This easy Italian salad recipe is a family favorite! It’s a traditional Italian garden salad with homemade Italian dressing that’s delicious!
This big Italian salad is like a family-sized house salad that you would get at an Italian restaurant. It is filled with crisp romaine, olives, tomatoes, onions, pepperoncini, croutons, and parmesan, then tossed in an Italian salad dressing that is super quick and easy to make. This salad can be served as a light lunch, as a dinner salad, or as a side salad that will complement so many meals, especially other Italian recipes.
If you want to create a big Italian lunch combo of soup, salad and bread, you can pair this Italian salad with Zuppa Toscana, Vegetable Soup, or Tomato Basil Soup and some Italian Herb Bread, or my favorite Parmesan Garlic Bread! You can also use the bread to make your own croutons. For a nice Italian dinner, this salad pairs perfectly with Creamy Cauliflower Risotto and especially Pasta, like Creamy Italian Ravioli or this delicious Tuscan Shrimp Pasta. If you are serving this salad as a main course, you can toss in some protein, like Italian Roasted Shrimp, or this baked Garlic Herb Salmon, or these low-carb Parmesan Chicken Tenders, or you can toss in some Baked Tofu for a vegetarian salad.
Traditional Italian Salad Recipe Ingredients
I used traditional Italian salad ingredients for this recipe, except for the homemade vegan parmesan, which adds protein and flavor to the salad. You can easily swap, add, or omit ingredients to create your own Italian salad!
- romaine lettuce or Italian garden salad blend of chopped lettuce and radicchio.
- tomatoes – Any fresh ripe tomato works. Roma, cherry or grape tomatoes are my top picks.
- red onions – sliced thin.
- black olives – or your favorite Italian olives.
- pepperoncini – banana peppers are great as well!
- croutons – Croutons are optional. For a crunchy gluten-free alternative that is packed with protein and fiber, try adding these Italian Herb Walnuts, or some sliced Garlic Roasted Almonds or these Roasted Pistachios. If you want to make your own croutons, this Italian Herb Bread or my favorite Parmesan Garlic Bread are great options.
- parmesan – for a vegan salad you can use this Plant-based Parmesan Cheese that is ready in 3 minutes!
Italian Dressing
I made this simple healthy Italian dressing sugar-free, gluten-free, and vegan. You can easily swap the ingredients and use what you have on hand or use your favorite Italian dressing.
- olive oil
- vinegar
- lemon juice
- vegan parmesan
- Italian seasoning
- garlic
- salt & pepper
Easy Italian Recipes
Here are some more easy Italian recipes to try…
- Italian Pasta Salad
- Basil Pesto Sauce
- Cauliflower Risotto
- Chicken Diavolo Pasta
- Creamy Italian Ravioli
- Creamy Pesto Pasta
- Caprese Pasta Salad
- Creamy Cauliflower Pasta
- Baked Tilapia with Garlic Lemon Butter
- Garlic Herb Baked Salmon
- Creamy Mushroom Pasta
- Italian Roasted Shrimp
- Creamy Chicken Marsala Pasta
- Healthy Italian Breakfast Skillet
- Creamy Tortellini Soup
- Low Carb Marinara
- Instant Pot Spaghetti and Meatballs
- Italian Herb Bread
- Pasta Primavera
- Parmesan Chicken Piccata
- Parmesan Garlic Bread
- Pesto Chicken and Veggies
- Tomato Basil Soup
- Italian Herb Walnuts
- Skillet Chicken in Garlic Tomato Sauce
- Spinach Alfredo Spaghetti Squash
- Sage Butter Ravioli
- Tuscan Cauliflower Rice
- Tuscan Shrimp Pasta
- Zuppa Toscana
Italian Garden Salad Instructions
To make this Italian Garden Salad, you can make the Italian dressing in advance and store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
First, make the dressing. It can be made in 3 ways…
- Add the Italian seasoning, parmesan, garlic powder, vinegar, and lemon juice to a bowl and whisk to combine, then whisk in the olive oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Add all ingredients to a mason jar, then shake well to combine.
- Add all ingredients to a small food processor, then blend to combine. This creates a thicker, creamy Italian dressing.
To make the salad, add all of the ingredients to a large salad bowl, drizzle with the Italian dressing, then toss to combine. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese or Plant-based Parmesan and season with freshly ground pepper if desired. Serve immediately and enjoy!
Italian Salad
Ingredients
- 10 oz. romaine lettuce or Italian garden salad blend roughly chopped
- 1/2 small red onion sliced thin
- 1 cup grape tomatoes or cherry tomatoes halved
- 1 cup croutons (optional - see notes)
- 1/4 cup black olives pitted
- 1/4 cup pepperoncini (around 6-8 pepperoncini or banana peppers)
- 1/2 cup parmesan or Plant-based Parmesan
Italian Dressing Ingredients
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoons vinegar (white, red wine, or apple cider vinegar all work.)
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese or Plant-based Parmesan
- ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder (or 1 garlic clove minced or crushed)
- salt & pepper to taste (I use about ¼ - ½ tsp of salt and pepper)
Instructions
Italian Salad Dressing
- The dressing can be made 3 ways:1. Add the Italian seasoning, parmesan, garlic powder, vinegar, and lemon juice to a bowl and whisk to combine, then whisk in the olive oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste.2. Add all ingredients to a mason jar, then shake well to combine.3. Add all ingredients to a small food processor, then blend to combine. This method creates a thicker, creamy Italian dressing.
Italian Garden Salad
- To make the salad, add all of the ingredients to a large salad bowl, drizzle with the Italian dressing, then toss to combine. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese or Plant-based Parmesan and season with freshly ground pepper and salt if desired. Serve immediately and enjoy!
Notes
- Croutons - Croutons are optional. For a crunchy gluten-free alternative that is packed with protein and fiber, try adding these Italian Herb Walnuts, or some sliced Garlic Roasted Almonds or these Roasted Pistachios. If you want to make your own croutons, this Italian Herb Bread, or my favorite Parmesan Garlic Bread are great options.
- Parmesan - for a vegan salad you can use this Plant-based Parmesan Cheese that is ready in 3 minutes!
- Add Protein - If you are serving this salad as a main course, you can toss in some protein, like Italian Roasted Shrimp, or Garlic Herb Salmon, or these low carb Parmesan Chicken Tenders, or you can toss in some Baked Tofu for a vegetarian salad.
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