Italian Chopped Salad

Ingredients

4 cups (10 ounces) coarsely chopped romaine lettuce

1 cup (about 5 ounces) cherry tomatoes

½ cups (about 3 ounces) canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed

¼ cups coarsely chopped pepperoncini

¼ cups coarsely chopped Kalamata olives (about 12)

¼ cups (about 1 ounce) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

½ cups croutons (optional)

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon pepperoncini brine

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

¼ teaspoons kosher salt, plus more to taste

Directions

Make the salad: In a large bowl, toss together the lettuce, tomatoes, chickpeas, pepperoncini, olives, mozzarella cheese and parsley. Season lightly with salt and pepper.

Make the dressing: In a medium bowl, whisk together the oil, pepperoncini brine, lemon juice, vinegar, Italian seasoning and salt.

Add the dressing to the salad and toss to combine.Taste, and adjust the seasonings as needed, and top with croutons, if using.