Simply the best vegetarian Italian salad! Fresh, varied, flavorful and filling, this is everything you want from an Italian salad recipe. The fried crispy chickpeas bring the smoky umami flavor and guarantee that no one will miss the meat!
An epic vegetarian Italian salad for pizza night and beyond
This is a bold, in your face, over the top kind of salad and we LOVE it. My goal with this recipe was to come up with the BEST vegetarian Italian salad I could possibly conjure up, so no corners were cut and no stones left unturned to figure out the perfect recipe.
For clarity, the type of salad I am talking about would fall under Italian American cuisine rather than traditional Italian. It’s a fairly ubiquitous menu item for an Italian American restaurant, but I don’t see it on the menus in Europe. It’s quite American in its approach to salads – very “extra” with lots of different stuff, meaning it can be a complete meal if you want it to.
And this is extra extra thanks to the crispy chickpeas.
Let me make the case for those, because they’re crucial here. This kind of Italian salad would typically contain at least one meat. This was the challenge for me coming up with a really satisfying vegetarian version.
I wasn’t content to just leave out the meat or to replace it with something like plain beans. Even though that would be perfectly nice, I wanted to give the vegetarians something to rival the flavors the meat would have brought. So I worked up the perfect meat swap in the place of fried crispy smashed chickpeas that are loaded up with an Italian inspired spice mix. They give us our protein, our crispy crunch and HUGE flavor that hits a similar note as salami or pepperoni might have (think smoked paprika, fennel and garlic with a spicy kick).
Between the chickpeas, the fresh tomatoes, the olives and the pepperoncini peppers, this salad is intensely flavorful. You could add more lettuce if you want to just mellow it out a little, but I love this as a complete dinner recipe or a side dish to a simple pizza and I embrace the flavor bomb that it is.
Sources: I didn’t do this on my own! This recipe was closely inspired by The Kitchn (this was my base recipe), Pinch of Yum (the base recipe for the dressing + the idea of having tiny little crispy elements which inspired me to go down the smashed chickpea route) and Half Baked Harvest (the pepperoni chickpeas).
Ingredient Notes: What you need and what you can swap
- Romaine lettuce + red cabbage or radicchio. You reeeeally want both if you can swing it – the cabbage or radicchio gives a nice bitter edge and a more defined texture.
- Cubed cheese: Typically this would be provolone, but firm mozzarella will work. If you want to go wild, a mild smoked cheese is quite glorious here too! In the UK, provolone in block form isn’t common, but smoked Bavarian cheese is everywhere and I thoroughly enjoy it in this salad.
- Pepperoncini Peppers: These are one of the defining ingredients that make a salad an Italian salad so they’re pretty important here. We also use a bit of the brine from the jar in our dressing. In the UK, these are not a common ingredient but they are available from Cooks & Co, and I order them from Amazon (<– that’s an affiliate link right there).
- Cherry tomatoes: The juicer and higher quality the better.
- Black olives are my preference but green olives would be fine too. If you have to skip these, no worries, they aren’t too critical.
- Red onion: Slice them nice and thin. You can use scallions (spring onions) if you need to.
- You can also add cucumbers, bell peppers, corn, or any other salad ingredients you enjoy. I’ve stuck to what I consider essential for the recipe, but you may have your own non-negotiables when it comes to salads!
The Dressing
- The dressing is super simple to whip together! Just olive oil, pepperoncini brine, Italian herbs, honey and dijon mustard. You can use a bottled Italian dressing if you’d rather.
The Chickpeas
- Spices for the chickpeas: Smoked paprika, garlic powder, red pepper / chili flakes and fennel seeds do an amazing job at replicating the smoky umami flavors you would have gotten from the likes of salami or pepperoni.
Leftovers?
If you are wondering how this salad will keep in the fridge? I stored a lot of this salad in the fridge to eat the next day for lunch. Everything was a little softer but for me it wasn’t too off putting and the flavors are still great!
If you know you will have leftovers, it’s best not to dress the entire salad – keep some dressing back and store it separately. Everything will stay a little fresher and crisper that way. But don’t hold back on saving leftovers that are already dressed – they’re still worth having!
If you’re looking for more creative chickpea recipes…
Vegetarian Italian Salad with Crispy Chickpeas
Ingredients
- 1 head romaine lettuce, chopped
- 1 cup red cabbage, chopped
- 5 oz (150 g) cherry tomatoes, halved
- ¼ cup (4 tbsp) finely sliced red onion
- 3 oz (85 g) provolone, firm mozzarella or Bavarian smoked cheese, cubed
- ¼ cup (4 tbsp) sliced black olives
- 5 pepperoncini peppers, sliced
- optional topping: grated parmesan style cheese, to taste
Crispy Smashed Chickpeas
- 3-4 Tbsp olive oil, for frying
- 14 oz (400 g) canned chickpeas, drained and patted dry
- 2 tsp smoked paprika
- 2 tsp fennel seeds
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp red pepper or chili flakes
Dressing
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp pepperoncini brine
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- ¼ tsp honey
- ½ tsp dijon mustard
Instructions
- We'll make the chickpeas first so they have a chance to cool off while we prep the other ingredients. Add the chickpeas to a large bowl and use a potato masher to lightly smash them. You want some to be left whole while others are in smaller pieces – this creates the most interesting texture.14 oz canned chickpeas
- Heat a large saute or frying pan with a shallow layer of oil over a low/medium heat. Add the chickpeas. Let them sit for a couple minutes in the pan, then mix them up and add the spices. Mix to coat all of the chickpeas in the spices. Let them sit a little longer, mix again, and repeat the process until the smaller pieces and skins are really crispy (the whole chickpeas will stay softer). Keep the heat quite low to ensure the spices don't burn. This generally takes around 5-6 minutes for me, but different pans and heat levels may be faster or slower.Once they're finished, removed from the heat and allow them to cool down a little while you prep the rest of the salad.2 tsp fennel seeds, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp red pepper or chili flakes, 2 tsp smoked paprika
- Prepare the dressing by whisking together all of the ingredients in a small bowl, or shaking in a small jar.2 tbsp olive oil, 1 tbsp pepperoncini brine, 1 tsp Italian seasoning, 1/2 tsp dijon mustard, 1/4 tsp honey
- Chop all of your main salad ingredients and add to a bowl.5 oz cherry tomatoes, 3 oz provolone, firm mozzarella or Bavarian smoked cheese, 1/4 cup sliced black olives, 5 pepperoncini peppers, 1 head romaine lettuce, 1 cup red cabbage, 1/4 cup finely sliced red onion
- Pour in the dressing and toss through.
- Finally, add the chickpeas and toss through until just mixed. Serve immediately, adding cheese to the top if desired.optional topping: grated parmesan style cheese
