Italy’s most famous food may be pizza, but these iconic Italian (and Italian-American!) salads prove that even simple vegetable dishes can trump everything else. Scroll on to find your new favorite Italian salad!
Italians don’t make boring salads, and neither should you
Pizza, pasta and appetizers are all exciting, but don’t overlook the Italian salad! The salad course in Italy shows the culture’s bright approach to vegetables in general and to salads in particular. Honestly, I think the only reason we don’t celebrate Italian salads anymore is because there are so many other delicious Italian dishes out there!
The rules of Italian salad are simple:
- Show off a few flavorsnot dozens. Part of what makes each palate sing is the limited amount on the plate.
- Prefer seasonal ingredientswith great flavor from pantry staples like olives, giardiniera, pickled or marinated peppers, and cheese.
- It’s easy to put them on. As a rule, Italians dress the salad with individual components, rather than with a pre-mixed dressing. This is usually extra virgin olive oil, salt and balsamic vinegar, wine vinegar or fresh lemon juice. I still like to mix the dressing, but it’s not necessary for a few of these salads!
Italians have been eating some of the salads below for centuries, and pasta salad (everyone’s favorite summer side dish) is an Italian-American classic that’s earned its place thanks to countless containers served on deli counters over the decades. I couldn’t pick a favorite. Try them all!
My tips for the best Italian salads
- Use the best olive oil you have. Since Italian salads are simply dressed, the quality of the olive oil is at the forefront of the salad’s flavor. This is not the place for neutral oil. Our Italian Extra Virgin Olive Oil, made from Sicilian Nocellara olives, works beautifully in every recipe on this list.
- Take your time. Many of these salads—pasta salad, rice salad, antipasta—improve greatly over time. Work this rest period into your plan whenever you can.
- Serve at room temperature. The cold smooths out the flavor. Assemble your salad or take the pickled salads out of the fridge 15-20 minutes before serving to allow the flavor to wake up 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, zesty lemon dressing is so elegant. This recipe includes crisp, lightly marinated vegetables before combining them with the seafood, so everything comes out beautifully flavored. Serve with crusty bread or slices of garlic bread to soak up the dressing.
Caprese salad
There is no more iconic Italian salad than Caprese, and no recipe that more convincingly demonstrates the power of a few perfect ingredients. It originated on the island of Capri and has since become a world favorite. It is a constant inspiration for us as well. Try our Chicken Caprese, Chicken Caprese Salad and Caprese Pasta Salad!
Panzanella
Bread is one of the staple foods in Tuscany, so the people of Tuscany have long found ways to turn stale bread into something new. Ribollita, pappa al pomodoro, and, come summer, this exceptionally good tomato salad. Slices of crusty bread are soaked in a garlicky dressing of olive oil and sweet tomato juice until they become soft and chewy, full of flavor. Chef’s tip: This salad is as good as the tomatoes!
Italian potato salad
This is potato salad for those who think they don’t like potato salad. There’s no mayo, and the potato’s bulk is balanced by juicy cherry tomatoes, green olives and green beans, so it doesn’t feel heavy. This salad is one of my favorite options 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 the rice salad. Generally, Insalata de Riso is made with long grain white rice, but I like to use brown rice to add more fiber. I load it with tuna, pickled artichoke hearts, crunchy vegetables, fresh parsley and a bright citrus dressing. This is a great alternative to a gluten-free pasta salad!
Fennel salad with parmesan
For a vegetable, shorn raw fennel is unusually sweet. Pair it with salty, nutty parmesan cheese, toasted walnuts, and a drizzle of lemon and olive oil, and you’ve got a super-tasty, yet simple salad. Chef’s tip: A mandolin allows you to quickly slice the tough fennel bulbs into paper-thin ribbons, which is the key to this salad’s texture. Be careful; a cut resistant glove is also a good investment!
Salad with white beans and tuna (salad with tuna and beans)
Thanks to canned tuna and beans, this protein-rich salad requires no cooking or preparation, so it only takes a few minutes to assemble. The Italian original is just beans, tuna and a little onion, but I like to add some herbs and vegetables to make it more meal-like. Chef’s tip: Choose quality tuna packed in olive oil. The texture is meatier, and the flavor is noticeably richer and more complex.
Favorite Italian-American salads
Italian pasta salad
The base is rotini pasta tossed with a spicy Italian dressing with all your favorite appetizer flavors: salami, pickled artichokes, cherry tomatoes, olives, pepperoncini and fresh mozzarella.
Antipasti salad
A cousin of our Italian pasta salad without the pasta! Think of it as an Italian deli counter or your favorite panini reimagined as a salad. It’s loaded with salami, pepperoni, fresh mozzarella, provolone, pickled artichoke hearts, Kalamata olives and spicy pepperoncini. It’s a salty nugget of flavor that works as a starter, a side dish, or—with good bread by the side—a complete meal.
A large light Italian salad
This is an Italian salad that you will find in many Italian-American restaurants with red sauce. The base is a crunchy combination of shredded romaine and pleasantly bitter radicchio. Buttery olives and spicy pepperoncini, sweet cherry tomatoes, a few slices of red onion, and a garlicky homemade Italian dressing make this a great addition to a pizza dinner or a chicken patty.
Italian chopped salad
The flavor combination of this chopped salad is similar to a large light Italian salad, but chopping the ingredients into hearty bite-sized pieces makes a big difference in texture. Fennel and bell pepper add even more sweetness, color and crunch. It’s a great side dish for classic Chicken Parmesan or the lighter flavor of Salmon Piccata.
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The post 11 Italian Salads So Good You Can Skip Pasta appeared first on The Mediterranean Dish.
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