Simple ingredients chopped and blended the right way can be transformed into a dish that is irresistible. Cucumber, tomato, olives, and onion tossed with romaine, a sprinkle of feta and a pour of homemade Italian dressing is all it takes to make this delicious salad. It’s semplicemente deliziosa!
I’ve made this salad so many times, but I thought it was too simple to post on my blog. My mind was changed last week when I had my brother and sister’s family over visiting. They went crazy over it. I decided to make this salad after dinner when everyone was already full. I know, that sounds kind of odd, but I was craving my salad greens so I did like the Italians and ate a salad at the end of the meal. Everyone looked at me kind of crazy because they just knew I was wasting my time and all my vegetables by making such a huge salad when no one was hungry anymore. When all the chopping and mixing was complete, they decided to get a small sample. They hated for it to all go to waste. I just smiled because I knew they wouldn’t be able to resist. Within ten minutes there wasn’t a morsel of greens in the bowl. This salad was devoured by a few of my full-bellied peeps.
To get started on this salad, gather these vegetables:
It sounds too simple to be this tasty. I think the secret is in the way it is chopped.
Everything must be chopped small so you can get a tiny taste of it all with each bite. I even chop the Romaine into tiny pieces.
I like to use the small salad cucumbers. This picture shows how I slice and chop them.
I use a simple homemade Italian Vinaigrette for this salad. I like to add a little honey or sweet balsamic to it. I never purchase dressings anymore because they contain too many unhealthy additives, and it is just too easy to make a dressing yourself. This salad is a must-try recipe. I am pretty sure you’ll add it to your favorites list.
Questa insalata tritata italiano è molto buono!
- 1 large heart of Romaine lettuce
- 1½ cup chopped salad cucumbers, about 4
- 1½ cup grape tomatoes, sliced
- ¼ cup red onion, chopped small
- ½ - ¾ kalamata or black olives, sliced
- ½ cup crumbled feta
- 6 tablespoons quality olive oil
- 2 tablespoons white wine vinaigrette
- 2 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon quality dark balsamic vinegar
- ¾ teaspoon honey, adjust this to your taste, if you like it sweeter, add a little more
- 1½ teaspoon chopped Italian parsley, you can add oregano or others herbs also
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon white pepper
- Chop romaine: cut the frayed, dark green ends off and chop the lettuce lengthwise. Then, chop across to create tiny bite size pieces of lettuce.
- Chop cucumbers and onion into very small pieces.
- Slice tomatoes and olives.
- Mix all of this into a large salad bowl.
- Stir in the feta
- Dressing: whisk oil, white balsamic vinaigrette, dark balsamic vinaigrette, white wine vinegar, and honey together. Stir in herbs, salt and pepper.
- Pour on desired amount of dressing and serve.
