Every year, during that exciting shift from winter to spring, I’m eager to give my Dutch oven a little rest and add some color back into my meals. My big springtime chopped salad—in my honest opinion—is the perfect dish to accompany the change in seasons. In place of regular ol’ lettuce, I reach for fresh veggies like sugar snap peas and asparagus, both of which add crunch and texture. I build in big, bold flavors by nestling sun-dried tomatoes, olives, salami, and provolone cheese into the springy base. To top it all off, I layer on crispy Parmesan chickpeas and finish it with a robust Italian dressing that’s good on almost everything. This big chopped salad is the ultimate feel-good meal that will take you out of those winter blues and help you jump headfirst into springtime bliss.
A Few Tips
- The vinegar in the dressing is swappable. If you don’t have white wine vinegar, feel free to use red wine vinegar.
- Blanch your veggies for a crisp-tender texture. Blanching is a classic technique that calls for quickly cooking foods in boiling water to help retain their color, flavor, and texture. To blanch, boil a large pot of water, prep your veggies, and fill a bowl with ice and water. Cook your vegetables separately until crisp-tender, then chill in the ice bath.
- You can break up the prep. This salad has many components; to make it manageable, you can make the crispy chickpeas up to one week in advance and the dressing up to two weeks ahead of time.
Big Springtime Chopped Salad
Serves 6 to 8Ingredients
