Chopped salads have been my lunch M.O. for well over a year now, seamlessly transitioning from packable office lunch to hearty work-from-home one. Their make-ahead quality means I’m not scrambling every day as soon as I get hangry, and they satisfy my desire for crunch and lots of veggies.
My idea to make an Italian-inspired version came after devouring one from Pizza Moto, my favorite Brooklyn pizza joint. Their Pizza Shop Chopped Salad is packed with crisp lettuce, bitter radicchio, pickled peppers, chickpeas, red onion, fontina, and mortadella (which I omitted), all tossed in a “zesty” Italian vinaigrette. It was so good and filling I almost didn’t have room for the pizza, which made me realize two things: Italian chopped salads are just as good without the meat, and they’re absolutely hearty enough to be eaten as a main.
