Chopped Salad

This Chopped Salad recipe is the perfect easy lunch solution – make your own chopped salad exactly how you like it and enjoy it as a filling for wraps or sandwiches. Great for picnics and make-ahead lunches!

 

Estimated reading time: 9 minutes

Here at The Busy Baker we LOVE a good salad recipe…especially one that doubles as a meal prep recipe, or one we can stuff into a wrap and call it lunch! And this Chopped Salad recipe is one of our favourite lunch ideas. It’s a use-what-you’ve-got-on-hand or clean-out-the-fridge kind of recipe, so it’s easy on the budget, and it’s a great way to enjoy a healthy lunch on the go. We love it and make different versions of it all the time, and we know you will too!

Chopped salad is a big, hearty salad, packed with yummy ingredients that get chopped into small, bite sized pieces and tossed together with a dressing or a vinaigrette. Chopped salads are full of flavour, easy to make and great for easy lunches or meal prep because they can be made ahead (without the dressing) and stuffed into a pita, tortilla or wrap for the perfect lunch for a busy day.

Chopping all the ingredients together allows the flavours to meld, and it ensures you get a taste of every ingredient in every bite! It may not look the prettiest, but it’s absolutely delicious!

There are SO many reasons we love this easy chopped salad recipe. Here are just a few!

1. It’s QUICK AND EASY to make: You’ll only need a few ingredients and about 15 minutes!
2. It’s MEAL PREP FRIENDLY: This salad keeps well in the fridge for 3-4 days and can be used for meal prep lunches.
3. It’s CUSTOMIZABLE: Use your favourite meat or protein, dressing, and veggies.
4. It’s PERFECTLY DRESSED: Because of all the chopping, every bite is coated and flavourful!
5. It REQUIRES MINIMAL TOOLS: Just a good knife and a large cutting board is all you need to make it!

We love enjoying this chopped salad in a wrap or tortilla, but serving it with or on flatbreads, or in a sandwich with homemade bread is also SO delicious! Here are some of our favourite breads to serve with this recipe:

1. Cottage Cheese Flatbread
2. Garlic Knots
3. Potato Bread
4. Easy Homemade Naan Bread
5. Easy White Sandwich Bread

Here’s a list of our favourite PRO tips and tricks for making this chopped salad the best it can be!

Make sure you chop all your ingredients to be the same size. This ensures your salad will be well mixed and every bite will be the perfect. Feel free to chop the ingredients as roughly or finely as you prefer.

This is a recipe that gets better as it sits in the fridge because the flavours have time to mix. You can enjoy it right away, but if you let it sit for at least 30 minutes in the fridge before serving it will be nice and flavourful, especially with your favourite dressing!

Don’t skip the salt, pepper, and any other seasonings you like (we sometimes add garlic & onion powder, sometimes fresh herbs). Treat this recipe like a canvas and build your favourite flavour profiles.

A dull knife will bruise your greens and veggies, giving you more of a mush. You can also use a serrated knife to start slicing your tomatoes before you chop them along with the rest of the ingredients.

Make sure you dry your greens after you wash them well. This ensures that your salad isn’t going to get soggy.

If you’re having trouble with this chopped salad recipe, check out our troubleshooting ideas below:

Make sure you remove any excess moisture from the greens and other veggies before you use them. Avoid adding too much dressing – you can always add more later if you find the salad too dry.

Add some extra salt, black pepper, more dressing, red wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, extra-virgin olive oil, or lemon juice.

Add some croutons, Easy Ranch Roasted Chickpeas, toasted pine nuts, or a mix of seeds for extra crunch.

Here’s a list of the basic kitchen equipment you’ll need to make this homemade chopped salad recipe (paid links):

• knife
• chopping board
• mason jar or salad dressing shaker

Here’s everything you’ll need to make this chopped salad recipe 2 different ways (paid links):

Italian style

• 4 cups lettuce or your favourite salad greens
• 8 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese
• 7 ounces mortadella
• 2 large tomatoes sliced
• 2 handfuls fresh basil
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon balsamic glaze
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper

Chicken Caesar

• 3 cups lettuce or your favourite salad greens
• 1 large tomato sliced
• 1 cup cucumber slices about half english cucumber
• 1 1/2 cups grilled chicken
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup Caesar dressing or use Ranch Dressing

Looking to take this Chopped Salad recipe to the next level? Here’s a list of our favourite flavour variations!

1. Greek-Style: Swap out mozzarella and mortadella for feta cheese, Kalamata olives, cucumber, cherry tomatoes, red onions, and pepperoncini. Dress with olive oil, lemon juice, and oregano.
2. Tex-Mex: Use shredded cheddar, chicken breasts or ground beef seasoned with taco seasoning, black beans, corn, jalapeños, salsa, and chipotle ranch.
3. Antipasto: On top of arugula or romaine lettuce, add artichoke hearts, roasted red peppers, salami, provolone cheese, and olives. Season with Italian dressing, salt, and pepper.
4. Vegetarian: Over radicchio or iceberg lettuce add chickpeas, black beans, or garbanzo beans along with cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, and avocado.

We hope you love this easy chopped salad recipe as much as we do! Let us know in the comments below, what’s your favourite meal prep salad recipe? We’d love to know!

• Orzo Salad
• Caprese Salad
• Watermelon Salad
• Chicken Salad
• Panzanella Salad
• Crunchy Broccoli Salad
• Halloumi Salad
• Olive Garden Salad
• Tabbouleh Salad (Tabouli)