Big Italian Salad

This big Italian salad is fresh, colorful, and packed with crisp romaine, vibrant veggies, and a zesty homemade Italian dressing—the perfect side to any Italian meal!

This big Italian salad is my go-to for spaghetti and meatballs, bolognese, pasta e fagioli, baked ziti, zuppa Tosacana, focaccia, or anything else in that Italian comfort food realm. The homemade dressing is what makes it so good. Think of it as a much, much-improved version of that bottled Italian dressing sitting in your fridge door. It takes just a few minutes to make—and if you’re used to the beige bottled stuff, you’ll be surprised to see how fresh herbs make this vinaigrette a beautiful and vibrant green.

• 1 cup loosely packed fresh Italian parsley leaves
• 1 cup loosely packed fresh basil leaves
• ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled
• ⅓ cup red wine vinegar
• ¾ cup extra virgin olive oil
• Heaping ¾ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 teaspoons honey

• 1 large head romaine lettuce (or 3 hearts), washed, dried and cut into large, bite-sized pieces
• 1 large red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 cup seeded and chopped hothouse cucumbers
• 1 to 2 carrots, peeled into ribbons
• Handful grape tomatoes, halved
• Handful pitted olives
• Ricotta Salata or Feta, crumbled to taste