There is a fairly new trend that I’m 1000% behind, and it is basically creating finely diced salads that are eaten with chips. I mean, best of both worlds, right? The viral Green Goddess Salad was the first one I saw and tried, but I’ve now tried several salads this way and it has become a favorite twist to a weeknight meal or healthy addition to a party appetizer menu. This Italian Salad Chip Dip Recipe would work for either a main meal (lunch anyone?) or an appetizer! And, the best part? It is completely customizable depending on your tastes!

I’m one of the weird people who read recipes for fun and then take a bunch of ideas and my preferences and make something up. I know that not everyone is that way, so I do practice and test recipes for the blog. But, I also like to work on recipes that are adjustable to a person’s preferences when possible. And, this one fits the bill! Don’t like the cheese? Sub a different one? Don’t eat meat? Sub in some great vegetables! I’ll share suggested substitutions below, but have fun with this one!

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Italian Salad Chip Dip Recipe

This recipe makes approximately 3.5 cups of chip dip. This is a hearty recipe so it will serve quite a few people for an appetizer or potentially 4 people for a good lunch.

Chopped Italian Salad Chip Dip Ingredients:

• 8 ounces of ham (I used a thicker cut deli ham)
• 3.5 ounces of salami
• 2 cups of parmesan cheese shredded
• 2.25 ounces black olives sliced
• Parsley (You’ll end up wanting around 1/2 cup once chopped)
• 16 oz Roasted Red Peppers
• 10 Pepperoncinis
• 1/2 Large Red Onion
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 3 Tablespoons Red Wine Vinegar
• 2 Teaspoons Italian seasoning
• 1 Teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 Teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1/2 Teaspoon salt (as it is being served with salty chips and there is salt in the salami and ham, you don’t need much!)

Directions:

1. Take all of the ingredients other than the cheese, spices, oil and vinegar, and chop into as small as pieces as you can get. This takes some time, but the smaller the better! You want your guests to be able to get as many of the ingredients on one chip as possible.
2. In a mixing bowl, add the olive oil, red wine vinegar, and spices. Whisk until incorporated. (When oil and vinegar incorporate they get a slightly creamy look to them!)
3. Add in all of your chopped ingredients and cheese. Mix with a spoon.
4. Serve with your favorite chips! I liked this salad with Salt & Vinegar chips* as well as Parmesan Garlic chips*!

Ways to Customize:

• Want it even more salad like? Add in a hearty romaine! Serve directly after adding in the romaine as it will not keep as well as a salad without it.
• Change out the meats for roasted Zucchini and Eggplant.
• Add in Italian tomatoes for a bright pop of flavor.
• Trade the black olives for your favorite green olives!
• Change out the Parmesan for Provolone, Asiago, or Mozzarella!

How would you customize this dip? Share in the comments below!