My Number One Fan’s Chopped Salad

This is a salad that My Number One Fan created as part of a menu at our house that is meant to accompany Tomato Basil Soup for a complete meal.  The recipe for our Tomato Basil Soup can be found here. The original salad was called Nancy’s Chopped Salad from a 2014 post in the smittenkitchen website.  The author gave credit for adapting her recipe from The Mozza Cookbook.  The truth is, there are many, many variations on this theme, which is generally classified as an Italian Antipasto Salad.  The name is derived from the ingredients that are largely standard fare in most antipasto courses served in classic American Italian restaurants.  This gives you a lot of latitude to incorporate a whole host of items that may or may not be mentioned here.  But this is the way My Number One Fan makes it, and it’s a great light dinner when paired with her delicious Tomato Basil Soup.

Variation:  Substitute Davina Roasted Red Tomatoes for the grape tomatoes; it gives the salad a summery sweet, herb-like background flavor.  Click here for product information.

Optional Add-Ins: chick peas, chopped roasted red bell peppers (like, Mezzetta), prosciutto cut into ribbons, marinated artichokes, Italian cured black olives, cubed mozzarella cheese.

Ingredients for the Salad Dressing
This is an Italian Vinaigrette found in my Salad Dressing Repository.
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese (like, the Kraft green can)
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tbsp Italian Seasonings (basil, oregano, thyme, parsley)
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup olive oil

The Recipe
Assemble all recipe ingredients for the salad in large bowl and chill in the refrigerator for 15-30 minutes.

Put all the salad dressing ingredients in a jar with a tight-fitting lid, and shake for 20 seconds. Allow to sit for 15-30 minutes.

Combine the salad with the dressing and toss to coat everything well. Serve in salad bowls along side mugs of Tomato Basil Soup.