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This Italian Chopped Salad, based on the CPK version, is loaded with turkey, salami, chickpeas, and vegetables tossed in a delicious mustard vinaigrette.
This salad is my most favorite item on the menu at California Pizza Kitchen, and with good reason. It’s loaded with crunchy lettuce, chopped tomatoes, garbanzo beans, salami, turkey, mozzarella, and fresh basil. The whole thing is topped off with a fabulous mustard vinaigrette.
Even if I’m ordering something else, I might order a full Italian Chopped to go and eat it later. But even I can see how easy (and how much cheaper!) it is to make this salad at home.
Once I nailed the dressing, I started making a version of this salad almost every day. I don’t always add the same meat and cheese (my typical daily version has leftover grilled chicken and feta), but it’s delicious (and filling!) just the same.
Table of Contents
Recipe ingredients
At a Glance: Here is a quick snapshot of what ingredients are in this recipe.
Please see the recipe card below for specific quantities.
Ingredient notes
- Romaine lettuce: CPK uses romaine, but feel free to sub in the lettuce of your choice. Green and red leaf, butter, and iceberg are all good choices.
- Deli turkey: Leftover cubed or shredded turkey (or even chicken) may be substituted for the deli turkey.
Step-by-step instructions
- To make the vinaigrette, in a small bowl or in a jar with a tight-fitting lid, add olive oil, red wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, marjoram, and salt and pepper to taste (I like 1 teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper). Whisk or shake to combine.
- In a large bowl, add the lettuce. Drizzle with vinaigrette (you don’t have to use all of it) and toss to combine.
- Top with tomatoes, chickpeas, salami, turkey, and mozzarella cheese, and toss to combine.
- Garnish with fresh basil and serve remaining dressing on the side.
Recipe tips and variations
- Yield: This recipe makes 16 cups of salad or eight 2-cup servings, equivalent to a half-sized salad portion at CPK. To enjoy a full-sized portion per the CPK menu, plan on 4 cups of salad per person. The mustard vinaigrette makes about ¾ cup as written.
- Storage: Store leftover salad in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. To maximize the longevity of the salad, dress the portions you are eating, rather than the entire salad.
- Make it a meal: Build a delicious Italian menu around this refreshing salad. Add a generous helping of Spaghetti and Meatballs or Risotto for your entree, a side of Pesto Cheese Bread, and sweet Tiramisu for dessert.
Recipe FAQs
Straight from their menu: Roasted turkey breast, julienned salami, garbanzo beans, tomatoes, Mozzarella, and fresh basil. Served with housemade mustard herb vinaigrette.
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Italian Chopped Salad
Ingredients
For the mustard vinaigrette:
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the salad:
- 2 large hearts romaine lettuce finely shredded (8 cups packed or 16 ounces, see note 1)
- 4 Roma tomatoes seed and finely chopped (2 cups)
- 1 cup canned garbanzo beans drained and rinsed
- 8 ounces Genoa salami julienned (1 ½ cups)
- 8 ounces deli turkey julienned (1 ½ cups, see note 2)
- 8 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese (2 cups)
- Fresh basil chiffonade, for garnish
Instructions
- To make the vinaigrette, in a small bowl or in a jar with a tight-fitting lid, add olive oil, red wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, marjoram, and salt and pepper to taste (I like 1 teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper). Whisk or shake to combine.
- In a large bowl, add the lettuce. Drizzle with vinaigrette (you don't have to use all of it) and toss to combine. Top with tomatoes, chickpeas, salami, turkey, and mozzarella cheese, serving extra dressing on the side. Garnish with fresh basil.
Notes
- Romaine lettuce: CPK uses romaine, but feel free to sub in the lettuce of your choice. Green and red leaf, butter, and iceberg are all good choices.
- Deli turkey: Leftover cubed or shredded turkey (or even chicken) may be substituted for the deli turkey.
- Yield: This recipe makes 16 cups of salad or 8 (2-cup) servings, equivalent to a half-sized salad at CPK. To enjoy a full-sized portion per the CPK menu, plan on 4 cups salad per person.
Nutrition
Meggan Hill is a classically-trained chef and professional writer. Her meticulously-tested recipes and detailed tutorials bring confidence and success to home cooks everywhere. Meggan has been featured on NPR, HuffPost, FoxNews, LA Times, and more.
I wanted to try a different salad for a picnic in the park. I chopped everything up ahead of time, bagged it all individually, and mixed the salad together when we were ready to eat. It was so much better than a garden salad I would usually make, and so filling with the meat. Everyone loved it!
I’m so glad it was a hit, Monica! I’m happy to hear it transported well. Thank you for taking the time to write! – Meggan
This salad was GREAT. Originally, I thought the quantities must be off, but I followed the recipe and she was right. SO GOOD. Everyone had salad seconds at dinner, which is a first. It was easy, too. Rolling the lettuce and meats make them easy to thinly slice. I’ll make this again soon.
Thank you so much for your comment, Cathy! I loved that everyone went back for more! Take care! – Meggan