Ingredients
Salad
- 6 cups romaine lettuce
- ½ cup chopped tomatoes
- ¼ cup chopped pepperoncini
- ¼ cup thinly sliced red onion
- 1 green bell pepper, chopped
- 4 oz mozzarella pearls
- 2 tablespoons shredded Parmesan cheese
- 2 tablespoons black olives
Dressing
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon oregano
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Crunchy Topping
- 1 small pizza crust, naan or flatbread, baked until crisp and cut into wedges OR 1 cup croutons
Instructions
- Combine Salad Ingredients: In a large bowl, mix together the romaine lettuce, chopped tomatoes, pepperoncini, thinly sliced red onion, chopped green bell pepper, mozzarella pearls, shredded Parmesan cheese, and black olives to create the base of your salad.
- Prepare Dressing: In a small bowl, whisk the mayonnaise, red wine vinegar, Italian seasoning, oregano, crushed red pepper, garlic powder, and salt until smooth and well blended, forming a flavorful Italian dressing.
- Toss Salad: Drizzle the prepared dressing over the salad ingredients and toss gently but thoroughly until all components are evenly coated with the dressing.
- Add Crunchy Topping and Serve: Finally, top the dressed salad with either the baked pizza crust wedges or croutons to add a satisfying crunch before serving immediately.
Notes
- This salad is best served immediately to keep the pizza crust wedges or croutons crisp.
- You can substitute mayonnaise with Greek yogurt for a lighter dressing.
- Add cooked pepperoni or salami slices if you want a non-vegetarian version.
- Use fresh herbs if available to enhance the flavor of the dressing.
- For extra heat, increase the crushed red pepper according to taste.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 5 minutes (for baking pizza crust or flatbread wedges)
- Category: Salad
- Method: No-Cook
- Cuisine: Italian-American
- Diet: Vegetarian
