This Italian Chopped Salad is an easy no cook meal. Loaded with meat, cheese and vegetable this filling salad has fewer than 6 net carbs per serving.
Ready for a quick and easy no cook meal? This Chopped Italian Salad ticks all the boxes of a successful dinner in our house! It is easy to prepare, comes together quickly, and is always a crowd pleaser! The best part of this low carb salad is that it is a great way to use up odds and ends you probably already have on hand.
The combination of artichokes, olives, and pepperoncini peppers makes for a tangy, flavorful salad that is anything but boring! Pair with Keto Red Lobster Biscuits for a really amazing meal!
Italian Salad Ingredients
- Base Salad: You can use whatever greens you prefer such as baby spinach, kale, romaine or a mixture of your favorite greens.
- Tomatoes: any variety you prefer.
- Red Onion: thinly sliced red onion adds a ton of flavor.
- Canned Goods: Olives, green, black or Kalamata. You will also need pepperoncini peppers and artichokes.
- Cured Meats: such as salami, prosciutto, capocollo, or pepperoni
- Cheese: fresh mozzarella pearls, or fresh mozzarella slices. Smoked gouda, Parmesan, or Asiago would also work well.
How do you make Low Carb Italian Dressing?
For this dressing you will combine olive oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper, Italian seasoning and minced garlic in a small jar. Simply secure the lid and shake well! If you prefer your dressings a little sweeter, add about 1 teaspoon of Golden Monkfruit (if keto, if not you can add honey) at a time until it reaches your desired sweetness.
Do I have to use Italian dressing?
You can use your favorite dressing if you prefer. This salad pairs well with an Italian, Balsamic, or olive oil and vinegar dressing. However, we really love it with this homemade Italian Dressing, it features freshly squeezed lemon juice that adds amazing flavor! Just remember, if you are keto and use another dressing to watch your carbs.
Can you meal prep salad?
Yes, salad is an easy meal prep option. Meal prepping salad always comes down to how you store it. I stored the dressing in these disposable cups because it’s what I had around the house, but these reusable cups seem super handy. I love that this handy Salad Lunch Container To Go includes several different compartments, making it easy to keep everything fresh.
You don’t want to add the dressing until you’re ready to serve, but you can make the dressing and store it in an air-tight jar in the fridge for 1-2 weeks. I would also store the wetter ingredients (cut tomatoes, canned ingredients, etc.) separately. If you carry your salads in jars, just store the wet ingredients on the bottom and your greens on top.
What to serve with Chopped Salad?
While this is a filling, well-rounded meal on its own, you could add a few dishes to make it a big dinner worthy of company. You could add these Keto Cheddar Garlic Biscuits (either on the side as written or chop them up and toast them for croutons). A delicious soup like this Instant Pot Zuppa Toscana or Keto Italian Sausage Soup would also be a great follow up if you wanted to serve this Italian Chopped Salad as a small appetizer.
Other Salad Recipes
- Easy Cucumber Salad
- Asparagus Avocado and Tomato Salad
- Chopped Thai Chicken Salad
- Greek Chicken Power Bowls
Italian Chopped Salad
Ingredients
Antipasto Salad
- 6 cups romaine salad chopped
- 2 cups cherry tomatoes sliced
- 2 cups canned artichokes hearts rinsed
- 2 cups cured meats of your choice pepperoni, salami, prosciutto, chopped
- 1 cup peperoncini peppers sliced
- 1 cup mozzarella pearls
- 1/2 cup olives whole or sliced
- 1/4 cup red onion very thinly sliced
For the Lemon Vinaigrette
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons of lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
Instructions
To make the Lemon Vinaigrette
- Combine the ingredients in a small jar. Secure with a lid and shake until combined. If you prefer your dressing sweeter add 1 teaspoon desired sweetener until it reaches your desired level of sweetness.
To make the Italian Salad
- Place the chopped romaine in the bottom of a large salad bowl, or serving platter. Top with remaining ingredients. Serve with lemon vinaigrette.