Mediterranean Chopped Salad with Roasted Red Pepper Dressing
Ingredients
For roasted red pepper dressing:
- 1 (12-ounce) jar roasted red peppers, drained
- 1 large or 2 small garlic cloves, smashed
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
- 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- Pinch of kosher salt
- Pinch of freshly cracked black pepper
For salad:
- 2 romaine hearts, chopped
- 2 cups chopped cabbage
- 1 medium red onion, diced
- 2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 cup green olives, pitted and sliced (preferably Castelvetrano)
- 1 (8-ounce) ball fresh mozzarella, diced
- 1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas, rinsed
- Black pepper
Instructions
To make the roasted red pepper dressing:
- In a high-speed blender, combine the red peppers, garlic, honey, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Blend for 20 to 30 seconds until very smooth, scraping down the blender as needed to incorporate. The dressing will look brown at first, then turns a bright orange-red as the peppers liquefy. Set aside.
To make the salad:
- Combine the romaine, cabbage, onion, tomatoes, olives, mozzarella, and chickpeas in a large serving bowl and then drizzle with the dressing. Toss, finish with a few cracks of pepper, and serve.
Notes
Recipe reprinted with permission from Big Bites by Kat Ashmore (Rodale Books, 2024). Photography by Christine Han.