This Italian salad recipe is a hearty, irresistible salad perfect for feeding a crowd. It’s my family’s favorite salad and can be served as a main dish, or as a side to your favorite Italian dishes.
Combine the dressing ingredients in a glass jar or small mixing bowl and shake or whisk to combine.
Store in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour before serving.
Make the Croutons
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (177 degrees Celsius). Lightly grease a large baking sheet, set aside.
Toss bread with olive oil salt and garlic powder and stir.
Spread evenly on the prepared baking sheet.
Bake for 8-10 minutes, depending on how crispy you want (shorter for softer croutons). Set aside.
Assemble the Salad
Evenly spread the lettuce in the bottom of a large, shallow serving bowl.
Add the remaining ingredients in the order listed. Reserving about 2 Tbs of each to garnish after the salad has been tossed.
Toss with dressing.
Transfer salad to a serving dish, garnish and serve.
Or you can serve the dressing on the side (I prefer to do this because the salad keeps better).
Video
Notes
Ingredient Substitution Notes
Romaine. You can use your favorite lettuce like spring mix, iceberg, etc.
Red onion. Green onion works well in place of red.
Baby tomatoes. Use your favorite tomatoes. If using larger tomatoes, dice them into bite-sized pieces.
Pearl Mozzarella. If you can’t find the pearl mozzarella balls, you can cut up a whole log of fresh mozzarella. Or use burrata cheese.
Dressing: see this post for dressing substitute ideas.
French bread. Any bread works well to make croutons.
How to Store LeftoversStore leftover Italian salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 1 to 2 days. If it's dressed, it will likely only last 1 day. If it does not have dressing on it, it will last longer.