This La Scala Chopped Salad is a popular restaurant salad made easily right at home! It’s the perfect combination of textures and flavors featuring fresh lettuce, chickpeas, artichoke hearts, sun dried tomatoes, mozzarella, and salami doused in a tangy red wine vinaigrette.
There’s nothing quite as satisfying as digging into a restaurant-quality meal that you made right in your own kitchen.
This famous La Scala Chopped Salad is one of those recipes. This salad is hearty, packed with tasty flavors and textures like the crunch of lettuce and thin strips of Italian salami.
It’s an easy recipe that’s SO delicious, and easily customizable.
Why I LOVE this recipe!
- The easiest prep! – Chop, slice, rinse, and assemble! This hearty salad takes no time to whip up.
- Delicious flavor combination – The savory flavor of the artichoke and salami, the richness of the sun dried tomatoes, and the freshness of the lettuce is the perfect base for a tangy dressing.
- Affordable restaurant-quality salad – Avoid the expensive salad at your local restaurant. This La Scala salad tastes expensive, but is made with affordable ingredients.
Recipe Notes
This La Scala Chopped Salad Recipe is as simple as promised! Just 20 minutes of prep for a family friendly meal.
In this section I am going to go through a few tips and tricks I use for how to make this La Scala Salad Recipe to get the absolute best and most delicious results.
Make sure to scroll to the bottom for the FULL recipe card.
Ingredients + Substitutions
- Lettuce – I use a combination of iceberg lettuce and romaine lettuce, both finely chopped.
- Toppings – A classic La Scala Salad is filled out with garbanzo beans, artichoke hearts, mozzarella cheese, sliced salami, and sun dried tomatoes.
- Dressing – Our red wine vinaigrette is made with a combination of extra virgin olive oil, red wine vinegar, parmesan cheese, dijon mustard, honey, salt, and black pepper pepper.
Make sure to see the recipe card at the bottom of this post for the full quantities and ingredients list.
Recipe Variations
If you love this recipe as much as we do and want some quick ways to change it up for variety, these little tips will do the trick!
- Make it vegetarian – Simply skip the salami to make this into a delicious vegetarian salad. If you feel like it needs a little extra, simply add more of your favorite topping.
- Wrap it up – Make this La Scala Salad into a wrap by piling it into a tortilla.
- Make a sandwich – Try making this salad into mini slider sandwiches. Use my Italian Grinder Sliders recipe for inspiration!
Recipe Step by Step
I am going to highlight a few key steps in the recipe here, but make sure to jump down to the recipe card for comprehensive instructions on how to make La Scala salad.
In a large bowl, combine lettuce, chickpeas, and artichoke hearts.
Add in the mozzarella, salami, and sun dried tomatoes.
In a small bowl, mix together oil, vinegar, parmesan, mustard, honey, salt, and pepper. Drizzle that over your assembled salad.
Toss everything together to make sure the salad is evenly coated with dressing, then dig in!
Recipe Tips
- Chop your ingredients similar in size – The magic of a chopped salad really comes to fruition when you get a little bit of everything in one bite. I recommend chopping all of your ingredients small and similar in size for the best results.
- Serve immediately after dressing – For the freshest textures, I recommend serving your salad right away after you add the dressing. The longer it sits, the soggier the lettuce will become. Crunchy and fresh lettuce is best!
Recipe Short Cuts
If you need to make this recipe, but are extra short on time, here are a few ideas that can help make this recipe even faster!
- Prep your ingredients in advance – You can chop your lettuce, drain and rinse your chickpeas and artichokes, shred your cheese, and slice up your salami all ahead of time. That way everything is ready to go when you want to assemble your salad.
- Assemble your salad ahead of time – You can combine all of the ingredients except the dressing a day in advance and then store it in the fridge. When you’re ready to serve your salad, simply add the dressing!
What to Serve with La Scala Salad
Since this protein based dinner has the delicious Italian flavors, it will pair well with many of your favorite Italian side dishes.
Choose one or several of these side dishes to create a wholesome, well-rounded dinner. There are both classic options and some healthy options to keep it light.
Side Dish Ideas
- Garlic Bread – Who doesn’t love a delicious salad and garlic bread pairing? Whip up a batch of my BEST Ever Garlic Bread for the perfect Italian meal.
- Creamy Italian Chicken Pasta – Okay, maybe pasta is more of a main dish, but it pairs deliciously with this La Scala Chopped Salad. This Italian Chicken Pasta is hearty, creamy, and delicious.
- Italian Quinoa Salad – What’s better than one tasty salad? Two of them! Enjoy your lettuce-based salad with a side of my Italian Quinoa Salad for a delicious, healthy meal.
La Scala Chopped Salad Leftovers
If you have leftovers after making this recipe, then it is your lucky day! Once the La Scala salad dressing has been tossed with the salad, it won’t save well. If you anticipate having extra, add the salad dressing only to the portion that you plan on heating. Save the rest of the salad without the dressing in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
You can store the salad dressing separately in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
Recipe FAQ’s
Why is La Scala salad famous?
La Scala Salad is a recipe developed by a Beverly Hills restaurant called La Scala. It gained recognition and popularity thanks to praise from various celebrities, including the Kardashians.
What is in a La Scala salad?
A classic La Scala Salad is a savory combination of fresh lettuce topped with artichoke, salami, mozzarella cheese, sun dried tomato, chickpeas and dressing!
More EASY Salad Recipes
If you enjoyed this recipe, I really hope you will take a moment to grab a few more easy recipes for another busy night!
You can check out all of my easy salad recipes here, or see a few of our readers favorite recipes below.
La Scala Chopped Salad
Ingredients
For the chopped salad:
- ½ head iceberg lettuce, finely chopped
- 1 heart of romaine, finely chopped
- 15 oz chickpeas, rinsed + dried
- 8 ounces canned artichoke hearts, drained and quartered
- 1½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese, (about 6 ounces)
- 4 ounces sliced salami , cut into small strips
- ⅓ cup sundried tomatoes, drained and sliced
For the salad dressing:
- ½ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup red wine vinegar
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 2 tablespoons dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoons honey
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- To make the dressing, whisk together the oil. vinegar, parmesan cheese, mustard, honey, salt and pepper. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine the lettuces, chickpeas, artichoke hearts, mozzarella cheese, salami, and sun dried tomatoes.
- Right before serving, pour the dressing over the salad and toss until everything is coated.
Recipe Notes
- Chickpeas
- Artichoke hearts
- Sun dried tomatoes
- Salami
- Mozzarella
- Romaine Lettuce
- Iceberg lettuce
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