This simple Italian salad with crunchy lettuce, veggies, Parmesan cheese, and croutons dressed with an easy Italian dressing packs tons of zesty flavor for the only side salad you’ll ever need.
Whenever I have Italian food, this simple Italian salad is the one I crave to go along with it. Whether it’s pizza, lasagna, bolognese, or gnocchi, the crisp lettuce and veggies dressed in this tangy 2-ingredient Italian dressing deliver all the light, bright salad flavors that pair perfectly with it. In my opinion, this house salad is just as good if not better than Olive Garden’s Italian salad, and so easy to make at home. Tossed with cucumbers, tomato, olives, red onion, croutons, and Parmesan cheese, it’s the perfect easy dinnertime staple for any chicken, fish, or meaty main meal.
In This Post
Why This Salad Works
- You can use basic iceberg, romaine, or a combination of both for the best salad crunch.
- The simple Italian dressing’s zippy vinegar flavor cuts through any heaviness the main dish may have.
- Crunchy croutons and Parmesan cheese please just about every eater, even if they aren’t a salad lover.
What’s In Italian Salad
- A combination of iceberg lettuce, romaine lettuce, and leafy green—The watery crunch of iceberg lettuce with chunks of romaine gives this salad heft. Their nooks and crannies are perfect landing spots for the tangy dressing. A buttery green leaf is optional but adds a pretty visual appeal.
- Campari or cherry tomatoes—Stick with tomatoes that don’t have a lot of seeds but deliver a sweet flavor.
- Cucumber—I use whatever cucumber I have in the fridge. Persian cucumbers, garden cucumbers, or English cucumbers all work well.
- Red onion—Slivered red onion adds just the right amount of heat
- Black olives—I like plain, sliced olives here for their mellow flavor.
- Croutons—my homemade garlicky croutons are the best, but a good quality store brand works too.
- Parmesan cheese—It’s always best to skip the kind in the can and grate your own.
- Neutral oil and red wine vinegar—These two ingredients plus coarse cracked black pepper and kosher salt are all you need for a puckery Italian dressing that makes this salad shine.
Find the complete recipe with measurements below.
How to Make the Best Italian Salad
- Tear the lettuces into chunks instead of cutting with a knife. Torn lettuce leaves create more nooks for the dressing to nestle into for more flavor. The rough edges give the salad more body and visual appeal.
- Cut the cucumber and tomato into similar-sized pieces. Keeping these ingredients uniform makes it easy to enjoy more than one taste in each bite.
- Sliver the red onion so it isn’t too strong. Thin slivers of onion are more pleasant on the tongue. If yours is especially strong, soak the sliced onion in water for 10 minutes, drain well and pat dry before adding to the salad.
- Add the cut ingredients plus olives and croutons.
- Mix the Italian dressing, drizzle, toss, and top with Parmesan cheese. Taste for seasoning, then serve.
Recipe Substitutions and Variations
- Add radicchio lettuce for more color.
- Try it with other Mediterranean ingredients like sliced roasted red bell peppers or artichoke hearts.
- Add cooked rotini pasta, chopped chicken, or chopped salami and cheese to make it a complete meal.
- Sprinkle the salad with dried oregano or chopped Italian flat leaf parsley.
- Add a clove of pressed or minced garlic to the dressing for more heat.
FAQ and Recipe Tips
- Make this Italian salad when you’re ready to enjoy it.
- If stored without dressing the salad, it will keep in the refrigerator overnight to be eaten the next day. If dressed, you can save leftovers but the lettuces will likely be limp.
- The dressing can be made ahead of time and refrigerated for 2-3 weeks.
- Coarse cracked black pepper adds a lot of flavor to the dressing. Avoid using fine black pepper as it won’t have the same punch.
- Store-bought croutons work but my homemade croutons take this salad to another level.
What to Serve with Italian Salad
- My Mom’s Spaghetti with Meat Sauce
- Shrimp Scampi Pasta
- Pasta with Pomodoro Sauce
- Chicken Piccata Pasta
- Spaghetti Alla Carbonara
- Linguine Con Vongole (Linguine With Clam Sauce)
If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a rating on this recipe below and leave a comment, take a photo, and tag me on Instagram with #foodiecrusheats.
Simple Italian Salad
Ingredients
- 6 cups iceberg lettuce
- 4 Campari tomatoes , or other medium tomato, halved, then quartered
- 1 medium cucumber , peeled and sliced
- 1 cup croutons
- 4 ounces sliced black olives
- ¼ cup sliced red onion
- ½ cup canola oil
- ¼ cup red wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon cracked black pepper
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Tear the lettuce into bite-size pieces and place in a medium serving bowl. Add the tomato, cucumber, croutons, black olives, and sliced red onion.
- In a jar with a fitted lid, add the canola oil, red wine vinegar, cracked black pepper, and kosher salt. Shake well to combine.
- Pour the dressing over the salad and toss. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, toss again, and taste for seasoning, adding more kosher salt or pepper to taste.
Notes
Nutrition
More Salad Recipe Ideas
- Arugula Salad with Shaved Parmesan
- Avocado, Grapefruit and Fennel Salad
- Caesar Salad with Garlic Croutons
- Wedge Salad
- Roasted Beet and Ricotta Salad
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