Italian Chop Chop Salad

Italian Chop Chop Salad with Homemade Zesty Dressing

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You all know that I am a big believer that no salad should be boring ever! Or sad. No sad salads here! Italian Chop Chop Salad is not sad or boring but quite the opposite and oh so easy.

My philosophy to making salad is 3 simple things:

1. Use what fruits/veggies/herbs/things we have in the house currently
2. Must have a variety of flavors and textures (ie: some sort of crunch)
3. Must be topped with a simple homemade dressing

Nothing complicated or hard and most of the time there is no recipe involved. For the sake of having a recipe, there are amounts included below but really this is all about a chop and dump kinda situation.

All you need is a large bowl, a cutting board and knife.

Place your spring mix or desired lettuce into a bowl and then get to the "chop chop" part. See what I did there 😉 Definitely not intended or anything.... 😉

First, you want to have a batch of roasted chickpeas on hand. These can be made ahead of time and added (I love having these made as a snack always) or just roasted while you're getting everything else together. Also, start cooking your bacon. I like mine extra crispy but you do you.

A tip I always use when I need bacon bit sized pieces is to use a pair of kitchen scissors to and actually cut the raw bacon into tiny bits or strips right into the skillet and cook that way. I think it is way easier and less messy than crumping after. My mom always did this and I thik it is one of the most ingenious cooking hacks of all time.

While that is going we are going to chop and toss everything together.

• sun-dried tomatoes
• cucumber
• banana peppers
• red onion (or you can use a mandoline and thinly slice)

Once all the pieces are ready add them to your salad bowl, add a pinch of freshly cracked black pepper and toss!

Now for the best part, the homemade dressing! Which again is a dump-and-go situation. Oil, a little tang, and little sweet, some fresh herbs and parm - - blend on high for 60 seconds and wa-laa. Homemade in less than 2 minutes that's better than anything you can buy at the store.

Enjoy this alongside Parmesan Chicken or even Cast Iron Skillet Pizza. Or by itself topped with your protein of choice. However, you like to eat it is perfect and the beauty of a no recipe recipe.

So there you have it. My 3 essentials for a lively and fresh salad that comes together in no time. Healthy, light, easy, and fast. You can't get much better than that!

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Want more salad inspo? Check out these recipes too!

• Shaved Brussel Sprout Salad with Honey Dijon Dressing
• Come to the Table: Hot Bacon & Mustard Spinach Salad
• Peach and Tomato Caprese Salad with Crispy Prosciutto
• Summer Blueberry Kale Salad
• Strawberry Spinach Salad
• Winter Quinoa and Kale Salad
• Mediterranean Quinoa Salad
• Melon Berry Fruit Salad

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