La Scala Chopped Italian Salad
This salad has everything you could ever ask for – crunchy lettuce, creamy mozzarella, chickpeas for added texture, and salami! A zippy vinaigrette adds even more brightness to this mouthwatering salad. Member’s Mark™ Black Peppercorn and Mediterranean Sea Salt Grinders give the dressing an extra layer of flavor, which is also great on any of your favorite salads! This recipe serves 6…but you might want to keep it all to yourself!
What is La Scala Salad?
The “La Scala salad” is a famous Italian-style chopped salad created at La Scala, a longtime Beverly Hills restaurant known for celebrity clientele and its signature chopped salad.
The classic version is made with:
- Finely shredded iceberg lettuce and romaine
- Salami
- Mozzarella cheese
- Chickpeas
- A tangy mustardy vinaigrette
Everything is chopped very small, which is part of what makes it distinctive — every bite has a little of everything.
People love it because it’s:
- Crunchy and refreshing
- Salty and tangy
- Filling without feeling too heavy
- Easy to customize with chicken, turkey, avocado, or extra vegetables
The dressing is usually a simple Italian-style vinaigrette with:
- Olive oil
- Red wine vinegar
- Dijon mustard
- Garlic
- Parmesan
- Salt and pepper
Flavor-wise, it’s similar to an Italian deli sub turned into a crisp chopped salad.
It became especially trendy again through social media and celebrity food culture, with many home cooks recreating it using:
- Turkey instead of salami
- Provolone instead of mozzarella
- Pepperoncini for extra tang
- Homemade crispy chickpeas
It’s great served with:
- Grilled chicken
- Garlic bread
- Soup
- Pasta
- Pizza
- Sparkling water or white wine for lunch/brunch vibes
La Scala Chopped Italian Salad
Ingredients
For the Dressing
- ⅓ cup Extra virgin olive oil
- 3 tbsp Red wine vinegar
- 2 cloves Garlic minced
- 3 tsp Dijon mustard
- ½ tsp Member's Mark™ Black Peppercorn Grinder
- ½ tsp Member's Mark™ Mediterranean Sea Salt Grinder
- ⅓ cup Pecorino Romano cheese
For the Salad
- 5-6 cups Shredded iceberg lettuce
- 4-5 cups Shredded romaine lettuce
- 1 (15 oz) can Chickpeas rinsed and drained
- ¼ lb Italian salami thinly sliced
- 2 cups Shredded mozzarella cheese
Instructions
- In a small bowl, add all of the salad dressing ingredients. Whisk everything together (or you can place the ingredients in a lidded jar and shake them to combine).
- To a large bowl, add the shredded lettuce, chickpeas, Italian salami, and mozzarella cheese. Pour the prepared dressing on top and toss to coat.