Italian Chopped Salad With Ham

Ingredients

• 1.5 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 garlic (clove, minced or grated)
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1.5 tsp sugar
• 0.5 tsp salt
• 0.25 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp dried Italian herbs (or basil or oregano)
• 7 oz ham (chopped; leftover ham, salami, chicken, or turkey)
• 7 Cos or Gem lettuce (leaves, chopped)
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes (halved)
• 1 cup mini mozzarella balls (bocconcini, halved)
• 0.5 cup green Sicilian olives (sliced)
• 0.5 cup fire-roasted red pepper (sliced)
• 0.3333333333333333 cup pepperoncini (thinly sliced; or Greek golden peppers)
• 0.25 red onion (small, finely diced)
• 1.5 cup canned chickpeas (drained)
• 0.33 cup Parmesan cheese (grated; optional but delicious (up to 1/2 cup))

Steps

1. 1

   In a small bowl, whisk together the red wine vinegar, extra-virgin olive oil, minced garlic, Dijon mustard, sugar, salt, black pepper, and dried Italian herbs until well combined.

2. 2

   Chop the lettuce, halve the cherry tomatoes, finely dice the red onion, and slice the olives, roasted peppers, and pepperoncini.

3. 3

   Drain the chickpeas and halve the mini mozzarella balls.

4. 4

   Combine the chopped ham, lettuce, tomatoes, mozzarella, olives, peppers, pepperoncini, red onion, chickpeas, and Parmesan cheese (if using) in a large salad bowl.

5. 5

   Drizzle the dressing over the salad and toss well to coat all ingredients thoroughly.

6. 6

   Serve immediately while the ingredients are crisp and fresh.

Notes

Make-ahead: Chop all ingredients and prepare the dressing up to 2 days in advance, but store them separately in the fridge. Combine just before serving. Substitutions: You can use salami, grilled chicken, turkey, or tuna instead of ham. Diced Cheddar or feta can replace mozzarella. White beans can be used instead of chickpeas. Low-carb: Skip the chickpeas or reduce the amount used.

Nutrition per serving

• salad
• main
• lunch
• Italian
• healthy
• high-protein
• gluten-free
• leftovers