A delicious, Italian-style salad packed full of flavor: the famous La Scala Chopped Salad. This TikTok viral salad tastes like an Italian sub with salami, pepperoncini, and marinated chickpeas. The Italian vinaigrette makes it especially punchy and bright. It’s so easy and so good—an Italian chopped salad you’ll enjoy all summer long!
What is the La Scala Chopped Salad?
The La Scala Chopped Salad is a famous Italian-style salad recipe that features marinated garbanzo beans (or chickpeas) on a bed of crisp lettuce with salami and cheese. It tastes like a delicious Italian sub sandwich — in salad form!
This iconic salad comes from La Scala, the famous restaurant in Beverley Hills owned by Jean Leon and a celebrity favorite since the 1950’s. Frequented by Elizabeth Taylor, James Dean, and more recently, the Kardashians — it’s considered the modern birthplace of the chopped salad.
As far as chopped salads go, the La Scala salad is delicious. It’s an easy recipe with a tangy dressing, bits of salty salami, and crunchy lettuce in every bite — an iconic recipe for good reason. As far as celebrity salad recipes go, this is a keeper!
The key is a punchy and sharp homemade dressing. Also, make sure to chop everything into a uniform size. The bite-sized pieces ensure that each forkful explodes with flavor.
To make it even more delicious and substantial, I add pasta and extra veggies. The addition of cooked pasta makes it a hearty salad and potluck-friendly. It soaks up the delicious dressing and adds more toothsome bite.
A great salad recipe that’s easy to make, I often turn to this recipe for a healthy lunch. There is nothing better than a big chopped salad with lots of protein! Simple and flavorful, it’s also easy to serve as a side salad with pizza.
Ingredients:
- Romaine Lettuce. Crisp and sturdy Romaine lettuce add lots of crunch. I always have it on hand, making this salad especially easy. The original La Scala salad calls for iceberg lettuce, also used in Italian subs. Swap with iceberg if you prefer.
- Garbanzo Beans/Chickpeas. A can of garbanzo beans (also called chickpeas) are the star ingredient. Make sure to drain and rinse with water.
- Italian Salami. Salty little bites of salami add so much flavor.
- Pepperoncini. Pickled Italian hot chili peppers that are mildly spicy. They are small yellow peppers often added to pizza, subs, and antipasto.
- Parmesan Cheese. Lots of fresh parmesan adds a deliciously salty bite!
- Cucumber + Red Bell Pepper. For more freshness and crunch. FYI, the original La Scala salad does not have either.
- Shallot or Red Onion. Classic addition to an Italian-style salad or sub.
- Pasta. Any small pasta shape works well. I recommend mini shells, ditalini, mafaldine, macaroni, or orechette. I’ve also used fusilli or gemelli with good results.
- Italian-Style Vinaigrette. Olive oil, red wine vinegar, mustard, garlic, dried oregano, sugar (or honey), salt, and pepper. Add everything to a jar and shake to emulsify.
- Optional: To mix it up, change up the ingredients with what’s in your pantry. Some suggestions include marinated artichoke hearts, chopped tomato, sun-dried tomato, mozzarella cheese, and/or bocconcini.
Instructions:
- Cook pasta. In a medium saucepan, cook pasta according to package directions. The pasta should be fully cooked, not al dente. Drain and rinse with cold water until cool to the touch. Set aside.
- Chop ingredients. Using a sharp knife, chop the romaine lettuce, bell pepper, cucumber, and salami. Thinly slice the shallot and pepperoncini. As you chop each ingredient, add directly to the large bowl. Add the cooked, cooled pasta to the bowl as well. Also, grate the parmesan cheese and set aside in a small bowl.
- Rinse chickpeas. Drain a can of chickpeas in a fine mesh strainer. Rinse with cold water and shake gently to remove excess water. Add to the salad bowl on top of all the chopped ingredients.
- Make Vinaigrette. In a small jar, add the salad dressing ingredients. Tightly cover with a lid. Shake to emulsify. Pour the dressing over the chickpeas.
- Toss + Serve. Add the parmesan cheese. Toss with a large spoon until everything is well coated with the dressing and juicy looking. Serve and enjoy!
PRO Tips:
- Use a sharp knife. A chopped salad will be easier to chop with a sharp knife!
- Chop everything the same size. Uniform pieces that are roughly the same size are easier to eat.
- Customize ingredients to your liking. If you’d like, add more pasta. Or adjust the amount of pepperoncini for just the right amount of spice. Sometimes, I’ll add Italian dried chili flakes to the vinaigrette to make it extra spicy.
FAQ
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge. For meal prep, it tastes even better the next day. The Italian vinaigrette thoroughly soaks into the chickpeas, veggies, and pasta.
Yes, the recipe easily doubles. I often make a large batch for potlucks and parties.
More salad recipes:
- Arugula Quinoa Salad with Feta
- Kale Apple Salad with Chicken
- Korean Fried Chicken Salad with Persimmon
- Korean Romaine Lettuce Salad with Apple
La Scala Chopped Salad with Pasta
Equipment
- Large Bowl
- fine mesh strainer
Ingredients
- 1 head/ 180 grams Romaine lettuce
- 1 can/ 386 grams Garbanzo beans or Chickpeas
- 1 160 grams red bell pepper
- 2 160 grams (total) mini cucumber
- 1 cup/ 70 grams uncooked pasta
- 1/4 cup/ 38 grams salami
- 1/2 cup/ 40 grams parmesan cheese *grated
- 1/3 cup/ 75 grams pepperoncini
Italian vinaigrette
- 3 Tbsp olive oil
- 2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1 tsp mustard
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp sugar or honey
- 1 clove garlic *minced
Instructions
- Cook pasta. In a medium saucepan, cook pasta according to package directions. The pasta should be fully cooked, not al dente. Drain and rinse with cold water until cool to the touch. Set aside.
- Chop ingredients. Using a sharp knife, chop the romaine lettuce, bell pepper, cucumber, and salami. Thinly slice the shallot and pepperoncini. As you chop each ingredient, add directly to the large bowl. Add the cooked, cooled pasta to the bowl as well. Also, grate the parmesan cheese and set aside in a small bowl.
- Rinse chickpeas. Drain a can of chickpeas in a fine mesh strainer. Rinse with cold water and shake gently to remove excess water. Add to the salad bowl on top of all the chopped ingredients.
- Make Vinaigrette. In a small jar, add the salad dressing ingredients. Tightly cover with a lid. Shake to emulsify. Pour the dressing over the chickpeas.
- Toss + Serve. Add the parmesan cheese. Toss with a large spoon until everything is well coated with the dressing and juicy looking. Serve and enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Use a sharp knife. A chopped salad will be easier to chop with a sharp knife!
- Chop everything the same size. Uniform pieces that are roughly the same size are easier to eat.
- Customize ingredients to your liking. If you’d like, add more pasta. Or adjust the amount of pepperoncini for just the right amount of spice. Sometimes, I’ll add Italian dried chili flakes to the vinaigrette to make it extra spicy.
I made this (and added some sweet corn) and it’s so tasty!