Simple Italian Salad - Beautiful colors, bold flavors, and fresh ingredients come together quickly and easily with a homemade dressing too! This Italian salad recipe is full of fresh, crisp, and zesty ingredients like Romaine lettuce, cherry tomatoes, briny olives, spicy pepperoncini, red onions, and Parmesan cheese. It’s the perfect side salad that everyone will love!
I call this my simple Italian salad, because of how easy it is to make. However, the flavors are anything but simple!
This recipe takes your classic Italian salad up a notch, by using quality ingredients, and a combination of fresh, savory, and spicy flavors!
All of this is topped with the best homemade Italian dressing. It’s the perfect light lunch or side salad to serve with Oven Baked Bacon Wrapped Shrimp,
Grilled Chicken Shawarma, tomato bisque, and Cheesy Hot Beef Sandwich.
Jump to:
What is Italian Salad Dressing Made of?
- Garlic paste: You can either buy it as a paste or grate the garlic cloves into a paste yourself. This will give the dressing loads of garlicky flavor without biting into bits of garlic.
- Mayonnaise: Adds a rich creaminess to the dressing, making it thicker than traditional Italian dressing.
- Red wine vinegar: Provides the zesty acidic flavor needed to cut through the creaminess and gives us the tangy flavors we love.
- Dried oregano: A very popular herb used in Italian cuisine. It adds extra herbaceousness.
- Extra virgin olive oil: Used to bring the dressing together in a cohesive, pourable, mixture. Use good quality oil for best results.
- Salt and pepper: A bit of seasoning to bring it all together.
Ingredients Needed for Salad
- Romaine lettuce: Chopped Romaine heart is what I love to use for this simple Italian salad. It’s crisp, and well, it’s Italian! You can certainly use whatever lettuce you prefer. Just be sure to wash and completely dry the leaves.
- Small red onion: Thinly sliced. Adds a pop of color and a crispy, slightly pungent flavor.
- Cherry tomatoes: Slice them in half.
- Green olives: Use pitted olives to make your life easier, especially with kids!
- Pepperoncini: These addictive, salty, briny, and spicy peppers are a classic addition to an Italian salad.
- Shaved Parmesan cheese: Freshly shaved from a block, if you can. It tastes much better than shredded Parmesan that comes in a container. Aim for the freshest ingredients you can manage.
See the recipe card for the full information on recipe ingredients and quantities.
How To Make The Best Italian Salad Recipe
Step 1: Combine the dressing ingredients into a large bowl. Whisk to combine until fully incorporated.
Step 2: Add the lettuce, onion, tomatoes, olives, and pepperoncini to the bowl, and use salad tongs to toss the salad, making sure everything is well coated with the dressing.
Alternate Option 1: You can toss the salad in a separate bowl, drizzle the dressing overtop and then toss.
Alternate Option 2: Lay each salad ingredient on a serving platter in rows one after the other. Drizzle the dressing overtop.
Step 3: Garnish with shaved Parmesan cheese and enjoy!
Cooking Tips
- Use quality ingredients. Fresh lettuce, no wilting, and no brown spots. Cherry tomatoes should be plump, red, and have no wrinkles. Same with fresh Parmesan, and red onions. If you can find cold-pressed Italian extra virgin olive oil and fresh garlic paste. This salad will still taste amazing using whatever you have, however, it’s always nice to go a little extra when serving it to others.
- You can prepare this salad ahead. Just don’t add the dressing until just before serving.
- Leave out the pepperoncini if spice is an issue. Normally I would suggest only serving it to those who want it, but the briny juices that run into the rest of the salad are also hot!
Things To Serve This Side Salad With
This classic Italian side salad pairs well with so many main dishes. Here are just a few of our favorites:
When YOU make this recipe for simple Italian salad tag us @munchkintimeblog on Instagram, we would LOVE to see your creation!
If you tried this quick and easy carbonara pasta recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a ⭐️ star rating and let me know how it went in the comments 📝below👇🏻. Thank you for visiting! 🤗
📖 Recipe
Simple Italian Salad Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
Ingredients for Italian Salad Dressing
- 1 clove garlic grated into paste
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- salt and freshly ground pepper
Ingredients for Italian Salad
- 1 large romaine heart chopped
- ½ small red onion thinly sliced
- ½ cup cherry tomatoes cut in half
- ¼ cup green olives pitted
- 8 peperoncini
- 2 ounces Parmesan cheese shaved (1 cup)
Instructions
How to make Italian Dressing:
- In a large bowl combine garlic, mayo, red wine vinegar, oregano, olive oil, salt and pepper. Whisk until combined.
Assembling Italian Salad:
- There are 2 ways you can assemble this salad: Toss in the bowl a chopped romaine, red onion, cherry tomatoes, green olives and peperoncini. Drizzle dressing, garnish with Parmesan cheese and voila! Or lay individual ingredient on the plate, drizzle Italian Dressing and garnish with shaved Parmesan cheese. Enjoy:)
Notes
- When making this salad, it’s all about using the best ingredients! Go for fresh, crunchy lettuce that’s free from wilting and brown spots. Plump, red cherry tomatoes without wrinkles are a must for that juicy pop of flavor.
- Feel free to prepare the salad ahead of time; just remember to add the dressing right before serving to keep everything fresh and crisp.
- If you’re concerned about spice, you might want to skip the pepperoncini. I usually suggest offering them to those who enjoy a little kick, but just a heads up—the briny juices can give the whole salad a bit of heat! Enjoy your delicious creation!
Nutrition
Quote Of The Day
Have an awesome day!
Elaine
Love this salad!! Reminds me of an anti-pasta salad I get from our local Italian restaurant!! Thanks for sharing on My 2 Favorite Things on Thursday!! Pinned!!
Munchkin Time
Thank you so much Elaine, Italian salads are the best!
Heidi
The presentation of your salad is just beautiful! I can't wait to try it out!
Munchkin Time
Thank you so much Heidi for the compliment if you do make it would you take a picture and share it on Instagram by tagging @munchkintimeblog, I would love to see your creation 🙂
Chavonne Harvey
What an amazing salad! Wow! If I made this I'd be everyone's favorite person. I love it thanks for sharing 🙂
Munchkin Time
Thank you Chavonne! This salad is amazing! If you make it would you take a picture and share it on Instagram, I would love to see your creation!
Edye
I love a good salad! Thanks for sharing :]
Munchkin Time
Thank you for stopping by Edye!
Heart
Oh! The colors are so beautiful. I love it. And that Italian sauce sounds really classy and a deli! I will try this at home.
Munchkin Time
Thank you Heart! This salad recipe is one of my favorite salads, if you make this salad would you take a picture and share it on Instagram, I would love to see your creation 🙂