Vegan Italian Chopped Salad

5 from 5 votes

This light and healthy Italian chopped salad is the perfect meal after a holiday. Full of bold, rich flavors, this Italian chopped salad recipe is delicious as an entree or side dish with your favorite vegan Italian meal.

Prep Time20

Total Time20

Course: Salad

Cuisine: Italian

Diet: Vegan

Servings: servings

Calories: 166kcal

Author: Kathy Carmichael

Ingredients

Herb Marinated Tofu (optional)

14 ounces extra-firm tofu pressed
½ cup water
3 Tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 Tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 cloves garlic minced
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
2 teaspoons maple syrup
1 Tablespoon fresh chopped rosemary
1 Tablespoon fresh chopped thyme

Salad Ingredients

1 large head romaine lettuce chopped
1 head radicchio chopped
1 can chickpeas rinsed and drained
1 pint grape tomatoes cut in halves
1 cup celery chopped
1 English cucumber chopped
1 bunch asparagus roasted, and chopped
½ cup banana peppers chopped
½ cup kalamata olives chopped
1 red onion chopped

Oil-Free Italian Dressing

⅓ cup water
⅓ cup red wine vinegar
1 Tablespoon dijon mustard
2 teaspoons maple syrup
2 cloves garlic minced
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning blend
2 teaspoons black pepper
½ teaspoon sea salt
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes optional
1 lemon juiced

Instructions

Grilled Herb Marinated Tofu

Press and drain the tofu if using firm tofu. Remove the tofu from the package and dry off if using sprouted or extra firm tofu.
Then, cut tofu into 6 equal-sized pieces.
Whisk all marinade ingredients together.
Pour ⅓ of the marinade into an air-tight container, and add half the tofu on top of the marinade.
Pour another ⅓ of the marinade on top, add another row of tofu, and top with the remaining marinade.
Place covered in a refrigerator for 12 hours.
When ready to grill, preheat grill to medium-low or 400 degrees.
Place marinated strips of tofu on the grill, rotating 4 times in 4-minute increments. This is so you get beautiful grill marks.
Return the tofu to the container with the remaining marinade, and let cool to the touch.
Remove tofu from the container, and cut into bite-sized pieces, or leave it in strips if you prefer.

Roasted Asparagus

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Chop the rough ends off the asparagus.
Cut asparagus into bite-sized pieces and place them on a baking sheet with a silicone mat or parchment paper.
Baked for 15 minutes; remove from oven, and allow to cool.

Salad

Chop the lettuce and radicchio first and place in the base of a large bowl.
Chop remaining ingredients, and separate into sections, or toss together.

Oil-Free Dressing

Whisk all ingredients together.
Store in eh refrigerator and stir before dressing the salad.
DO NOT dress the salad until you are ready to serve.
The dressing can be individually applied to salads or tossed in a large salad.
Just remember, any left-over dressed salad will be soggy, so I recommend packing salads individually with the dressing on the side if meal prepping for lunches.

Serve

Toss or serve individually.
Add vegan parmesan cheese and parsley (optional)

Notes

Italian salad can be meal prepped beforehand but do not dress until right before serving.
Serve with bread or soup
Italian chopped salad can be served as a side salad with your favorite Italian entree or bowl of soup.
I serve Italian chopped salad with vegan parmesan cheese.
Add grilled tofu or tempeh for additional protein.
Serve with a loaf of crusty bread on the side.
Use fresh herbs whenever possible for the best flavor.
Not only did I choose to toss my Italian chopped salad, but I also served it with some crunchy whole-grain bread.
Also, I add fresh chopped parsley to bring it all together. As I mentioned earlier, the choice of serving the salad tossed or not is up to you.

Nutrition