chopped salad, Southwestern-style chopped salads, and anything with kale in it. The chopped salad is part of the DNA of the L.A. dining scene, like a delicious breakfast burrito or a good L.A. street-style hot dog.

What is an Antipasto Salad?

This chopped salad is unique in that it combines the freshness of chopped romaine with a variety of bite-size antipasti. I use three different kinds of cured meats, two kinds of cheeses, and a huge variety of roasted and pickled vegetables. I also add some fresh tomatoes and sometimes my Marinated balsamic onions if I have them handy. It’s a bowl full of the favorite flavors of an Antipasto platter, made even more delicious with the addition of some fresh ingredients.

Three main ingredients make an Antipasto Salad unique: marinated or pickled vegetables, a selection of meats, and cheeses. The antipasti-to-lettuce ratio is about 70/30. I used a small head of romaine and a lot of veggies, meat, and cheese in my salad. That in itself sets this crave-worthy salad apart from typical salads.

What’s in a Chopped Antipasto Salad?

Let’s dig into the ingredients! This Chopped Antipasto Salad features the following ingredients. Still, the sky is the limit, as you can mix and match ingredients to your liking. With simple swaps, this salad can easily be vegetarian or vegan. There are no exact measurements for this salad. But typically the ingredients fall into 1/2-1 cup each. You can adjust as you go.

Chop the salad ingredients into smaller, similar-sized pieces. Cut the fresh romaine lettuce into pieces that are easy to handle with a fork. Chop the rest of the ingredients into more uniform sizes to ensure that each forkful has a little bit of everything.

My version features:

Marinated mozzarella balls, the small Ciligiene size
Calabrese salami
Capocollo
Prosciutto
Red cherry peppers
Grilled, marinated artichokes
Olives
Italian giardiniera
Roasted red peppers, cut into strips
Pan Roasted mushrooms (quick recipe below) or marinated jarred mushrooms
Balsamic grilled vegetables or use frozen or from the deli section of the grocery store* (see note below)
Romaine lettuce
Cherry or grape tomatoes
Fresh basil
Parmesan cheese

NOTE: Many grocery stores carry Mediterranean vegetable blends in the frozen food aisle. Target carries an eggplant, zucchini and red pepper mix as does BJ’s.

Pan Roasted Mushrooms

Saute 8 ounces of cleaned mushrooms with one clove of sliced garlic. Add oil to a pan, add mushrooms and sauté. Second, add 1/4 cup of dry white wine or water and cook until wine or water evaporates. Add extra virgin olive oil as needed. Pan roast for about 10 more minutes until tender. Remove from heat. Serve these pan-roasted mushrooms warm or at room temperature.

How to prepare the ingredients

If you are grilling the Balsamic vegetables and preparing the pan roasted Mushrooms (recipe above). Start with the vegetables first.

The key feature of a chopped salad is the size of the chop. I usually chop my ingredients to about 1 inch in size. I slice meats, cheeses, artichoke hearts, roasted red peppers, and romaine thinly.

The meats and cheeses can be rolled up and then sliced to create “ribbons” of meats and cheeses.
Mozzarella balls do not have to be sliced, but if you use larger-sized fresh Mozzarella, tear it into smaller bite-sized pieces.
The cherry peppers, artichokes, and giardiniera can be chopped lengthwise.
Mushrooms should be quartered, and balsamic grilled vegetables should be cubed.
Fresh cherry or grape tomatoes should be halved.
Romaine lettuce leaves should be washed, dried, and sliced thin.
Fresh basil can be rolled into a cylindrical shape and sliced into ribbons or chiffonade.
Parmesan cheese should be freshly shredded. I suggest using a fine shred for the Parmesan cheese.

Once all the ingredients are prepared, add them to a large bowl. Chopped Antipasto Salad has many flavors and textures, and it is perfectly balanced with a simple Balsamic dressing. It is made with only five ingredients and salt and pepper to taste.

Simple dressing for Antipasto Salad

As mentioned, an epic salad like this only needs a simple dressing to marry all the flavors. This one is super easy and you likely have all the ingredients in your pantry.

Good Balsamic vinegar, 1/4 cup
Good extra virgin olive oil, 1/2 cup
Dijon mustard, 2 teaspoons
Pinch of dried, Italian herbs
Minced garlic, 1 small clove
Salt and pepper, to taste

In a small bowl, add the vinegar, mustard, dried herbs, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Use a small whisk to thoroughly combine the Dijon mustard with the vinegar. Finally, slowly whisk in the olive oil until the dressing is emulsified. Adjust seasoning as needed.

This is just enough to dress the salad and bring all the flavors together. Add half of the Balsamic dressing to the bowl with the chopped salad ingredients. Toss gently and adjust the dressing as needed.

How to test salad dressing for seasoning

You’ve made salad dressing, now how to test for salt or seasonings? The best way to test salad dressing is to dip a piece of lettuce into it and taste it. After all, a great way to get the full effect of the flavor of the dressing is on the actual vegetable that you are dressing. If you taste it right out of the bowl or jar, besides the pucker of the flavor being so concentrated, you don’t get a true sense of where you might need to adjust for optimum flavor.

Serving ideas for this Chopped Antipasto Salad

This is the perfect salad for simple grilled chicken or steak like a mouthwatering Grilled Tri-Tip or for pizza or pasta night. It’s so good friends! Enjoy!

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