La Scala Chopped Salad — The One Worth Making on Repeat

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After a weekend of decadent eating we were craving something lighter and fresh — and I had a huge packet of Italian style dry salami from Costco I knew I had to use up. This La Scala chopped salad was the answer.

If you're not familiar, La Scala is a legendary Beverly Hills bistro and this chopped salad has been on their menu for decades. It's the kind of recipe that sounds simple and then completely wins the table. I served it with a sun dried tomato and olive sourdough from the bakery two blocks down. Some lunches just come together.

The traditional La Scala uses mozzarella — I didn't have any on hand this time so I used shaved Parmesan instead, and honestly it was delicious either way. Both work beautifully. Use what you have.

The dressing is equal parts olive oil and red wine vinegar, which sounds like a lot of vinegar but it's exactly right against the richness of the salami and cheese. A little Dijon pulls it together. Make it once as written, then adjust to your taste from there.

La Scala Chopped Salad

Serves 4  ·  No cook  ·  15 minutes

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Ingredients:

• 1 whole head of iceberg lettuce, thinly sliced
• 1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 20 slices Italian style dry salame
• ½ red onion, thinly sliced
• Pepperoncinis to taste — we like them a lot, I used about 6
• 3 tablespoons shaved Parmesan

Traditional La Scala uses mozzarella — Parmesan works beautifully as a substitute and is what I used here.

For the dressing:

• 5 tablespoons olive oil
• 5 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1–2 teaspoons Dijon mustard, to taste
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Parmesan cheese to taste, stirred into the dressing

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Instructions:

1. Add all salad ingredients into a large bowl.
2. Whisk together the dressing ingredients in a small bowl or jar until combined.
3. Right before serving, pour the dressing over the salad and toss well to coat.
4. Transfer to a clean bowl for presentation and serve immediately.

This recipe is a base — always taste and adjust as you go. More pepperoncinis, more Parmesan, a little extra vinegar. Make it yours. But it's delicious exactly as written.

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Light enough for summer, satisfying enough to actually call it lunch (especially if you pair it with a good sourdough). This one is on permanent rotation at our table and I don't see that changing anytime soon.

The next day we stuffed the leftovers into the sourdough with black forest ham and provolone. My husband makes a batch of pickled onions every week and I put them on everything — this was no exception.