Italian Salad
This easy Italian salad recipe is a family favorite! It's a traditional Italian garden salad with homemade Italian dressing that's delicious!
Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 10 oz. romaine lettuce or Italian garden salad blend roughly chopped
- ½ small red onion sliced thin
- 1 cup grape tomatoes or cherry tomatoes halved
- 1 cup croutons (optional - see notes)
- ¼ cup black olives pitted
- ¼ cup pepperoncini (around 6-8 pepperoncini or banana peppers)
- ½ cup parmesan or Plant-based Parmesan
- ½ cup Homemade Italian Dressing (or store-bought / use more or less to taste)
Instructions
- First, make this Easy Homemade Italian Salad 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 and salt if desired. Serve immediately and enjoy!
Notes
- Italian Salad Dressing - You can make the Italian dressing in advance and store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
- 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.