aka. The salad we’ve been losing our minds over.
Also aka. The most stereotypical “first recipe of the new year” ever.
HIIII 2019 YOU! It’s 2019 me! Super duper excited you’re here for yet another year of Fooduzzi fun.
Did you have a fantastic holiday season? I sure did. It was filled with food, family, friends, and fun. The four essential Fs, IMO.
But alas, it’s time to get back into the swing of things. And I’m actually kind of totally excited, especially because I have a brand new planner to break in this week!!!
And also especially because we have been eating this Simple Vegan Italian Chopped Salad on repeat for dayzzz, and I can’t wait to eat it for the entirety of 2019.
It. Is. So. Good. And you’re going to love it just as much as we do!
Okay! Chopped salad = salads that are chopped. Simple enough, right? It’s my favorite way to eat a salad because I cut up the ingredients juuuust how I like them (i.e. so that I can get a bit of each part in every bite).
I think actual legit chopped salads are thrown onto a cutting board with all of the ingredients and cut up all together, but that would make such a mess in my tiny kitchen, so I chop the ingredients before I assemble the salad, and all is well.
The ingredients are 100% customizable, so use what I have written as a guide. A delicious guide, but a guide nonetheless. I will say that my two favorite Italian salad ingredients are marinaded artichoke hearts and salty sunflower seeds. I freaking love them. I make sure we have plenty of each heading into each week, and we are set for vegan Italian chopped salads on repeat.
Also chickpeas. My salads also have a high chickpea-to-everything-else ratio, and I’m never mad about it.
ALSO ALSO red onion. I don’t love a ton of raw onion on my salad, but I seriously love the little “bite” it gives my…well, bites. Pro tip: if you soak your sliced red onion in some ice water for a few minutes before serving, it will take away some of that burniness.
As for the dressing, I suggest whipping up a quick and easy balsamic vinaigrette. Equal parts vinegar + olive oil, some seasoning, and a bit of dijon mustard or hummus, and you’re done! So simple, and it really takes this salad over-the-top.
And that’s that! I can honestly tell you we’ve had this salad 4-5 times per week for the last few weeks. THAT’S how obsession-inducing it is!
Plus, can you even with all those colors? I mean, really.
PrintSimple Vegan Italian Chopped Salad
My newest salad obsession!! You’ll love the textures and flavors in this Simple Vegan Italian Chopped Salad. It’s ready in about 10 minutes, and it’s great for packing in the veggies.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 2-3 salads
- Category: Salad
- Method: No-Cook
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
SALAD:
3 large handfuls mixed greens
1/4 small red onion, sliced thin*
2 baby cucumbers, sliced (or use 1 english cucumber)
7 oz. jar roasted red peppers, sliced
7 oz. marinated artichoke hearts, diced
1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
For topping: roasted / salted sunflower seeds, Vegan Parmesan Cheese
DRESSING:
3 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
3 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
pinch salt + pepper
1/4 tsp. dried Italian seasoning
1/8 tsp. granulated garlic
1 tsp. dijon mustard (hummus and / or tahini both work too!)
Instructions
- Combine all of your salad ingredients in a large bowl. Toss to combine and set aside.
- Combine all of your dressing ingredients in a small jar. Top with a lid and shake until combined. Drizzle the dressing on your salad and top with your sunflower seeds and vegan parm. IT’S THE BEST.
Notes
* Soak your sliced red onion in ice water for a few minutes before serving to take away some of that “bite.”
SO good! I love how quickly this comes together and how easy it is to sub in and out ingredients according to what you like and have on hand. I threw in some sliced grape tomatoes because I had a zillion of them and used hummus in the dressing because I had some opened in my fridge. Your vegan Parmesan is amazing and will now become my go-to Parmesan, which is really saying something because I had another vegan version I thought couldn’t be beat. I think this salad and I will be seeing a lot of each other in the future. Thanks for sharing your recipe!
Yay! So glad you enjoyed, Michelle :)