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Copycat La Scala Salad (3 ways!) is a famous salad served at the La Scala restaurant in Beverly Hills. It’s made up of crunchy lettuce, chopped tomatoes, mozzarella, salami, and marinated chickpeas - then topped with a delicious vinaigrette with parmesan. You're going to be OBSESSED with this salad (just like the Kardashians are)!
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This salad is famous, if you didn’t know. Many celebrities such as Oprah Winfrey, Kim Kardashian, and Drew Barrymore are big fans of this dish. It’s also rumored that the La Scala restaurant created the very first chopped salad.
I love this salad because it’s simple, perfect for meal prep, and it’s off the charts delicious. For the summer season, I love making this salad ahead of time for the week and storing it in mason jars.
Ingredients
First, you'll make the lemon and parmesan vinaigrette, it's delicious and you’ll want to make this over and over (I do!)...
You’ll need:
- Olive oil - or any neutral tasting oil but I love using olive oil.
- Red wine vinegar - use a quality red wine vinegar, and if you don’t have it, you can use white wine vinegar or champagne vinegar instead.
- Shallot - be sure to use the shallot, it gives the dressing a nice, mild, sweet garlicky flavor.
- Lemon juice - for a bit of brightness and acidity.
- Parmesan - for some saltiness. Use a freshly grated, quality parmesan.
- Dijon mustard - dijon mustard adds a pop of flavor and helps to emulsify the dressing.
- Honey - if you don’t want to add the honey you can just leave it out but it adds a touch of sweetness and helps to emulsify the dressing.
- Oregano - oregano or italian seasoning will work in its place.
- Salt and pepper - to taste.
After the dressing is prepared, make the salad.
You'll need:
- Garbanzo beans - drained and rinsed, garbanzo beans really make this salad so don’t skip or substitute them!
- Romaine or iceberg lettuce - I like to use finely chopped romaine but La Scala uses iceberg. Both are great options but spring mix or spinach will not give this salad the classic “La Scala” flavor that you’re looking for.
- Salami - use hard salami, just get it at the deli counter.
- Cucumbers - any kind of cucumber will do, just be sure to chop it.
- Mozzarella - freshly grated mozzarella is best, the stuff in the bag is caked with anti-caking agents and it’s just not as good.
- Red onion- red onion gives this salad a nice pop of color, flavor and crunch!
- Tomato - I used cherry tomatoes, because I love them, but any tomato will do!
The process...
First make your dressing, you’re going to want to combine all ingredients in a mason jar and shake it until the dressing is emulsified.
Drain and rinse your chickpeas, then add a few spoonfuls of the dressing and allow them to marinate while you assemble your salad.
Then chop all of your ingredients, except for the salami, julienne the salami (cut it into long thin strips).
This is a chopped salad, so be sure to chop all of your ingredients–it really makes a huge difference in the flavor! So don’t skip this step!
Serve the dressing on the side and enjoy
3 ways to prepare...
What are the 3 ways to serve this salad?
TOSSED:
Drain and rinse the garbanzo beans and toss them in a bowl with 2-3 tablespoons of dressing. Set them aside and allow them to marinate while you assemble the rest of your salad.
Combine the chopped lettuce, julienned salami, cucumbers, mozzarella, red onion, and tomatoes. Give it a gentle toss.
Add the marinated chickpeas.
Serve the remaining dressing on the side.
LA SCALA STYLE:
To serve the salad “La Scala Style”, grab a small bowl, fill the bottom with chickpeas. Then, add a layer of lettuce, followed by the salami, cucumbers, mozzarella, red onion, and tomatoes. It’s up to you how much you want to use.
Then press down on all of the ingredients to pack them in tightly. Grab a plate and turn the bowl upside down onto the plate.
MASON JAR STYLE:
Much like the “La Scala” style, you’re simply going to layer your ingredients. First, add the chickpeas, and a few extra spoonfuls of dressing.
Then layer all of your ingredients (chickpeas first, then cucumbers, tomatoes, onion, mozzarella, and salami). The order doesn’t really matter, just make sure you put the lettuce LAST so that the dressing doesn’t make it soggy!
To serve, just dump the salad onto a plate and enjoy.
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La Scala Chopped Salad - 3 ways!
Ingredients
LEMON + PARMESAN VINAIGRETTE
- ¾ cup olive oil
- ½ cup red wine vinegar
- 1 tbsp chopped shallot
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 tbsp parmesan freshly grated
- 1 tsp dijon mustard
- 1 tsp honey
- 1 tsp oregano
- Pinch salt and pepper
LA SCALA SALAD
- 1 15 oz can garbanzo beans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 4 cups romaine or iceberg lettuce chopped
- 10 slices salami julienned
- 1 ½ cup cucumbers chopped
- ½ cup mozzarella freshly grated
- ½ cup red onion chopped
- ½ cup tomatoes chopped
Instructions
FOR THE LEMON + PARMESAN VINAIGRETTE
- In a mason jar, combine all of the ingredients for the lemon and parmesan vinaigrette and shake vigorously until combined. Set aside.
FOR THE SALAD (TOSSED)
- Drain and rinse the garbanzo beans and toss them in a bowl with 2-3 tablespoons of dressing. Set them aside and allow them to marinate while you assemble the rest of your salad.
- Combine the chopped lettuce, julienned salami, cucumbers, mozzarella, red onion, and tomatoes. Give it a gentle toss.
- Add the marinated chickpeas.
- Serve the remaining dressing on the side.
FOR THE SALAD (LA SCALA STYLE)
- To serve the salad “La Scala Style”, grab a small bowl, fill the bottom with chickpeas. Then, add a layer of lettuce, followed by the salami, cucumbers, mozzarella, red onion, and tomatoes. It’s up to you how much you want to use.
- Then press down on all of the ingredients to pack them in tightly.
- Then grab a plate and turn the bowl upside down onto the plate.
FOR THE SALAD (MASON JAR STYLE)
- Much like the “La Scala” style, you’re simply going to layer your ingredients. First, add the chickpeas, and a few extra spoonfuls of dressing.
- Then layer all of your ingredients (chickpeas first, then cucumbers, tomatoes, onion, mozzarella, and salami). The order doesn’t really matter, just make sure you put the lettuce LAST so that the dressing doesn’t make it soggy!
- To serve, just dump the salad onto a plate and enjoy.
Nutrition
More salads you'll love!
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