Whenever I find myself at a restaurant or a family party that serves an Italian style chopped salad, I absolutely devour it. It’s one of my favorite types of salads and I thought it’d be fun to make a unique version with seasonal, crunchy brussels sprouts instead of lettuce. Say hello to crunchy flavor!
This Italian chopped salad involves shredded brussels sprouts instead of lettuce, tomatoes, chickpeas, provolone and parmesan cheese, olives, red onion, pepperoncini and MORE. It’s wrapped together in a light Italian-style dressing that you’ll fall in love with as soon as you take one bite. It’s so good, in fact, that I had to make it for Episode 4 of my YouTube channel, Good Mood Food! Watch it HERE and enjoy!
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What’s in a classic Italian chopped salad?
You know that giant chopped salad you get from California Pizza Kitchen or Macaroni Grill? Yeah, I’m talking about that salad.
Italian chopped salads are made with a crunchy base like romaine lettuce, radishes, radicchio or cabbage, veggies like tomatoes, onion and even artichoke hearts, chickpeas and meats like ham or salami, tangy pepperoncini and topped off with cheeses like mozzarella, parmesan or provolone. They’re then tossed with a light, tangy vinaigrette to coat everything.
Talk about a big bowl of deliciousness.
Ingredients in this Italian chopped salad with brussels sprouts
My take on a classic Italian chopped salad mixes it up with a shredded brussels sprouts base that marinates and soaks up all of the amazing flavors with tons of crunch. Every topping in this gorgeous salad adds a new flavor and texture element that you’re going to love. Here’s what you’ll need:
- For the salad dressing: you’ll need olive oil, red wine vinegar, sugar or honey, garlic, dijon mustard, Italian seasoning, salt & pepper.
- Brussels sprouts: the base that holds up all of the delicious toppings even better than lettuce! Freshly shredded/chopped brussels sprouts.
- Protein: we’re adding a full can of chickpeas, Genoa salami, cubed provolone cheese, and shredded parmesan for plenty of protein and a tasty saltiness.
- Veggies: this salad also has a full cup of grape or cherry tomatoes and some sliced red onion for crunch. You could also add cucumber and red pepper if you’d like!
- Special toppings: don’t forget the sliced olives and pepperoncini! A little kick of Italian flavor.
What is a pepperoncini?
Although “pepperoncini” sounds like a cute little pepperoni, it’s actually a type of pepper. Pepperoncini are yellow-green and look similar to banana peppers, but are thinner and often a bit hotter in terms of spice (some banana peppers have virtually no spice). If you’re sensitive to spice or aren’t a fan of banana peppers, feel free to omit the pepperoncini in this recipe.
Customize your salad
Missing a few things from the list or looking to DIY? No problem! Here are some easy ingredient swaps you can make in this Italian chopped brussels sprouts salad:
- Swap your protein. Customize your protein by using grilled chicken instead of salami or chickpeas. You could even swap in some crispy bacon or ham for the salami.
- Make it vegetarian. Simply omit the salami to keep this salad vegetarian.
- Go vegan. Looking to make it vegan? Omit the salami & cheeses and enjoy as-is.
- Pasta party. Get a little wild and add some cooked elbow, bowties or cavatappi noodles!
How to chop brussels sprouts for salad
- The easiest way to chop or shred brussels sprouts is by using your food processor. Simply add the slicing attachment to your food processor and pulse until the brussels sprouts are thinly sliced.
- If you don’t have a food processor you can thinly slice the brussels sprouts with a sharp knife. Just make sure to remove the stem and any outer yellow leaves.
Italian chopped salad in 4 easy steps
- Make your dressing. Start by whisking together all of the dressing ingredients in a small bowl.
- Shred the brussels. You’ll then want to shred all of those brussels sprouts with a food processor or sharp knife.
- Marinate the brussels. Add your dressing to the brussels sprouts by themselves so that the soak up all that flavor.
- Chop & toss. Chop the rest of your toppings, add them to your bowl of marinated brussels sprouts and serve!
Meal prep this salad
This Italian chopped brussels sprouts salad is great for making ahead of time. Simply make the dressing, shred your brussels, chop all of those toppings and store them in containers until you’re ready to put it all together.
Storing tips
Got leftovers? Store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.
More salad recipes you’ll love
- Warm Brussels Sprouts Salad
- Everything Spring Green Salad with Basil Lemon Vinaigrette
- Spicy Ranch Chopped Chicken Cabbage Salad
- Vibrant Curry Cashew Chickpea Quinoa Salad
- Sesame Chicken Cabbage Crunch Salad
Get all of my delicious salad recipes here!
Good Mood Food Episode 4
I hope you love this flavorful, easy Italian chopped brussels sprouts salad! If you make it be sure to leave a comment and a rating so I know how you liked it. Enjoy, xo!
Ambitious Kitchen
Cookbook
125 Ridiculously Good For You, Sometimes Indulgent, and Absolutely Never Boring Recipes for Every Meal of the Day
Italian Chopped Brussels Sprouts Salad
Ingredients
- For the Italian dressing:
- ⅓ cup olive oil
- 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1-2 teaspoons sugar or honey, depending on how sweet you like your dressing
- 1 clove garlic, finely minced
- 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- For the salad:
- 1 pound brussels sprouts, ended trimmed and outer leaves removed
- 1 (15 ounce) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
- 4-6 oz thinly sliced Genoa salami, cut in half or julienned
- 1 ½ cups cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
- ½ cup pitted sliced kalamata or sliced black olives
- ¼ cup sliced pepperoncinis
- ½ small red onion, thinly sliced
- ½ cup cubed provolone cheese
- ¼ cup shaved or shredded parmesan
Instructions
- Make the dressing: in a medium bowl, whisk together the olive oil, red wine vinegar, sugar/honey, garlic, dijon, italian seasoning, salt and pepper.
- Next, shred the brussels sprouts by using a food processor with the slicing attachment and pulse until the brussels sprouts are thinly sliced. If you don’t have a food processor, feel free to use a sharp knife to thinly slice.
- Add shredded brussels to a large bowl and pour the dressing all over. Next use a tongs to coat the brussels with the dressing. Let the dressing sit and marinate the brussels for 30 minutes. While the brussels marinate and soak up the dressing, you can chop and prep all your other ingredients.
- Next add in the chickpeas, salami, tomatoes, olives, pepperoncinis, red onion, provolone cheese cubes, shaved parmesan. Toss to combine. Serve immediately with extra black pepper. Serves 4 to 6.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Recipe by: Monique Volz // Ambitious Kitchen | Photography by: Eat Love Eats
This post was originally published on January 19th, 2021, republished on May 1st, 2022, and republished on May 4th, 2024.
We love this recipe and make it often! Yum!
So happy to hear that!
My husband and 7 year old both told me this is their all time favorite salad. We make it at least 2-3x/month and I always double the dressing for greens throughout the week. Def don’t skip that 30 min of the Brussels marinating in the dressing.
This is a favorite at our house. I usually make it as written but this week, I substituted a bag of broccoli slaw for the Brussels sprouts and it was just as good. During the hot summer months, we eat this salad for dinner with some garlic bread. But I just served it as a side salad with chicken parm. Either way, delicious. It also keeps a long time and we love having leftovers.
Oh great idea to add broccoli slaw! The perfect main or side dish all year round 🙂
Oh this is delicious! I used mozzarella in place of the provolone cheese, but kept everything else the same. It holds up well so it’s perfect for meal prep.
Perfect! So glad you enjoyed!
Hi Monique!
If meal prepping this salad, would you recommend keeping the dressing separate or combining it with the brussels in advance?
Hi Kaylin! I’d recommend combining with the brussels in advance so that they soak up that delicious flavor 🙂
There is not another better intalian dressing recipe than this one. This is the absoltely best!
So good!!
I have made this multiple times. Absolutely delicious!!
So glad you love it!
I just made your Brussels sprout salad. It is amazing! I cannot keep out of it. All the flavors just it together and each bite is a flavor bomb. It is so hot in California and I live on cold salads and this recipe is my all-time favorite. All the ingredients are a staple in my kitchen so I didn’t have to make a long shopping list. Thank you so much. Ladies, you HAVE to make this
One of our favs for hotter months! Glad you loved it!
Monique, I made this salad when my cousin came to visit. We both could not stop eating. This is by far the best salad I have ever eaten. I can’t wait until I make this incredible salad again. Thank you for sharing! Brenda Schlosser
Amazing! So happy to hear that, Brenda!
Really good! I made it exactly as is and used two bags of the pre sliced brussels from Trader Joes (20 oz total so over a pound) also found provolone/genoa salami duo packet at TJs. I tried to do a little extra dressing but next time may just double the dressing to have extra to add on. Will definitely be making this again and feel like it’d be great to bring to parties! Roommate loved it too 🙂
Perfect! Glad it was a hit!
So yum! I used shredded lettuce and drained canned tuna instead of the sprouts and salami. Next time I’ll definitely use the sprouts though. I used maple syrup in my dressing instead of sugar/honey. I didn’t have pepperoncini or provolone. The flavors here are so fresh and delicious. I chopped some extra red onion and added it to my leftover dressing to marinade for my next serving. 🙂 Oh, and next time I think I’ll squeeze some lime all over everything too just for fun.
Perfect! This one’s great for customizing 🙂
We call this Party Salad because it’s a flavor party 🙂
We mod by skipping olives and add feta.
Love that!!
This is the second recipe I have made from this blog. It waa just as easy to make and follow as the first. I love a new way to use vegetables and this brussel sprout salad will be made many times in the near future. I couldn’t find a block provolone cheese so I used gouda.. if there are any recommendations here I would love to hear them.
So happy to hear that! This salad is great with all different types of cheeses.
I am a believer!!! I noticed his salad was highly rated. I have made many of AK recipes but was resistant with this one because it was made with Brussels sprouts. I LOVED it. Brought it to a family function and got so many compliments even my 7 yo niece loved it! Thanks Monique
Amazing! So happy to hear that!
I was recently preparing brussels for roasting, and found myself eating them raw. Had to look up a good recipe for a salad. This looks so tasty!
Glad you found this one!
Incredible! I didn’t change a thing. I made it at the beginning of the week and my daughter and i ate for lunch a few days. The flavor just got better and better. I will definitely be making this again.
So glad to hear that, Amy. Appreciate your comment!
This was a huge hit with my family. Because it makes a large salad we had some leftovers but they were gone the next day!
Yay! Glad to hear this recipe is a hit for the whole family ❤️
10/10 most delicious salad I have ever eaten AND 10/10 best way to consume brussel sprouts! I skipped black olives bc I didn’t have them but it was still soooo tasty!
Ah yay! Happy to hear this salad turned out great for you, Jamie 🙂
I made this twice in 2 weeks because it was just that good. Brought to a dinner party and everyone wanted the recipe. This is sure to please a crowd or is a great lunch staple to have in the fridge. I omitted the provolone cheese cubes because I wanted less cheese and it was just as good!
Ah so glad you found this recipe and are loving it ❤️