Mediterranean Chopped Salad

Name: Mediterranean Chopped Salad
Prep time: 10 min
Total time: 10 min
Cuisine: Mediterranean
Ingredients: 1 head of romaine lettuce, finely chopped (about 9 cups); 1/2 cup finely chopped red onion; 1 cup pitted Castelvetrano olives, sliced in half; 2 cups cherry tomatoes, sliced in half lengthwise; 1 yellow or orange bell pepper, finely chopped; 2 Persian cucumbers, sliced in half lengthwise and chopped; 6 ounces mozzarella cheese, diced; 1 14-ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed; 1 batch Pesto Salad Dressing

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This Mediterranean Chopped Salad with lemon pesto dressing is healthy, colourful, and bursting with flavour. It’s the perfect side dish to pair with any main.

An overhead photo of the salad in a wooden bowl with a jar of pesto salad dressing and a decorative towel surrounding it

It’s time for another summer salad!

In the summer, a couple of salads are on heavy rotation: my Blueberry Feta Spinach Salad and my Moroccan Lentil Carrot Salad. But this Mediterranean chopped salad with chickpeas, veggies, cheese, and lemon pesto dressing is in the running for my favourite salad recipe yet.

This salad is tossed with my Pesto Salad Dressing and is such a versatile recipe to pair with almost any main. My favourite way to serve it is with grilled chicken, salmon, or steak and a side of roasted potatoes. It’s also delicious in a pita or wrap with shredded rotisserie chicken.

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Why You’ll Love This Salad
Ingredients
Instructions
Substitutions and Variations
Equipment
Storage
Top Tip
FAQ
Related
Mediterranean Chopped Salad

Why You’ll Love This Salad

Fresh and flavourful: This salad is filled with fresh summer vegetables, including romaine lettuce, onion, cherry tomatoes, bell pepper, and cucumber.
Filling and packed with protein: Chickpeas and mozzarella or feta cheese give this salad staying power thanks to the fibre in chickpeas and the protein in cheese.
Inspired by the Mediterranean diet: The Mediterranean diet is full of colourful vegetables, fresh herbs, and legumes, all of which are found in this salad.

Ingredients

Romaine lettuce: I find that chopped romaine lettuce works best as a green in chopped salads due to its crunch. You want to slice the lettuce as small as possible.
Red onion: Red onion adds crunch and flavour. The key is to chop it nice and small so that it mixes into the rest of the salad and doesn’t overpower each bite.
Cherry tomatoes: I like cherry tomatoes for their sweetness and ability to hold their shape in salads. You’ll cut them in half since we want all of the ingredients chopped small in this salad.
Bell pepper: Finely chopped bell pepper adds crunch and vitamin C.
Persian cucumber: I prefer Persian cucumber over English cucumber because it is crunchier, more flavourful, and less watery.
Olives: I love Castelvetrano olives for their punchy flavour, but Kalamata olives are also a good option.
Mozzarella cheese: Diced mozzarella cheese adds protein; feta cheese is a good alternative if you want more of a Greek-style chopped salad.
Chickpeas: These add fibre, texture, and make this salad more filling. I use rinsed and drained canned chickpeas, but you can use chickpeas that you have cooked at home if you prefer.
Basil Pesto Salad Dressing: My basil pesto salad dressing contains homemade pesto, extra-virgin olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, sea salt, pepper, and honey.

See recipe card for quantities.

Instructions

a straight on view of the pesto salad dressing in a jar

Step 1: If you haven’t made the pesto salad dressing yet, start by mixing together all of the ingredients in a jar.

a process photo of the fully assembled salad in a large wooden bowl with a jar of dressing in the upper right hand corner

Step 2: Assemble the salad. Place the lettuce in a large salad or mixing bowl. Top with the remaining salad ingredients.

a process photo showing the dressing being drizzled over the salad

Step 3: Add the dressing and toss to combine.

Hint: If you are making this salad ahead of time, leave the dressing separate until right before serving. Unlike kale salads, lettuce-based salads do not hold up well under dressing.

Start with half of the dressing; you can always add more if you need it.

Substitutions and Variations

Lettuce: Swap out the lettuce for finely chopped kale. Because kale is a tough green, you’ll need to massage a few tablespoons of the dressing into the chopped kale with your hands to tenderize it.
Castelvetrano olives: Use Kalamata olives instead.
To make dairy-free: Either omit the cheese or use non-dairy mozzarella or feta.

Here are some ideas for how to make this salad even more nutrient-dense:

Add protein: Add some diced or shredded chicken breast or rotisserie chicken, or canned tuna!
Add fibre: Serve this over cooked quinoa or farro for even more fibre.

Equipment

Salad Bowl
Measuring cups
Measuring spoons
Cutting board
Chef’s knife

Storage

Because the base of this salad is romaine lettuce, it’s best to enjoy fresh since lettuce salads get soggy the longer they sit.

If you’d like to meal prep this salad, I recommend preparing and storing the toppings, lettuce, and dressing separately and then assembling the salad right before serving.

If stored separately, this salad will stay fresh in the refrigerator for up to three days.

Top Tip

The key to a great chopped salad is chopping all of the vegetables small, including the lettuce. This way, you get a bit of everything in each mouthful.

FAQ

I don’t like one of the ingredients, can I leave it out?

Yes! While I love the unique quality that each of the ingredients adds (salt and richness from the cheese and olives, crunch from all of the veggies), feel free to omit an ingredient if you don’t like it.

Can I use a store-bought dressing?

Sure. Primal Kitchen Greek Dressing would be a good option.

Check out my other salad and dressing recipes next:

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