Italy’s most famous dish may be pizza, but these iconic Italian (and Italian-American!) salads prove that even simple vegetable dishes can outshine the rest. Scroll through to find your new favorite Italian salad!
Italians don’t make sad salads, and neither should you
Pizza, pasta and antipasti are all spectacular, but don’t overlook the Italian salad! The salad course in Italy shows the culture’s dynamic approach to vegetables in general and salad in particular. Honestly, I think the only reason we don’t celebrate Italian salads more is because there are so many other delicious Italian dishes!
The rules of Italian salad are simple:
- Showcase a handful of flavorsnot dozens. Part of what allows each flavor to sing is the limited number on the plate.
- Choose seasonal ingredientswith great flavor from pantry staples like olives, giardiniera, marinated or pickled peppers, and cheese.
- Dress them up simply. Typically, Italians prepare salad with individual components rather than a pre-mixed dressing. This is usually extra virgin olive oil, salt and balsamic vinegar, wine vinegar or fresh lemon juice. I always like to mix in a vinaigrette, but it’s not a requirement for many of these salads!
Italians have been eating some of the following salads for centuries, and pasta salads (everyone’s favorite summer side dish) are Italian-American classics that have earned their place thanks to the countless containers served at deli counters over the decades. I couldn’t choose a favorite. Try them all!
My tips for better Italian salads
- Use the best olive oil you have available. Because Italian salads are dressed simply, the quality of the olive oil is at the forefront of the salad’s flavor. This is not the place for a neutral oil. Our Italian extra virgin olive oil made from Sicilian Nocellara olives works wonderfully in every recipe on this list.
- Don’t rush. Many of these salads – pasta salad, rice salad, antipasto – improve enormously with time. Build this rest period into your plan whenever you can.
- Serve at room temperature. Cold flattens the flavor. Assemble your salad or remove marinated salads from the refrigerator 15 to 20 minutes before serving to let the flavors come alive a bit.
Classic salads from Italy
Italian seafood salad
Among the great dishes of Italian coastal cuisine, this combination of tender clams, mussels, shrimp and squid marinated in a bright and tangy lemon vinaigrette is so elegant. This recipe includes crunchy vegetables that are lightly marinated, before combining them with the seafood, so everything is beautifully infused with flavor. Serve with crusty bread or slices of garlic bread to soak up the dressing.
Caprese salad
There’s no more iconic Italian salad than Caprese, and no recipe makes a stronger case for the power of a few perfect ingredients. It originated on the island of Capri and has since been loved around the world. It is also a constant inspiration for us. Also try our Caprese Chicken, Caprese Chicken Salad and Caprese Pasta Salad!
Panzanelle
Bread is a staple food in Tuscany, so Tuscans have long found a way to reinvent stale bread into something new. Ribollita, pappa al pomodoro and, come summer, this exceptionally good tomato salad. Crusty pieces of bread soak up a garlicky olive oil vinaigrette and sweet tomato juice until tender and chewy, saturated with flavor. Chef’s tip: This salad is as good as the tomatoes!
Italian Potato Salad
This is the potato salad for people who think they don’t like potato salad. There’s no mayonnaise and the potato volume is balanced with juicy cherry tomatoes, green olives and green beans, keeping it from feeling heavy. This salad is one of my favorite things to serve with Tagliata Di Manzo (Italian Steak with Arugula and Parmesan).
Italian rice salad
Chilled pasta salads are an Italian-American invention, but if they have an Italian ancestor, it’s this rice salad. Typically, Insalata de Riso is made with long-grain white rice, but I like to use brown rice to add a little more fiber. I fill it with tuna, marinated artichoke hearts, crunchy vegetables, fresh parsley and a bright citrus vinaigrette. This is a great gluten-free alternative to pasta salad!
Fennel salad with parmesan
For a vegetable, grated raw fennel is exceptionally sweet. Pair it with salty, hazelnut parmesan, toasted walnuts, and just a little lemon and olive oil, and you have an exceptionally delicious yet simple salad. Chef’s tip: A mandolin makes it easy to quickly slice firm fennel bulbs into paper-thin ribbons, which is key to the texture of this salad. Be careful ; A cut-resistant glove is also a good investment!
Tuna and white bean salad (tuna and bean salad)
Thanks to canned tuna and beans, this protein-packed salad requires no cooking and virtually no prep, so it only takes minutes to put together. The Italian original is just beans, tuna, and a little onion, but I like to add greens and vegetables to make it more of a meal. Chef’s tip: Choose good quality tuna packaged in olive oil. The texture is meatier and the flavor is noticeably richer and more complex.
Beloved Italian-American Salads
Italian pasta salad
The base is rotini pasta tossed in a zesty Italian dressing with all your favorite flavors from an antipasto spread: salami, marinated artichokes, cherry tomatoes, olives, pepperoncini and fresh mozzarella pearls.
Antipasto salad
A cousin of our Italian pasta salad, without the pasta! Think of it like an Italian deli counter or your favorite panini reimagined as a salad. It’s loaded with salami, pepperoni, fresh mozzarella, provolone, marinated artichoke hearts, Kalamata olives and spicy pepperoncini. It’s an explosion of briny flavors that works as an appetizer, a side or, with some good bread on the side, a complete meal.
Great Easy Italian Salad
This is the Italian salad you’ll find at many Italian-American restaurants with red sauce. The base is a crunchy combination of chopped romaine and pleasantly bitter radicchio. Buttery olives and tangy pepperoncini, sweet cherry tomatoes, a few slivers of red onion, and a homemade Italian garlic vinaigrette make this a great addition to a pizza dinner or to keep company with a chicken schnitzel.
Italian chopped salad
The flavor combination of this chopped salad is similar to the Big Easy Italian Salad, but cutting the ingredients into satisfying bites makes a big difference in texture. Fennel and peppers add even more sweetness, color and crunch. It’s a great accompaniment to classic chicken parmesan or the lighter flavors of salmon piccata.
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The post 11 Italian Salads So Good You Could Skip the Pasta appeared first on The Mediterranean Dish.
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