Keto Italian Chopped Salad
A bold, satisfying, and low-carb salad featuring crunchy romaine, salty beef salami, creamy provolone, and a zesty homemade vinaigrette. Ready in just 25 minutes!
Ingredients
Homemade Vinaigrette
- 1/3 cup olive oil extra virgin
- 3 tablespoons white vinegar adds a bright, tangy punch
- 1 teaspoon sugar-free sweetener granulated works best
- 1 clove garlic freshly minced
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard helps emulsify the dressing; made without wine
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning dried oregano and basil blend
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- black pepper to taste
Salad Base
- 12 cups romaine lettuce roughly chopped
- 6 ounces beef salami cut into fourths
- 1 1/2 cups cherry tomatoes halved
- 1/2 cup black olives sliced
- 1/4 cup pepperoncinis sliced rings
- 1/2 cup provolone cheese chopped into small cubes
- 1/4 cup parmesan cheese freshly shredded
- 1/2 small red onion thinly sliced
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine olive oil, white vinegar, minced garlic, Dijon mustard, sweetener, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. Whisk vigorously until smooth and slightly thickened.
- Chop the romaine into bite-sized pieces. Quarter the beef salami, cube the provolone, halve the tomatoes, and thinly slice the red onion, black olives, and pepperoncinis. Try to keep ingredients uniform in size.
- Place the chopped romaine in a large serving bowl. Scatter the beef salami, provolone, tomatoes, olives, pepperoncinis, and red onion over the top. Sprinkle with shredded parmesan.
- Give the dressing a final whisk and drizzle it over the salad. Toss gently but thoroughly until every leaf is lightly coated. Serve immediately.
Notes
If you are meal prepping, do not dress the salad ahead of time. Store the undressed ingredients in an airtight container for up to 3 days and keep the dressing in a separate jar. Toss just before eating to maintain maximum crunch.
Choosing the Dijon. Several of the best-known Dijon brands list white wine in the ingredients — it is on the label if you check. Plenty of other Dijons are made with vinegar alone and behave identically here. Any smooth mustard will emulsify the dressing - that job belongs to the mustard, not to Dijon specifically.