Italian Antipasto Chopped Kale Salad is constantly creeping its way into my cravings these days - the combination of all my favorite antipasto board elements chopped neatly into bite-sized pieces and dancing around together in a salad is just TOO GOOD to resist!
The salad was born on Easter weekend of 2018. I needed something fresh and green to serve alongside the rather decadent spinach bacon quiche and frosted Spring Cutout Cookies with Buttercream Frosting I was making. But I didn't want to buy a whole bunch of extra ingredients just to make a salad, so I raided my parent's fridge and pantry to come up with a winning combo of ingredients that the 10 people eating lunch in their house could enjoy. I wasn't sure that everyone liked "antipasto" ingredients - you know, Italian meats, olives, tomatoes, etc., but I went out on a limb and decided "why not?" People eat ham traditionally on Easter, and prosciutto and salami are kind of like ham, so there you go!
Video
Here's a quick video to show you how I make this salad!
Much to my delight, everyone loved the salad. They didn't know what all was in it, but the ingredients all combined together so well in a beautiful song of salad that even our picky eaters found a new favorite. And now I can't stop making it! It's definitely satisfying on its own as a main dish, but so good as a side with Pasta e Fagioli soup, some Italian white beans, a pizza, or even a vegetarian lasagna. You just can't go wrong with a good chopped salad! It makes me so happy when I get a little bit of each ingredient in the same bite.
Another magical thing about making this salad is that it's definitely a "cook once, eat twice" type of situation. Kale is a miraculously sturdy green, and won't start to wilt in a dressed salad until about day three. The flavors of the salad marry and meld together as it sits in the fridge, so you can certainly count on having delicious leftovers for lunch the next day!
If you are a lover of kale salads like I am (and if you've never tried one and want to get on the bandwagon), please check out my Simple Kale Salad and this Festive Kale Salad with Apples and Cranberries. I think you will really enjoy them! And be sure to scroll on down to see some of my favorite pretty salad serving pieces that will really show your salad off in a beautiful way!
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Tools
Italian Chopped Kale Salad
Ingredients
For the salad:
- 8 cups of chopped kale with stems removed
- 1 cup farro cooked according to package directions
- 1 cup cocktail tomatoes cut into quarters
- ⅓ cup kalamata olives cut in half
- ⅓ cup slivered almonds lightly toasted
- 2 ounces prosciutto di Parma julienned into ¼’’ inch strips
- 2 ounces uncured salami julienned into ¼’’ strips
- ½ cup freshly grated parmesan
- Optional: fresh basil leaves chiffonade into ¼’’ strips
For the kale massage:
- 1 whole lemon, juiced about 1/4 cup
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 teaspoons low sodium soy sauce
For the dressing:
- 1 whole lemon, juiced about ¼ cup
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- ¼ cup olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
Instructions
For the kale massage:
- Place the kale in a very large bowl. Drizzle the lemon juice, olive oil, and soy sauce on top. Massage the liquid ingredients into the kale leaves with your hands for about 2 minutes. The volume of the kale in the bowl will reduce by about ⅓ and the leaves will turn darker and shiny.
For the dressing:
- Combine the lemon juice, mustard, garlic, oil, salt, and pepper in a jar with a tight-fitting lid. Shake the jar to combine the ingredients.
For the salad:
- Place the massaged kale in a large serving bowl. Top with farro, tomatoes, olives, almonds, prosciutto, salami, parmesan, and fresh basil, if using. Drizzle about half of the dressing on top, adding more to taste, and toss to combine. Serve the salad at room temperature.
Video
Notes
Pin this, pretty please!
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