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Home > Salads > Italian Chopped Salad (CPK Copycat)
May 12, 2020 | 39 Comments
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Italian Chopped Salad is a copycat of the famous California Pizza Kitchen salad. This Italian Chopped Salad is loaded with ham, salami, chickpeas, tomatoes, mozzarella, fresh basil, lettuceand all tossed in an easy lemon and dijon vinaigrette.
Serve this Italian chopped salad alongside someMargherita Pizza,Chicken Alfredo, or thisItalian Chicken Marinade.
California Pizza Kitchen Copycat
Several months ago during a trip to Vegas with my friends, we dined at the California Pizza Kitchen® in our hotel and I tried a salad that inspired me. I was determined to recreate it at home, and I’m thrilled with the result – it’s even better than the original!
This recipe gained immense popularity on social media (hi viral Edible Cookie Dough) for its versatility and deliciousness. It’s packed with ingredients like chickpeas and tomatoes, but the beauty of this chopped salad is its adaptability. You can easily modify the ingredients and quantities to your taste, maintaining a balanced proportion of flavors.
Ingredients In Italian Chopped Salad
- Romaine Lettuce: Forms the base of the salad, providing a crisp texture.
- Chickpeas and Cherry Tomatoes: Add heartiness and a juicy, sweet flavor.
- Red Onion: Brings a sharp, slightly sweet taste.
- Salami and Ham: Contribute a savory, meaty flavor.
- Mozzarella Pearls: Offer a creamy, mild cheese taste.
- Pepperoncini: Gives a mild, tangy kick.
- Basil Leaves: Infuse a fresh, herby smell. Use extra basil in thisTomato Basil Soup.
Dressing:
- Lemon Juice and Red Wine Vinegar: For tanginess and acidity.
- Dijon Mustard: Adds a delicious, slightly spicy flavor.
- Sugar, Oregano, and Parsley: Provide sweetness and herby notes.
- Garlic: Introduces a strong, aromatic taste in this Italian Chopped Salad.
- Olive Oil: Acts as a binder, creating a smooth texture. Use a good olive oil.
How To Make Italian Chopped Salad
- Dressing: Mix lemon juice, Dijon mustard, vinegar, sugar, oregano, parsley, garlic, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Shake and chill.
- Lettuce: Wash, chop, and dry romaine lettuce.
- Salad: Toss lettuce with chickpeas, cherry tomatoes, red onion, salami, ham, mozzarella, pepperoncini, and basil.
- Serve: Dress the salad just before serving to avoid sogginess.
QUICK TIP
Roll the romaine lettuce into thin cigars and thinly slice. Chop the thin slices to getthin and short ribbons of lettuce. This gives the lettuce more surface area for the dressing to coat and integrate better with all the other Italian chopped salad ingredients.
VARIATIONS
Switch Things Up
- The California Pizza Kitchen’s version of this Italian chopped salad uses chopped turkey, which can be used in place of the ham.
- Swap out chickpeas for drained and rinsed white beans. Use extra white beans in thisWhite Bean Soup.
- Add another type of cheese: Add in small cubes of Provolone or a finely grated Parmesan cheese in addition to the mozzarella pearls.
- Instead of just using romaine lettuce, use a mix of two different lettuces likeiceberg and romaine.
Chopped Italian Salad Storage
For storing Italian Chopped Salad, only dress the amount you’ll eat immediately as the dressing makes it soggy.
Keep undressed salad and dressing separate for later use. Prep components ahead and store dressing in the fridge; shake well before use.
More Salad Recipes
- Chicken Taco Salad
- Corn Salad
- Greek Salad
- BBQ Chicken Salad
- Creamy Balsamic Dressing
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Italian Chopped Salad (CPK Copycat)
4.88 from 32 votes
- Review this recipe
This Italian Chopped Salad is a copycat of the famous California Pizza Kitchen salad. It's loaded with ham, salami, chickpeas, tomatoes, mozzarella, fresh basil, and lettuce. It is tossed in an easy lemon, Dijon, and herb vinaigrette.
Print Recipe
Italian Chopped Salad (CPK Copycat)
4.88 from 32 votes
- Review this recipe
Print Recipe
This Italian Chopped Salad is a copycat of the famous California Pizza Kitchen salad. It's loaded with ham, salami, chickpeas, tomatoes, mozzarella, fresh basil, and lettuce. It is tossed in an easy lemon, Dijon, and herb vinaigrette.
Course Salad
Cuisine Italian
Keyword Italian Chopped Salad
Prep Time 30 minutes minutes
Total Time 30 minutes minutes
Servings 6 as a side
Chelsea Lords
Calories 313kcal
Author Chelsea Lords
Cost $8.12
Ingredients
Salad
- 1 large head (4 cups) romaine lettuce (Note 1)
- 1 can (15 ounces) chickpeas (also called garbanzo beans), drained and rinsed
- 1 pint (2 cups) cherry tomatoes, cut into quarters
- 1/2 cup red onion, very thinly sliced
- 1 cup (4 ounces) chopped salami
- 1/2 cup chopped ham
- 1 cup (5oz.) fresh mozzarella pearls, halved
- 1/3 cup thinly sliced pepperoncini
- 10-12 large fresh basil leaves
Dressing (Note 2)
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice, freshly squeezed
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 3 teaspoons white sugar
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1 clove garlic (1/2 teaspoon minced)
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- Fine sea salt & pepper
US - Metric
Instructions
DRESSING: Place all of the dressing ingredients in a container with a lid. Season to taste with salt and pepper -- I add about 1/2 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp pepper. Cover and shake briskly to combine. Place in the fridge and store there until ready to dress the salad.
LETTUCE: Wash and chop the lettuce. I like to cut the lettuce into ribbons (roll up the pieces into cigars and then thinly slice) and then halve the ribbons -- thinner salad pieces allow for more surface area for the dressing to adhere to. Use a salad spinner to ensure the lettuce is 100% dry before adding any other ingredients.
SALAD INGREDIENTS: Add in the drained & rinsed chickpeas, quartered cherry tomatoes, thinly sliced red onion, thinly sliced salami, chopped ham, halved mozzarella pearls, and thinly sliced pepperoncini. Chiffonade the basil pieces (see Note 3) and add those to the salad. Toss the salad and adjust add-ins to personal preference.
ADD DRESSING: Remove the dressing from the fridge and shake again to recombine. Only add the dressing to the quantity of salad you will be enjoying immediately (see Note 2). Unfortunately, this salad doesn't sit well with dressing, so keep it separate until right ready to eat!
LEFTOVER DRESSING: You may not use all the dressing in this salad (dress to preference). Leftover dressing keeps up to a week in the fridge.
Video
Recipe Notes
Note 1: Lettuce: For crunch and variety, use two different types of lettuce -- romaine and iceberg. If you do mix and match use 1/2 head of iceberg and 1/2 head of romaine. (I typically just use romaine though)
Note 2: Dressing: This is more dressing than you'll need for this salad, but I'd rather you have more than not enough! Dress salad slowly and to taste; save leftover dressing in the fridge for up to a week. Don’t be alarmed if the dressing separates or forms clumps. It’s just the olive oil solidifying, which it does at cold temps. Take the vinaigrette out of the fridge about 20-30 minutes or so before you need it and let it return to temperature. Then shake it up to remix.
Note 3: Chiffonade: Chiffonade is the technique of cutting thin ribbons, usually from lettuces or herbs. To chiffonade basil, gather the leaves together into a stack, and roll up like a cigar. Make thin slices through the rolled bundle, and unroll to see the delicate ribbons. For shorter chiffonade, cut each slice in half before unrolling the leaves.
Nutrition Facts
Serving: 6as a side | Calories: 313kcal | Carbohydrates: 18.5g | Protein: 21.2g | Fat: 18.1g | Cholesterol: 35.1mg | Sodium: 376.5mg | Fiber: 5.6g | Sugar: 5g
We do our best to provide accurate nutritional analysis for our recipes. Our nutritional data is calculated using a third-party algorithm and may vary, based on individual cooking styles, measurements, and ingredient sizes. Please use this information for comparison purposes and consult a health professional for nutrition guidance as needed.
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Leave a Comment:
The salad looks super delicious with so many different flavors.Reply
I made this tonight for my kids and I. They loved it and begged for this salad only for future salads.Reply
Yay! Love hearing that 🙂 Thanks so much for the comment and review Allison 🙂
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It looks so good! It has a little bit of everything. The chickpeas make it for me.
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Hope you love it 🙂
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Made this salad lastnight to go with stuffed shells and it was DELICIOUS. The dressing in particular is something I will use whenever I get the chance. Great recipe!Reply
So thrilled you enjoyed! Thank you for the comment 🙂
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Hi!This looks delicious and plan on trying this weekend. For the pepperoncini,do you use pickled or fresh?
Thank you!
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Hope you love it! 🙂 Jarred!
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This is so good! The whole family ate it and I have some for lunch tomorrow.Reply
So glad to hear it was a hit! 🙂 Thank you 🙂
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I loved this salad sooo much and so did our wine group that I made it for!! Making it again tonight.. But I love all your salads and so does everyone else I make them for.. yummy!!!!!Reply
I am so happy to hear this! Thanks so much for your kind comment Nicky! 🙂
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Your recipes look amazing! I’m making my grocery list now, as I plan on trying a few very soon. May I ask where you got your wood salad servers with the twisted handles? I love them.Thank you and wish me luck!
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Thank you so much! I hope you love this salad & good luck! 🙂 I’m sure this isn’t the answer you’re hoping for, but they were bought in Johannesburg Africa (my in-laws lived there for a bit) at the Joburg market. Wish I had a link to share for them
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Used the salad recipe as a base but added cut up mortadella instead of ham. Gotta say, the dressing recipe is a keeper ( cut it down to 2 teaspoons though ). Be sure to let it chill in fridge for a bit!Reply
Glad you’ve enjoyed it! Thanks for the comment 🙂
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wow – my husband and teenage boys are not salad fans but they sucked this down and asked if we could have it every week! plus it was super easy to modify for the vegetarian daughter and still give her plenty of protein. that dressing is the bomb. this is a new whole family staple – thank you!Reply
This is so fun to read — thanks so much for taking the time to leave a comment 🙂
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Made for a family gathering last week and making again tonight. Delicious and will be in my regular rotation. Thanks for the great recipe!Reply
So glad to hear that!! Thank you Margaret!
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Delicious! Brought to a gathering and EVERY speck was gone!
Thanks for a keeper!Reply
Yay! Love hearing that! Thanks Lori 🙂
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This salad:dressing is phenomenal! Loved the Chiffonade technique too. It not only makes for a beautiful presentation but helps to get a little bit of everything on your fork!! 😊 Delicious, thank you!!Reply
I’m so glad you loved this recipe! Thanks Paula!
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I can’t wait to make the taco salad too! Great prep tips and really delicious! Thank youReply
I’m so glad you enjoyed! Thanks! 🙂
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Delicious!! Made a humongous bowl of this for an Italian themed dinner party for 16 people and it was devoured. People had 2-3 servings and when does that ever happen with a salad? It was a little tedious cutting the meats and tomatoes for a salad this large, but I’d still make it again!! Very very good.Reply
I am seriously so thrilled to hear this! Thanks Stacey! 🙂
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This salad is amazing! Tastes like an Italian sub. My only issue was the chickpeas. To me they didn’t make sense in the salad and added a gross texture. Next time I make it… and I for sure will, I will leave them out. Otherwise everything about it was perfection.Reply
You can for sure leave them out! So glad you enjoyed! Thanks Kyli! 🙂
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Love this so much! Have made a few times. A fun shortcut is buying the applegate mini salami bites so you don’t need to chop:).Reply
Great idea! Thanks for your comment, so glad you enjoyed! 🙂
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I was in the mood for a new flavor combination and this recipe hit the spot. I left out the ham and used some chopped bacon instead. Swapped the red wine vinegar for white. I believe I’m going to eat the whole thing! Thank you.Reply
Delish! I am so thrilled to hear this! Thanks Kari! 🙂
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Made this today and it was absolutely delicious! I did toast the chickpeas for a little added texture. Yummm!Reply
Delish! So glad you enjoyed! Thanks Rachel! 🙂
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Delicious! We ate the whole salad it’s that good. Definitely will make again.
Substituted balsamic vinegar in dressing..tasted great.
Added eggs and diced ham and. pepperoni for protein.Reply
I am so thrilled to hear this! Thanks so much Gina! 🙂
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