Classic Italian Salad
Made with classic ingredients, this Italian salad only takes 20 minutes to make, can be made ahead, and is a celebration of fresh, bright, and simple Italian flavors.
Servings: 4 servings
Ingredients
- 5 ounces arugula
- 15 ounce can cannellini beans rinsed and drained
- 12 ounces cherry tomatoes left whole or halved
- 10 ounce jar pitted Castelvetrano olives or other Italian green olives (drained)
- 1 ⅓ cups grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese or regular parmesan cheese
- 1 cup roasted red pepper strips
- 1 English cucumber sliced into half moons
- 1 small sweet onion cut into paper thin slices
- 1-2 lemons juiced
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a large salad bowl, add arugula, beans, tomatoes, olives, parmesan cheese, red pepper strips, cucumber, and onion.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together olive oil, the juice of 1 ½ lemons, and salt and pepper. Pour dressing over the salad and toss well until combined. Taste! If not lemony enough, add the juice of the remaining ½ of a lemon. Toss again and serve.
Video
Notes
- I recommend using a mandoline, if you have it, to cut the onion into paper thin slices.
- Castelvetrano olives are mild and buttery…and the best! If you can’t find them, you can use Frescatrano olives which are very similar but Greek, or another type of Italian olive. The olive jar’s net weight should be around 10-12 ounces and the dry weight should be around 6-8 ounces.
- You can buy roasted red pepper strips in a jar in the grocery store. Make sure to drain them before enjoying!
- This salad can be made ahead, keeping the dressing and salad in separate bowls (covered) up to 3 days prior to serving. Whisk together the dressing and toss into the salad right before serving.
- This salads serves 2-3 people for dinner, or 4-5 people for an appetizer or side dish.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 634kcal | Carbohydrates: 39g | Protein: 23g | Fat: 47g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 30g | Cholesterol: 23mg | Sodium: 2385mg | Potassium: 805mg | Fiber: 11g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 2904IU | Vitamin C: 67mg | Calcium: 668mg | Iron: 6mg