I feasted at Pizzeria Mozza about four years ago but failed to order one of the most iconic menu items: Nancy’s chopped salad. Had I known the dish was world famous, I surely would have tried it.
Lucky for me, Nancy’s chopped salad recipe is no secret and available online. And now that I’ve made it, I can say with confidence that the creation lives up to its reputation.
Nancy’s chopped salad is chock-full of tasty ingredients, including:
- Spicy red onions
- Sweet cherry tomatoes
- Bitter radicchio
- Nutty chickpeas
- Buttery Provolone cheese
- Smoky Genoa salami
- Tangy pepperoncini
Toss it all with shredded lettuce and a simple oregano vinaigrette, and you’ve got yourself the perfect salad. Don’t believe me? Try the recipe!
Recipe adapted from Food52.
Nancy's Chopped Salad
Makes 4-8 servings
Ingredients
Dressing (see notes*):
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 2 small garlic cloves, 1 minced and 1 smashed
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt, plus more, to taste
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more, to taste
- 1 tablespoon + ¾ teaspoon red wine vinegar
- 1½ teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- ¾ cup olive oil
Salad:
- ½ medium red onion, thinly sliced
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved crosswise
- kosher salt, to taste
- 1 head iceberg lettuce, thinly sliced
- 1 head radicchio, thinly sliced
- 1 15 oz. can chickpeas, rinsed and drained (see notes**)
- 4 ounces Provolone cheese, cut into very thin matchsticks
- 4 ounces Genoa salami, cut into very thin matchsticks
- ¼ cup sliced Greek pepperoncini
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
- dried oregano and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
Make the dressing:
- Combine the first six ingredients (oregano through lemon juice) in a small jar with a lid and let sit for 5 minutes.
- Add olive oil and shake vigorously until emulsified. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Make the salad:
- Place onion in a small bowl. Cover with cold water and let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Drain well and set aside.
- Place tomatoes in a small bowl. Season with salt to taste and toss to combine.
- In a large bowl, combine the next six ingredients (iceberg lettuce through pepperoncini) and prepared onion and tomatoes. Add 6 tablespoons dressing and lemon juice and toss to combine. Add additional dressing, dried oregano, salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.
Notes
*You will have extra dressing after making the salad; store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week.
**For a nicer presentation, remove the chickpeas skins. It doesn't take long and is worth the effort, in my opinion.
**For a nicer presentation, remove the chickpeas skins. It doesn't take long and is worth the effort, in my opinion.
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