Vegan Italian Chopped Salad with Zesty Vinaigrette
Flavor-packed Italian-style Chopped Salad with a zesty oil-free dressing! Plus bold flavors & a garbanzo bean boost.
Servings4
Ingredients
- 1 large head romaine
- 15 oz. can garbanzo beans
- 1 cup jarred artichoke hearts (about 8 hearts)
- 1 cup roasted red pepper (about 2 large peppers)
- 1 medium carrot
- 1/2 small red onion
- 1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives
- Other additions: tomatoes, cucumber, vegan provolone, pepperoncini
For the Zesty Italian Vinaigrette:
- 1/3 cup red wine vinegar
- 3 Tbsp. vegetable broth or water
- 1-2 cloves garlic (finely minced)
- 1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
- 1/2 tsp. dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp. dried basil
- 1/8 tsp. salt
Instructions
- Make the dressing: in a bowl combine all ingredients and whisk to combine. Add more salt, or pepper if desired. Set aside.
- Chop romaine and finely dice onion. Add to a large bowl.
- Remove excess liquid from artichoke hearts, roasted red pepper, olives, and chop. Add to bowl.
- Shred or shave carrot. Rinse and drain beans. Add both to bowl.
- Whisk dressing again and pour desired amount over salad (we usually use the entire dressing). Toss well to combine. *However if not serving immediately, see suggestions below.
Notes
Can serve 8 as a small side.
*Serving suggestions:
After dressing is mixed with entire salad, it’s best eaten within a day. (Otherwise it gets soggy.)
If you’re not sure if you’ll eat it all within a day, I suggest keeping salad and dressing separate and pour desired amount of dressing on a serving-by-serving basis.
To prepare ahead of time, simply store salad and dressing separately (each covered in the fridge) and combine before serving. If you have a little leftover dressing, it stores great covered in the fridge!
**Dressing note:
Since the dressing is oil-free, it runs a bit thinner. If you prefer a thicker dressing, feel free to add chia seeds or arrowroot powder to slightly thicken.
Once the dressing is added to the salad, the flavors should really pop. If it’s a little dull, simply add a touch of salt.
Nutrition Per Serving (Estimate)
Calories: 203 kcalCarbohydrates: 23 gProtein: 7 gFat: 10 gSaturated Fat: 1 gPotassium: 307 mgFiber: 8 gSugar: 2 gVitamin A: 3922 IUVitamin C: 29 mgCalcium: 102 mgIron: 3 mg