This is the famous La Scala Chopped Salad! It's an incredible, classic Italian-inspired salad that's recently grown to popularity due to rumors that it's a favorite recipe of celebrities like the Kardashians.
About This Recipe
This recipe is based on the famous La Scala Chopped salad that originated at the La Scala restaurant in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles by Chef Jean Leon. La Scala has been in business for over 60 years and this popular salad has been served there for decades.
It's a classic Italian-flavored chopped salad that will transport you to the swanky old-school Hollywood feel of La Scala restaurant.
My version of this salad is altered slightly to be tossed all together while the original recipe keeps the chickpeas on top. This copycat recipe has a couple of other slight modifications, like using a mix of iceburg lettuce and romaine lettuce (for its nutritional benefits), instead of only iceburg.
More recently, this salad gained popularity and has been a viral recipe on social media because it's rumored to be the 'Kardashian's favorite salad.' It's said that this was Kim Kardashian's go-to order at the restaurant.
The flavors and preparation of this salad are simple, but what sets it apart is using high-quality ingredients and chopping everything finely so that it has the perfect texture.
Ingredients
Here's what you'll need to make this recipe. The full recipe and list of ingredients can be found at the bottom of the page.
- Iceburg lettuce
- Romaine lettuce
- Salami
- Mozzarella cheese
- Chickpeas (aka garbanzo beans)
- Pecorino romano (or parmesan)
- For the dressing: olive oil, red wine vinegar, dijon mustard
How to Make La Scala Chopped Salad
This easy salad can be made in only 15 minutes. First, you'll add your dressing ingredients to the bottom of a large bowl and whisk until it's combined.
Next, add your chickpeas to the bowl and toss them with the dressing to 'marinate' the chickpeas in it. Then add the remaining salad ingredients on top and toss to mix!
This salad is best served with a generous topping of freshly-grated pecorino romano (or parmesan) and freshly-ground black pepper.
Ingredient Notes
Here are a few popular additions and substitutions for this recipe:
Lettuce: This recipe uses a mix of iceberg lettuce and romaine lettuce, but if you prefer, you could use all iceburg or all romaine. The original La Scala Chopped Salad uses iceburg lettuce, but I've added romaine because it has more nutritional benefits.
Pecorino Romano: Parmesan cheese is a close substitute.
Salami: Use any type of salami. My go-to is Italian salami. You could also use summer sausage or any hard salami.
Mozzarella: Low-moisture whole milk mozzarella works best for this recipe because it's easy to slice. You could also buy any pre-sliced mozzarella or shredded mozzarella.
Artichoke hearts: These are a popular addition to this recipe.
Olives: Green or black olives are another tasty and popular addition to this recipe.
Cherry tomatoes: If you're a fan of tomatoes, slice some cherry or grape tomatoes in half and add them to your salad.
About The Dressing
The dressing for this recipe is a classic red wine vinaigrette made with only olive oil, red wine vinaigrette, dijon, salt and pepper.
Instead of pouring the dressing over the top of the salad, the La Scala salad is made by adding the dressing to the bottom of your serving bowl and tossing it with the chickpeas to drench them in the flavor.
I find that this does make a slight difference, and 'marinates' the chickpeas slightly, but you can also pour your dressing over the salad and toss it.
Dressing Options
Here are a few other dressing options that would be tasty either as homemade or store-bought alternatives:
- Any red wine vinaigrette
- Italian dressing
- Lemon herb vinaigrette
- Any simple vinaigrette, like our Everyday Salad Dressing
Frequently Asked Questions
This salad has recently become famous because it's known as 'the Kardashian's favorite salad,' and it was rumored to be Kim Kardashian's go-to order at the La Scala restaurant in Beverly Hills.
This salad recipe starts by adding the dressing to the bottom of your bowl. No, you don't have to do this step and you can pour the dressing over your salad before serving it if you prefer.
A 'chopped' salad is a salad where all of the ingredients (especially the lettuce) are finely chopped or shredded to a uniform size. This gives the whole salad a tasty, crunchy texture. Chopped salads are my favorite! Here's another example of one of the most popular types of chopped salads: Italian Chopped Salad.
How to Store Leftovers
If you have leftovers, you can store them in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 3-4 days, but the salad will lose its crunchy texture after a few hours.
To preserve the texture of your salad, mix and store your dressing separately and toss your salad just before serving.
Top Tips
- Chop the ingredients finely: The texture of this salad is best when all the ingredients are chopped finely. In particular, the lettuce should be finely chopped or shredded to give the salad a nice crunch.
- Grated cheese: Top your salad generously with freshly grated pecorino romano (or parmesan cheese) instead of using pre-shredded cheese. The freshly grated cheese takes this salad to the next level.
- Freshly-ground black pepper: Ground black pepper (straight out of grinder) tastes best in this recipe. Feel free to add more or less based on preference.
Similar Recipes
If you make this recipe, be sure to leave a comment & rating at the bottom of this page!
La Scala Chopped Salad
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Description
This is the famous La Scala Chopped Salad! It's an incredible, classic Italian-inspired salad that's recently grown to popularity due to rumors that it's a favorite recipe of celebrities like the Kardashians.
Ingredients
- 1 small head iceberg lettuce, finely chopped (about 5 cups)
- 1 heart of romaine, finely chopped (about 5 cups)
- 6 ounces salami, thinly chopped
- 1 cup thinly chopped low-moisture mozzarella (or shredded mozzarella)
- 1 (15 ounce) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- ¼ cup grated pecorino romano (or parmesan), plus more for serving
Red Wine Vinaigrette:
- ⅓ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup red wine vinegar
- 2 teaspoons dijon mustard
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- To the bottom of a large bowl, add the olive oil, red wine vinegar, dijon mustard, salt and pepper. Whisk to combine.
- Add the chickpeas to the bowl and toss until coated in the dressing.
- Add the iceberg lettuce, romaine lettuce, salami, and pecorino romano (or parmesan) to the bowl. Toss with the chickpeas and dressing until mixed.
- Top with additional pecorino romano and black pepper if desired.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Category: Salad
Nutrition
- Serving Size: ¼ of recipe
- Calories: 399
- Sugar: 1.4g
- Sodium: 5890mg
- Fat: 27.2g
- Saturated Fat: 8.9g
- Carbohydrates: 18.3g
- Fiber: 3.9g
- Protein: 18.4g
- Cholesterol: 44mg
Keywords: chopped, salad, chopped salad, salami, chickpeas, mozzarella, italian, tiktok, viral, kardashian, celebrity, la scala, easy, lunch, dinner, quick
Nutrition disclaimer: nutrition information is an estimate to the best of our availability; please note that nutrition information will vary based on the exact products and quantities used.
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