The La Scala Chopped Salad, a renowned dish from Beverly Hills, combines crisp iceberg and romaine lettuces with Italian salami, mozzarella cheese, and marinated chickpeas, all tossed in a tangy Dijon mustard vinaigrette. This viral and versatile salad can be prepared in just 10 minutes, using a single bowl, and is easily customizable to suit your preferences—truly a win-win-win!
I’m debuting this as our Pizza Night Salad
As I crave spring/summer, I find myself searching for any way to enjoy a crunchy salad. We tried a new local pizza place recently and on their menu was an Antipasto salad with chickpeas and lots of parmesan cheese.
I immediately thought of pizza night in our household and set out on a mission to create a delectable Italian chopped salad that could be whipped up in under 15 minutes and the *perfect* pairing to your crispy baked dough smothered in sauce and flavorful toppings (and dunked in ranch, because that’s the only way).
The ingredients in the salad mimic those of the famous La Scala chopped salad recipe that people LOVED (rumored to be a Kim Kardashian favorite from a famous restaurant in Beverly Hills, California).
It’s giving…Grinder Italian Sub Sandwich in salad form! The famous salad recipe is full of savory ingredients including salami, provolone, parmesan and chickpeas doused in homemade dijon vinaigrette.
Recipe Inspiration
I have SO many pasta salad recipes (my recent fav is this Hot Honey Pasta Salad) and fruit forward salads (like this Mango Caprese or Strawberry Quinoa Salad), but I think APOP needs more crunchy lettuce based salads. Alas, we have this antipasto lettuce based salad.
Recipe Ingredients
- Lettuce: Both romaine and a leafy lettuce of choice. Or skip the lettuce and make this Pizza Bean Salad instead!
- Chickpeas – Drained and rinsed.
- Meat: I used sopressata salami cut into small matchsticks and hot Italian dried salami bites.
- Cheese: Provolone and parmesan.
- Veggies: Onion, parsley, and optional cherry tomatoes.
- Dressing: We’ll make a homemade mustard vinaigrette with olive oil, red wine vinegar, dijon mustard, lemon juice, parmesan, and salt & pepper.
See the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
Substitutions and Variations
This viral recipe is super customizable. It can surely be a clean out the fridge salad with any of your favorite ingredients. Some options for how you can switch it up:
- Veggies: Add sun-dried tomatoes, hearts of palm, cherry tomatoes, artichoke hearts, diced bell pepper, olives or cucumbers.
- Meats: Use any deli meat. Diced turkey, pepperoni, chicken breast, prosciutto.
- Cheese: Try feta, provolone, asiago, munster, swiss.
- Base: Instead of lettuce, double the garbanzo beans or add a can of white beans and make it a bean salad. Also consider serving over arugula or kale.
- Dressing: Feel free to use a store bought dressing. Or make this sweet onion and citrus dressing.
How to Make This Recipe
1. In a large bowl, whisk together the salad dressing ingredients: olive oil, vinegar, dijon mustard, salt, pepper, grated parm, and lemon juice until it’s a smooth consistency.
2. Add the drained can of chickpeas, sliced onion, both salamis, parsley, shaved parmesan and crumbled provolone. Toss together until coated in the homemade dressing.
3. Finely shred the lettuces and add to the bowl
4. Toss together and enjoy!
PRO TIPS
Dice all of the salad ingredients into bite-sized pieces and shred the lettuce thin! It makes it feel more restaurant style and makes it easier to get small pieces of each ingredient in every bite with.
Recipe FAQs
If you’re planning to store leftovers of this La Scala Salad recipe or make it for meal prep, keep the lettuce separate from all the remaining ingredients. The dressing + salty salami/cheese/chickpea mixture can be kept in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Toss with the crisp lettuce just before enjoying.
This famous chopped salad is not going to live up to the original la scala salad if the lettuce isn’t full of lots of crisp textures. For best results, ensure your lettuce is dry before adding to the salad bowl. This will ensure the dressing coats the lettuce and you’ll be less likely to end up with a soggy salad. You also want to combine lettuces with the remaining simple ingredients AFTER they’ve been mixed with the delicious dressing. This will help keep things fresh!
Serving suggestions
Perfect for pizza night or with this Pizza Gnocchi! But I also enjoyed throughout the week as a main course with a serving of cottage cheese on the side and it was quite tasty (reminds me of my White Bean Salad – fresh flavors with a tangy dressing, which I love with cottage cheese, too).
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La Scala Chopped Salad
Equipment
- Knife
- Cutting Board
- Mixing Bowl
- Tongs
- measuring cups / spoons
Ingredients
Dressing
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1 tbsp dijon mustard
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1/3 cup grated parmesan
- 1/2 lemon, juiced
Salad
- 1 head green leaf lettuce
- 1 head romaine lettuce
- 1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained (15 oz)
- 1.5 oz sopressata salami, chopped
- 3.5 oz salami, I used hot Italian dried salami bites
- 1/4 cup Fresh parsley, finely diced
- 6 oz sharp provolone, crumbled
- 1/2 cup shaved parmesan
- 1/2 red onion, halved, then mandolined
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, sliced, optional
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together the salad dressing ingredients: olive oil, vinegar, dijon mustard, salt, pepper, grated parm, and lemon juice until it’s a smooth consistency.
- Add the drained can of chickpeas, sliced onion, both salamis, parsley, shaved parmesan and crumbled provolone. Toss together until coated in the homemade dressing.
- Finely shred the lettuces and add to the bowl. Toss together and enjoy!
Nutrition
Video
Notes
Looking for this in MyFitnessPal?
If you’re using MyFitnessPal, search ‘A Paige Of Positivity’ and find La Scala Chopped Salad calories and nutrition facts. Disclaimer: for most accurate macronutrients and caloric breakdown, it is recommended that you input each ingredient into your MyFitnessPal food diary.
I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below. It’s my passion to create dishes that can be shared with others. Tell me something you loved or just say hi!
the PERFECT addition to pizza night. couldn’t get enough of this salad!! Ate it with cottage cheese for lunch too. absolutely delectable!!
tastes like the most delicious italian sub I can eat with a fork. will be making again!!
this was TASTY. I will make it again asap