Italian Lunch Salad
A hearty lunch salad packed full of your favourite Italian ingredients. The base of this salad is cabbage. So it can be made ahead and will keep fresh for lunches during the week.
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 273kcal
Ingredients
Creamy Italian Dressing
- ¼ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup red wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons light mayo
- 2 tablespoons Greek yogurt
- 1 tablepoon honey
- 1 tablepoon shallot grated or finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard I like a grainy mustard
- 1 teaspoon garlic grated or finely chopped, about 1 clove
- 1 teaspoon each, dried oregano and basil
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- freshly grated pepper to taste
Italian Lunch Salad
- 4 cups shredded cabbage green cabbage or a mixture of red and green. To save time, use pre-shredded bagged cole slaw mix
- 4 oz Italian salami thinly sliced
- 4 oz provolone cheese cubed, diced
- 2 cups grape tomatoes cut in half or quarter if large
- 1 cucumber diced
- 1 red, yellow or orange bell pepper diced
- 1 can canned chickpeas 19 oz can
- ½ cup red or white onion, sliced
- ½ cup sliced kalamata olives
- ¼ cup fresh parsely
- ¼ cup pepperoncini peppers, sliced
Instructions
- Make the dressing: In a small jar, combine the olive oil, vinegar, mayo, yogurt, honey, Dijon, minced shallot and garlic, oregano and basil, salt, and pepper. Shake vigorously until emulsified.¼ cup olive oil, ¼ cup red wine vinegar, 2 tablespoons light mayo, 2 tablespoons Greek yogurt, 1 tablepoon honey, 1 tablepoon shallot, 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard, 1 teaspoon garlic, 1 teaspoon each, dried oregano and basil, ½ teaspoon sea salt, freshly grated pepper to taste
- Prep the base: Shred the cabbage thinly using a sharp knife or mandoline. Place it into a large mixing bowl. Or use my favourite shortcut: 1 bag of pre-shredded coleslaw mix.4 cups shredded cabbage
- Drain and rinse the chickpeas. Drain and rinse a 19-oz can of chickpeas, then add to the bowl with the cabbage.1 can canned chickpeas
- Chop the mix-ins: Dice your cucumbers, tomatoes, a mild sweet white or red onion, peppers, cheese, salami, olives, and pepperoncini. Toss everything into the bowl with the cabbage and chickpeas.4 oz Italian salami, 4 oz provolone cheese, 2 cups grape tomatoes, 1 cucumber, 1 red, yellow or orange bell pepper, ½ cup red or white onion, sliced, ½ cup sliced kalamata olives, ¼ cup fresh parsely, ¼ cup pepperoncini peppers, sliced
- For immediate serving: Pour the dressing over the salad. Toss thoroughly to ensure every shred of cabbage is coated. Let it sit for 10 minutes before serving to soften the cabbage slightly and marry the flavours.
- To make ahead: Divide the undressed salad evenly between 8 containers. Keep dressing separate. In the morning, or up to 10 minutes before lunch, pour ⅛ of the dressing - about two tablespoons - over the salad and shake well to combine.
Notes
- To store: Keep the salad and dressing separate in an airtight glass container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Toss a few minutes before serving to marry the flavours.
- Once tossed with dressing, enjoy it chilled straight from the fridge. The tossed salad will keep, chilled and refrigerated, and tastes great the next day.
- Customize Use your favourite Italian deli meat and cheese to make this salad your own. Other great additions - artichoke hearts, roasted red peppers, pickled onions, or finely diced sundried tomatoes.
Nutrition
Calories: 273kcal | Carbohydrates: 16g | Protein: 12g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Trans Fat: 0.003g | Cholesterol: 22mg | Sodium: 921mg | Potassium: 441mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 1180IU | Vitamin C: 45mg | Calcium: 172mg | Iron: 2mg
