Whenever I find myself at a restaurant or a family party that serves an Italian style chopped salad, I absolutely devour it. It’s one of my favorite types of salads and I thought it’d be fun to make a unique version with seasonal, crunchy brussels sprouts instead of lettuce. Say hello to crunchy flavor!
This Italian chopped salad involves shredded brussels sprouts instead of lettuce, tomatoes, chickpeas, provolone and parmesan cheese, olives, red onion, pepperoncini and MORE. It’s wrapped together in a light Italian style dressing that you’ll fall in love with as soon as you take one bite.
What’s in an Italian chopped salad?
You know that giant chopped salad you get from California Pizza Kitchen or Macaroni Grill? Yeah, I’m talking about that salad.
Italian chopped salads are made with a crunchy base like different types of lettuces, radishes, radicchio or cabbage, veggies like tomatoes, onion and even artichoke hearts, chickpeas and meats like ham or salami, tangy pepperoncini and topped off with cheeses like mozzarella, parmesan or provolone. They’re then tossed with a light, tangy dressing to coat everything.
Talk about a big bowl of deliciousness.
Ingredients in this Italian chopped salad with brussels sprouts
My take on a classic Italian chopped salad mixes it up with a shredded brussels sprouts base that marinates and soaks up all of the amazing flavors with tons of crunch. Every topping in this gorgeous salad adds a new flavor and texture element that you’re going to love. Here’s what you’ll need:
- For the dressing: you’ll need olive oil, red wine vinegar, sugar or honey, garlic, dijon mustard, Italian seasoning, salt & pepper.
- Brussels sprouts: the base that holds up all of the delicious toppings! Freshly shredded/chopped brussels sprouts.
- Protein: we’re adding a full can of chickpeas, Genoa salami, cubed provolone cheese and shredded parmesan for plenty of protein and a tasty saltiness.
- Veggies: this salad also has a full cup of grape tomatoes and some sliced red onion for crunch.
- Special toppings: don’t forget the sliced olives and pepperoncini! A little kick of Italian flavor.
What is a pepperoncini?
Although “pepperoncini” sounds like a cute little pepperoni, it’s actually a type of pepper. Pepperoncini are yellow-green and look similar to banana peppers, but are thinner and often a bit hotter in terms of spice (some banana peppers have virtually no spice). If you’re sensitive to spice or aren’t a fan of banana peppers, feel free to omit the pepperoncini in this recipe.
Customize your salad
Missing a few things from the list or looking to DIY? No problem! Here are some easy ingredient swaps you can make in this Italian chopped brussels sprouts salad:
- Swap your protein. Customize your protein by using grilled chicken instead of salami or chickpeas. You could even swap in some crispy bacon or ham for the salami.
- Make it vegetarian. Simply omit the salami to keep this salad vegetarian.
- Go vegan. Looking to make it vegan? Omit the salami & cheeses and enjoy as-is.
- Pasta party. Get a little wild and add some cooked elbow, bowties or cavatappi noodles!
How to chop brussels sprouts for salad
- The easiest way to chop or shred brussels sprouts is by using your food processor. Simply add the slicing attachment to your food processor and pulse until the brussels sprouts are thinly sliced.
- If you don’t have a food processor you can thinly slice the brussels sprouts with a sharp knife. Just make sure to remove the stem and any outer yellow leaves.
Italian chopped salad in 4 easy steps
- Make your dressing. Start by whisking together all of the dressing ingredients in a small bowl.
- Shred the brussels. You’ll then want to shred all of those brussels sprouts with a food processor or sharp knife.
- Marinate the brussels. Add your dressing to the brussels sprouts by themselves so that the soak up all that flavor.
- Chop & toss. Chop the rest of your toppings, add them to your bowl of marinated brussels sprouts and serve!
Meal prep this salad
This Italian chopped brussels sprouts salad is great for making ahead of time. Simply make the dressing, shred your brussels, chop all of those toppings and store them in containers until you’re ready to put it all together.
Storing tips
Got leftovers? Store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.
More salad recipes you’ll love
- Warm Brussels Sprouts Salad
- Winter Butternut Squash Brussels Sprouts Caesar Salad
- Spicy Ranch Chopped Chicken Cabbage Salad
- Vibrant Curry Cashew Chickpea Quinoa Salad
- Spicy Cashew Thai Chickpea Broccoli Salad
Get all of my delicious salad recipes here!
I hope you love this flavorful, easy Italian chopped brussels sprouts salad! If you make it be sure to leave a comment and a rating so I know how you liked it. Enjoy, xo!
Italian Chopped Brussels Sprouts Salad
Gorgeous Italian chopped salad recipe loaded with shredded brussels sprouts, chickpeas, veggies, salami, olives, pepperoncini and delicious cheeses. This flavorful and easy Italian chopped brussels sprouts salad is tossed in a light Italian dressing and makes the perfect hearty lunch or fresh dinner!
Ingredients
- For the Italian dressing:
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1-2 teaspoons sugar or honey, depending on how sweet you like your dressing
- 1 clove garlic, finely minced
- 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- For the salad:
- 1 pound brussels sprouts, ended trimmed and outer leaves removed
- 1 (15 ounce) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
- 4-6 oz thinly sliced Genoa salami, cut in half or julienned
- 1 1/2 cups cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
- ½ cup pitted sliced kalamata or sliced black olives
- ¼ cup sliced pepperoncinis
- ½ small red onion, thinly sliced
- ½ cup cubed provolone cheese
- ¼ cup shaved or shredded parmesan
Instructions
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Make the dressing: in a medium bowl, whisk together the olive oil, red wine vinegar, sugar/honey, garlic, dijon, italian seasoning, salt and pepper.
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Next, shred the brussels sprouts by using a food processor with the slicing attachment and pulse until the brussels sprouts are thinly sliced. If you don’t have a food processor, feel free to use a sharp knife to thinly slice.
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Add shredded brussels to a large bowl and pour the dressing all over. Next use a tongs to coat the brussels with the dressing. Let the dressing sit and marinate the brussels for 30 minutes. While the brussels marinate and soak up the dressing, you can chop and prep all your other ingredients.
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Next add in the chickpeas, salami, tomatoes, olives, pepperoncinis, red onion, provolone cheese cubes, shaved parmesan. Toss to combine. Serve immediately with extra black pepper. Serves 4 to 6.
Recipe Notes
Feel free to keep this recipe vegetarian by skipping the salami.
Check the full post for more ways to customize this salad, plus storing instructions.
Nutrition
Recipe by: Monique Volz // Ambitious Kitchen | Photography by: Eat Love Eats
This post was originally published on January 19th, 2021, and republished on May 1st, 2022.
118 comments
I love chopped salads- can’t wait to make this one!!
Me too! Let me know how you like it 🙂
Thank you for the nice recipe, definitely try it soon.
Hope you love it!
Can’t wait to make this! These are my favorite kind of salads and this one looks amazing. How long do you expect it to keep in the fridge?
They’re the best! About 2-3 days (check the full post for meal prep & storing tips!)
Made this salad yesterday. We all loved it! Excellent!!! I added cucumber avocado and boiled egg instead of cheese and meat. Very versatile salad. Thank you so much for a another great recipe!
Love it! So glad everyone enjoyed!
This was great. My husband and I truly enjoyed.
I’m so glad!
Such an easy and delicious dinner! Would be great paired with pizza or pasta, but ate alone and it was a filling salad. Will definitely be making again.
Absolutely! Glad you enjoyed 🙂
Sooooo good! Never thought of using Brussels as the base for an Italian salad before this. Game changer!
Yum! This was delicious.
This was so easy to make and delicious. Could easily add more protein for a more substantial dinner or lunch. This is going to be in our rotation!.
Absolutely! Glad you enjoyed!
Loved this salad! The dressing is amazing (used just oregano because I didnt have Italian seasoning), The addition of chick peas is awesome! And using the brussels keep the salad from getting soggie.
Perfect! So glad you enjoyed!
This was delicious and filling! Ate this for lunches this week. I was pleasantly surprised with how long this salad held up on the fridge even after it was dressed. Will definitely be making this again.
I love chopped salads and this one was delicious!
So happy to hear that!
This recipe is my new favorite way to enjoy brussel sprouts! I love a chopped salad and this one brings the flavor for sure. I made the dressing tangier (more vinegar/less oil) and subbed turkey pepperoni for the salami. Delicious!!
So happy to hear that! Sounds delicious 🙂
Been dreaming of making this recipe since I saw it! Trader Joe’s has shredded Brussels sprouts in their bagged lettuce section that make every sprout salad 10 times easier 😀😀😀
Perfect! So glad you enjoyed 🙂
This salad is amazing! So many flavors, and it seriously tastes like an Italian sandwich in salad form. I couldn’t find provolone cheese in cubes or a block at my grocer, so I got fontina and it was amazing! I found the dressing to be a little too light so I added more vinegar. Thank you for the recipe!
Aren’t the flavors amazing? Glad you enjoyed!
This salad was a hit! I made it for a family gathering and it was loved by everyone. I had to make more the next day for my teenage son. He said its his new favorite salad. My family from Louisiana said it reminded her of muffuletta and could be used on sandwiches as well!
So happy to hear that!!
So simple and SO GOOD!
So glad you liked it!
This has become my favourite salad, thank you so much, AK team! It is very tasty both as a side, and as a filling meal! I use shredded cabbage instead of brussels sprouts, and prosciutto instead of salami. It is gorgeous!!! <3
So happy to hear that! Such a great lunch 🙂
I get so bored with brussel sprouts aside from roasting them. This is an awesome recipe both my husband and I love it so full of flavor one of our favourite go to meals and can customize it so many ways!!
So glad you found this one! You’ll have to try my brussels sprouts spaghetti or warm brussels sprouts salad next time 🙂
I love this recipe! I can’t wait to make it!
Hope you love it!!
A-MAZING! Love your recipes and content!
I’m so glad! Thanks, Leanne 🙂
This salad is my go to for get togethers! It’s always a huge hit and everyone always requests I bring it. I love adding a mixture of green, kalamata, & black olives.
Love that! One of our favs, too 🙂
Delicious salad!
Glad you enjoyed!
Wanting to make this delicious looking salad but with cabbage. Do you think it would have a similar flavor to the Brussels Sprouts?
Hi, Laura! I think that cabbage would be great in here. The flavor would be similar, yes. Just be sure to slice it really thinly or use a mandoline or food processor!
I love this recipe!! I make it at the beginning of the week and have it for lunch each day – it tastes better each day. When I am feeling lazy I just use spinach and arugula instead of shredded brussel sprouts. Good both ways !
Those are great swaps, so glad you’re loving this salad!
I love the idea of making antipasto into a substantial meal and this hit the nail on the head. I swapped in kale for Brussels sprouts bc they weren’t available but kept everything else the same and it was delicious. I’ll be keeping this in my meal rotation.
This is on rotation at our house. It’s an easy meal to throw together. I like to add grilled chicken too!
Delicious – easy to make. Will make this again for sure!
So happy you loved it, Lisa! Thanks so much for the review 🙂
Loved this salad! I thought I messed up big when I shredded the cabbage instead of slicing it, but read other reviews that said they did this also. It turned out great! I added in a red bell pepper and omitted the cheese and salami. Delicious!
Have made this multiple times. Big hit with my family! Even the picky eaters
Love love love this salad. I made it for a dinner party and everyone asked me for the recipe!!!!
Wooohooo! So happy you guys all loved it!
I made this salad this week for our lunches and it is absolutely delicious. The flavors work well together and it is very satisfying! Will definitely make this again. Thank you for the great recipe!
Yay! I’m so glad you enjoyed it so much, Cynthia! 🙂
Hands down the best salad we have EVER had. We made it on Tuesday and loved it so much we made it again on Friday. When we made it on Friday we made a massive batch of the dressing (6X) because it’s that dang good and we want to share it with friends. We did half romaine half Brussels sprouts the second time around and really enjoyed that as well!
Oh YAY I’m so happy you loved it!! Thank you!
Delicious! Thank you! I personally would skip the honey altogether next time,
Good to know–totally fine to do that! Happy you enjoyed it 🙂
Made this salad for lunch and it was amazing! Couldn’t recommend more and i added some prosciutto too!
Ooh I bet prosciutto would be SO GOOD in here! Yum!
This salad was delicious! It made more than I expected so we have enough for at least two more meals. I bought a loaf of olive bread to go with it which was a good pairing! I used apple cider vinegar because that’s all I had, thanks for another great recipe!
I’m so glad you loved it! And apple cider vinegar is perfect in here 🙂
SO good! I made this for a get together last night and everyone raved about it. I cannot wait to make it again!
I love this salad! I’ve made it for two family events and it was a huge hit both times! This is my new go to potluck contribution or entertaining show stopper! The Brussel sprout base holds up to all the delicious Italian toppings and it’s still delicious two days later. Definitely a must make.
Awesome!! So happy everyone’s loved it 🙂
This was awesome!
So happy you loved it, Robin! 🙂
Hi there, This salad looks amazing. I don’t have a food processor but really want to get one but have no idea which one nor how to choose. Can you tell me which one you use? Thank you!
Hey! I love this one. If you get a different one, just make sure it has a disc blade that can slice/shred ingredients 🙂
Divine!! Great for winter when you want something heartier. I may have had a little more than 1 lb of brussels so felt like it needed more dressing but overall fantastic.
This looks super tasty. Can’t wait to try this out. Love brussels.
Delicious! I am the only brussel sprout lover in our house, but this salad was enjoyed by everyone. I will definitely make it again.
Delicious! I didn’t have provolone so subbed feta. Looking forward to making again
Ooh love the idea of feta in here! Happy you enjoyed it 🙂
Excellent flavor! We paired it with some salmon for a light, healthy meal.
That sounds like an incredible meal! Happy you loved it 🙂
Where are the 23.5 grams of fat? I don’t see how this could have this much in the receipe when i look at the ingredients!!! Making, hoping that is an error or is it for the whole salad?
Hi! It comes from the dressing, cheeses & salami. Feel free to reduce the amount of cheese & salami or leave it out entirely.
Love love love! Great meal prep salad, just hold the dressing until time of eating.
Such a good idea! Thanks so much for the review 🙂
I used whatever I had which was pretty much most of the ingredients give or take and this was delicious! Never would have thought to make this and now it’s going to be regular. It’s forgiving so you can add or omit as needed.
Love this salad. The sprouts and dressing can all be prepped a few days ahead. Makes and easy dinner or side. Bring it to ALL potlucks. Always a winner.
I forgot the peppericinis and cheese at the store
Made it with Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, tomato, onion and olives along with salami
Used Truvia instead of sugar
Very tasty! Figured less calories without the cheese and even healthier with the cauliflower!
I’m so glad you loved it even without those! Thanks for the review, Melissa 🙂
Lots of beautiful ingredients that unfortunately did not result in a very exciting dish. Flavours need to be amped up in a big way. Disappointing, sorry to say.
Sorry to hear that, Patty! Did you make any changes to the recipe? Can you explain what flavors you’d have liked to be stronger?
So so good. It came together so easily and the flavors and texture are 💯
Amazing! So glad you loved this one 🙂
This salad is amazing! I love the shredded brussel sprouts as the base- crunchy and holds up better than lettuce. This is a definite make again!
Yay!! I’m so glad you loved it, Amanda. Thanks for leaving a review 🙂
Made it this week, and my husband and I loved it! We have been a little burned out on Brussel sprouts, so we swapped them for a romaine lettuce. It was delicious!
Romaine’s a great sub in here! So glad to hear you both loved it 🙂
Just made this. Enjoying every single bite. Thank you!!
Love this take on antipasto! Brussels are perfect after marinating in the dressing for a bit. Big hit at my family party!
Delicious per usual!!! Dressing is unreal! I’m DF, so omitted the provolone and subbed my favorite Trader Joe’s vegan parm.
I rarely post comments, but this is too good not to! Absolutely DELICIOUS salad. The only changes I made were to substitute cubed up mozzarella for the provolone because I didn’t have any and I doubled the chickpeas in place of the salami because we’re vegetarian. It was so tasty and filling and quick. We loved it. Thank you!!
Thank you SO much, Maureen! Comments mean so much to me and help my blog’s visibility, so I appreciate you 🥰 Those are great subs. Happy you loved it!
Took this to Mother’s day brunch and it was a hit!
Nice!! Glad everyone loved it 🥰
Is the can of chick peas drained?
Yep! We’ll update that in the recipe, thanks 🙂
Love this salad. I threw in some artichoke hearts and some blanched asparagus spears. I have shared this recipe with friends and family. I won’t hesitate to bring this dish to a function. I made it over Easter weekend and company had it for lunch and dinner.
Love those additions! So happy to hear you’re a fan of this recipe ☺️
This salad was absolutely amazing! I used Angel Hair cabbage instead of Brussel sprouts because I didn’t feel like shaving them and I don’t have a food processor. Next time I will add artichoke hearts. The dressing was just the right amount and I only used 1 t of sugar. Excellent! I highly recommend making this.
I was a bit skeptical about raw sprout but man oh man is this terrific! We added fresh basil and that put it over the top! This one’s a keeper
SO happy you ended up loving it, Valerie!! Love the idea of basil in here 🙂
This is the BEST salad, and I mean it. I never ever leave comments even when I like something but I am obsessed with salad. Whenever I make it for friends and fam they always ask me for the recipe. I just chop the brussel sprouts by hand! 10/10
Ahhh thank you — your comment means so much! Thrilled to hear you and your friends all love it, too 🙂
I love chopped salads and this was no different. The dressing was great and the salad was filling on its own. The only change I made was canned chopped black olives instead of kalamata, and I forgot the cherry tomatoes but will add in for leftovers.
YAY! So glad to hear you loved it, Lauren. Thanks so much for leaving a review!
Great quick lunch for the entire week! Made this on a Monday when I had time between Zoom calls and it was fabulous! Flavors from all of the ingredients get your taste buds moving and grooving. Even better was that during the wildly crazy work week all I had to do was pop in the fridge, grab the container and lunch was served. Made enough for 4 days of lunch! Definitely will be a staple in my house.
I just made this salad. I told my family I was making a brussel sprout italian salad and no one seemed thrilled. Once served the salad was the first to go! All my kids asked if I could make it next week for our Sunday dinner get-together. 😊Thanks for the great salad recipe!!
Pleas stop label it as an Italian. I never understand America statement like that. Please stop. Its not just Italian. Portuguese eats it too. I always eat it in Portugal. Grew with it in Portugal! My gosh. Stop taught false to people about Italian this ns Italian that.
Hi! Thanks for your comment. This recipe’s inspired by classic Italian chopped salads and the ingredients you’d find at an Italian deli. Would love to learn more about the ingredients you grew up on! Are you referring to the cured meats and cheeses?
I made this for dinner tonight and had to flex on a few ingredients because I hadn’t planned on making it… Subbed vegetarian sausage for salami, banana peppers for pepperoncinis, Monterey Jack for provolone, spicy brown for Dijon… well, you get the picture. All that said, this turned out great!! Another great recipe for hot days when I don’t want space over the oven or stove. I did quickly sauté the sausage, but it was quick and easy. I’ll be making this again and would easily make it for a BBQ. Yum!!