21 Italian Salads That Turn Simple Ingredients Into Something Extraordinary These salads are rooted in the Italian belief that great foods need very little fuss. By Jodie Kautzmann Jodie Kautzmann Jodie Kautzmann is an editor, baker, and confectioner with more than 15 years of experience in content creation, recipe development, and pastry production. She's obsessed with the fine details and ingredients that take dishes from tasty to outright otherworldly. Food & Wine's Editorial Guidelines Updated on August 24, 2026 Add Us On SAVE ALL RECIPES NEW! Save as a collection on MyRecipes Close Credit: Gentl & Hyers Everyday Italian fare is revered for its simplicity, relying on the freshness of its ingredients to create the extraordinary flavors that have made it one of the world’s most beloved cuisines. On any given weeknight, an insalata is rarely elaborate enough to warrant a recipe — it’s often little more than a pile of greens dressed tableside with olive oil, vinegar, and a pinch of salt, served as a contorno. For more celebratory meals, salad traditionally arrives after the secondo, or main course, offering a fresh counterpoint to a rich meat dish or a palate-cleansing bridge to dessert. The recipes in this collection represent both the more composed salads you’ll find throughout Italy — many built from just a handful of ingredients — and salads that interpret Italian flavors through an American lens. Alongside regional classics like Caprese, panzanella, and insalata di frutti di mare, you’ll find antipasto-inspired salads, seafood specialties, and seasonal recipes built around pasta, beans, and peak produce. Some stay true to centuries-old traditions, while others take delicious liberties — but all are rooted in the ingredients that define Italian cooking. Love these recipes? Join MyRecipes — your personal home for recipes — to easily save and organize your favorites, plus thousands more, in one convenient place. 01 of 21 Caprese Salad Matt Taylor-Gross Caprese salad is supremely simple, but its flavor hinges on the quality of its ingredients: ripe, juicy peak-season tomatoes, verdant basil, fresh mozzarella, and your favorite extra-virgin olive oil. Try it over a bed of peppery arugula. Get the Recipe Save 02 of 21 Prosciutto and Melon Burrata Salad Matt Taylor-Gross Salty prosciutto and sweet melon have been enjoyed together in Italy for generations; the more modern addition of burrata elevates the classic pairing with its creamy stracciatella filling. Get the Recipe Save 03 of 21 Salad of Pink Radicchio, Citrus, and Mushroom Bagna Cauda Gentl & Hyers Delicate pink radicchio, Cara Cara oranges, and a warm, nutty brown butter bagna cauda enriched with porcini powder and anchovies make for a gorgeous and bright winter salad that’s almost too pretty to eat. Get the Recipe Save 04 of 21 Grilled Pepper and Onion Panzanella with Peperoncini Vinaigrette Greg DuPree / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen Grill your favorite sweet or hot peppers to toss with grilled bread cubes, then drizzle with a tangy-hot vinaigrette and top with creamy feta and crisp peperoncini slices. Cooking instructor Molly Stevens’ recipe comes together in 40 minutes. Get the Recipe Save 05 of 21 Antipasto Salad with Bocconcini and Green Olive Tapenade © Greg DuPree Chef and Italian cooking authority Nancy Silverton is known for turning simple ingredients into unforgettable dishes. She does just that with this hearty salad — named one of F&W’s 40 best-ever recipes in 2016 — which combines crisp iceberg lettuce, milky bocconcini, spicy-tangy peperoncini, and salty olives and salami. Get the Recipe Save 06 of 21 Italian Wedge Salad Matt Taylor-Gross / Food Styling by Barrett Washburne Wedge salads may be all-American, but this one borrows from the Italian antipasti tradition. The lettuce is generously dressed with Calabrian chile–spiced ranch, then layered with pickled peppers, olives, soppressata, garlic croutons, and more. Get the Recipe Save 07 of 21 Peach Prosciutto Caprese Salad Matt Taylor-Gross / Food Styling by Barrett Washburne Pair fresh mozzarella, tomatoes, and basil with sweet summer peaches and salty prosciutto to make this delectable caprese salad. Add a few pieces of grilled chicken and serve with ciabatta for a satisfying meal. Get the Recipe Save 08 of 21 Big Italian Salad Julia Hartbeck Radicchio, romaine, and iceberg bring refreshing crunch and a slightly bitter flavor to this bright and flavorful salad, chock-full of treats like peperoncini, olives, and cherry tomatoes. It’s tossed in a dressing of oil and vinegar enriched with a touch of mayonnaise. Get the Recipe Save 09 of 21 Warm Puttanesca Pasta Salad Victor Protasio The flavors of classic puttanesca — anchovies, olives, tomatoes, capers, and garlic — do the heavy lifting in this pasta salad. Crumbled prosciutto and fresh basil on top make it ready to serve, either warm or at room temperature. Get the Recipe Save 10 of 21 Lemony Chickpea Salad Food & Wine / Photo by Matt Taylor-Gross / Food Styling by Debbie Wee Celebrity chef and Top Chef host Tom Colicchio folds cooked chickpeas with quick-pickled onion and peperoncini for this simple, satisfying salad seasoned with garlic, rosemary, and oregano. Get the Recipe Save 11 of 21 Insalata di Pesce Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Torie Cox / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen Here, former F&W editor Mary-Frances Heck quickly blanches scallops, shrimp, and swordfish pieces, then tosses them in a bright olive oil infused with herbs and lemon. If you like, swap halibut or tuna for the swordfish. Get the Recipe Save 12 of 21 White Bean and Tuna Salad with Shaved Squash Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Priscilla Montiel Creamy cannellini beans, large tuna flakes, and ribbons of zucchini and summer squash absorb the flavors of a lemon-thyme marinade in Justin Chapple’s riff on the Tuscan staple. Get the Recipe Save 13 of 21 Puntarelle-Citrus Salad with Roasted Beets Photo by Greg DuPree / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Christine Keely Crisp, tender, and mildly bitter, young Italian puntarelle makes a terrific backdrop for sweet, earthy beets and tangy citrus. Look for it at your local farmers market, or swap it out for curly endive if needed. Get the Recipe Save 14 of 21 Insalata di Frutti di Mare (Italian Seafood Salad) Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Julia Bayless Loaded with poached shrimp, squid, and scallops tossed in a punchy red wine vinaigrette, this chilled antipasto-style salad makes for a refreshing warm-weather main. Allow chill time for the flavors to meld — about an hour does the trick. Get the Recipe Save 15 of 21 Lemony Zucchini-Fregola Salad Peter Frank Edwards With its soft flesh and concentrated flavor, roasted zucchini is a lovely contrast to chewy fregola and crunchy pistachios in this summer salad; lemon, basil, and crushed red pepper provide a zingy pop of bright freshness. Get the Recipe Save 16 of 21 Tomato, Basil, and Cucumber Panzanella with Grated Tomato Balsamic Vinaigrette Victor Protasio Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat author Samin Nosrat showcases juicy ripe tomatoes, red onion slices, and crisp cucumbers with oven-roasted sourdough croutons in her version of the Tuscan bread salad. Get the Recipe Save 17 of 21 Spring Peas and Greens with Cacio e Pepe Dressing © Johnny Miller Kay Chun dresses spring greens, fava beans, and fresh peas in a tangy buttermilk dressing made with plenty of coarsely cracked black pepper, then plates them with creamy avocado slices and finishes with a dusting of grated Parmigiano-Reggiano. Get the Recipe Save 18 of 21 Tomato, Haricots Verts, and Potato Salad Con Poulos This homey salad is a simple celebration of peak produce that can easily be adapted to what’s freshest at the market, whether that’s root vegetables and fennel in winter or asparagus and shaved artichokes in spring. Get the Recipe Save 19 of 21 Fennel and Citrus Salad with Mint © Con Poulos Versions of this iconic winter salad are especially popular in Sicily, where fresh fennel and oranges grow in abundance. Chef Matthew Accarrino adds grapefruit to the mix, tying it all together with a sweet-tart honey-lemon dressing. Get the Recipe Save 20 of 21 Pan-Seared Octopus with Italian Vegetable Salad © Con Poulos Octopus salad is a staple of Italy’s coastal cuisine, where tender seafood is often simply dressed with olive oil and lemon. Chef Vinny Dotolo puts a modern spin on the classic by searing and braising the octopus before tossing it with chickpeas and a tangy mix of marinated carrots, fennel, and celery. Get the Recipe Save 21 of 21 Warm Castelfranco with Vincotto and Blu di Bufala © Chris Court 2011 F&W Best New Chef Carlo Mirarchi seasons Castelfranco, a mild variety of radicchio, with fish sauce and lemon juice, wilts it over high heat in olive oil, stirs in white balsamic vinegar, then finishes the salad with creamy blue cheese. The result is a striking balance of bitter, tangy, and savory flavors. Get the Recipe Save Explore more: Food World Cuisines European Cuisines Italian Cuisine Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit