Italian Pizzeria Salad Recipes

ITALIAN CHOPPED SALAD

Steps:

• Place the red onion in a small bowl and cover with cold water (this step keeps the onion's flavor but removes some of its harsh aftertaste). Let sit while you prepare the rest of the salad.
• Place the sun-dried tomatoes in a separate bowl and cover with hot water to rehydrate. Let sit while you prepare the rest of the salad.
• Peel the kale leaves off of the stems and discard the stems. Chop the leaves into very thin ribbons. You will have about 6 cups. Place in a very large mixing bowl and sprinkle with a pinch of kosher salt. Grab the kale by big handfuls, massaging it with your hands until it turns dark green in color, feels softer, and is fragrant. Don't skip this step! It makes the kale tender and delicious.
• To the bowl, add the romaine, cherry tomatoes, chickpeas, cheese, salami (if using), pepperoncini, and olives.
• Mix up the dressing: in a large liquid measuring cup or small mixing bowl, whisk together all of the ingredients-olive oil, vinegar, mustard, garlic, honey, oregano, salt, and pepper. Alternatively, you can shake all of the ingredients together in a mason jar with a tight-fitting lid.
• Drain the red onion and sun-dried tomatoes. Add to the bowl with the romaine mixture.
• If serving the salad all at once, drizzle enough dressing on to lightly coat it, then toss to combine (when in doubt, start with less dressing. It's easy to over dress a salad!). Or, if you are serving the salad over a series of days, toss the salad without the dressing to combine, then dress only the portion you plan to eat right away. Taste and add extra salt or pepper as desired.

ITALIAN CHOPPED SALAD PIZZA

Steps:

• Place a 10- to 12-inch cast-iron or other heavy ovenproof skillet in the oven and preheat to 450 degrees F.
• Put the pizza dough on a lightly floured surface. Using your hands or a rolling pin, press or roll the dough into a thin 10- to 12-inch round, depending on the size of your skillet.
• Remove the hot skillet from the oven and sprinkle the bottom with cornmeal. Carefully place the dough in the skillet. Brush the edges of the dough with olive oil. Top with the sauce, mozzarella, 1 cup Parmesan and half of each of the tomatoes, pepperoncini and onion.
• Bake until the cheese is melted and bubbly and the crust is golden, 12 to 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, put the 2 tablespoons Parmesan, the remaining tomatoes, pepperoncini and onion, along with the garlic, vinegar, dried basil and oregano in a mini food processor. Season with salt and blend until smooth. With the motor running, slowly stream in the 3 tablespoons olive oil. Taste and add more salt and pepper, if desired.
• Remove the skillet from the oven. Carefully run a metal spatula around and under the crust to ensure no part is sticking to the skillet, then lift and slide the pizza out onto a cutting board. Drizzle with about 1/4 cup of the dressing, sprinkle with fresh basil and pepper. Slice and enjoy immediately, sprinkled with additional Parmesan. Save the remaining dressing for your next salad!

ITALIAN SALAD PIZZA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425* Roll out dough into desired shape.
• Press garlic over dough and spread.
• Sprinkle with oregano and basil.
• Place on bottom rack of oven for 12-14 minutes or until golden brown.
• While crust is cooking, place lettuce, onion, tomato,olives, and dressing into a large bowl and toss to coat.
• When you remove the crust from the oven, immediately sprinkle with mozzarella and 1/2 of the parmasean cheeses.
• While still warm top with salad mixture.
• Use remaining cheese to top salad.
• Serve immediately.

SIMPLE ITALIAN SALAD

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450°. For croutons, spritz bread cubes with butter-flavored spray; place in a bowl. Sprinkle with Italian seasoning and garlic powder; toss to coat evenly. , Transfer to a greased 15x10x1-in. baking pan. Bake until golden brown, 8-10 minutes, stirring once or twice. Cool. , Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine romaine, tomatoes, olives, Parmesan cheese, onion and pepperoncini. Drizzle with salad dressing; toss to coat. Top with croutons.

ITALIAN LEAFY GREEN SALAD

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine the romaine, escarole, radicchio, red-leaf, scallions, red pepper, green pepper and cherry tomatoes.
• Whisk together the grapeseed oil, basil, vinegar, lemon juice and salt and pepper. Pour over salad, toss and serve immediately.