Peperoncini Chopped Salad with Romaine, Peppers, and Feta

Peperoncini Chopped Salad with Romaine, Peppers, and Feta is a favorite salad I’ve made over and over for family parties. If you like spicy Greek Peperoncini and creamy Feta Cheese, you’re going to swoon over this salad!

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Do you have any favorite salad recipes you make over and over? My family has been crazy over this Peperoncini Chopped Salad with Romaine, Red Bell Pepper, and Feta for quite a while now, and I have a few members of my extended family who always smile when they see I’ve made it for a party! And we’re about to enter into a season of party food where there’s going to be a lot of tempting treats everywhere you look, so I decided to take better photos for this recipe and remind you about it as a tasty option for healthy party food!

What makes the flavors really rock in this salad (besides the slices of Peperoncini) is the addition of one tablespoon of Peperoncini brine to the dressing. If you like Peperoncini when you get them added to a restaurant salad, you’ll definitely like this salad. And when we took the new photos we had the idea of replacing the chopped red peppers in the original salad with slices of sweet mini-peppers for a more festive look. If you don’t want to buy those or that seems like too much trouble to you, just use chopped red bell pepper. The salad will be delicious either way!

What ingredients do you need for this recipe?

• Dried Oregano (affiliate link), preferably Greek Oregano (affiliate link)if you have it)
• Minced Garlic (affiliate link)
• White Wine Vinegar (affiliate link)
• Peperoncini brine (from the jar of Sliced Peperoncini Peppers (affiliate link))
• extra-virgin Olive Oil (affiliate link)
• salt and fresh-ground black pepper
• romaine lettuce
• Sliced Peperoncini Peppers (affiliate link)
• sweet mini peppers
• crumbled Feta cheese (or more)

What was the inspiration for this recipe?

The recipe was inspired a Greek Italian Chopped Salad that I saw in The Bon Appetit Cookbook: Fast Easy Fresh, a huge book that’s loaded with good recipe ideas. The original recipe didn’t have Peperoncini, but when I read the ingredients I immediately thought it would be a nice addition. Besides romaine, red bell pepper, and feta, the original salad had garbanzos, sliced fennel, sliced red onion, and salami, so you could add any of those to my version if they appeal to you.

Is it Pepperoncini or Peperoncini?

The word for the spicy peppers used in this salad is sometimes spelled Pepperoncini, but on the jars I have bought for years it’s spelled Peperoncini, so that’s how I spell it!

Where to buy Spicy Peperoncini Peppers:

You can get Peperoncini Pepper (affiliate link) or Sliced Peperoncini Peppers (affiliate link) at Amazon if you don’t find them at your store, but most grocery stores will have these briny slightly spicy peppers sold near the olives and pickles.

Want more Salads with Peperoncini Peppers or Feta?

The Peperoncini Peppers and the Feta Cheese used in this recipe are without a doubt two of my favorite salad ingredients. If you’re also a fan of those ingredients you might like to see my round-ups for Spicy Low-Carb Salads with Peperoncini or Low-Carb and Keto Salads with Feta Cheese.

How to Make Peperoncini Chopped Salad with Romaine, Peppers, and Feta:

(Scroll down for complete recipe including nutritional information.)

1. Make the dressing first so the flavors have a chance to blend together while you prep the other ingredients.
2. To prep the Peperoncini, cut off the stem end and discard, then squeeze out the seeds and cut into slices about 1/2 inch thick. (You might need to drain them in a colander if they’re extra juicy.) You can use more or less sliced Peperoncini to taste; I used about 1 cup. 
3. Sometimes I buy sliced Peperoncini peppers (affiliate link) to make it even easier!
4. Follow that same process with the sweet mini-peppers, or just chop up a red bell pepper into thin strips if you prefer.
5. Crumble the Feta Cheese so it’s ready. I always buy Feta Cheese that comes in a block for best flavor.
6. Chop or tear the romaine lettuce into bite-sized pieces, then spin dry in the salad spinner (affiliate link), or dry with paper towels.
7. Toss the salad with desired amount of dressings. Then toss in the crumbled Feta and toss again.
8. Then season the salad with a generous amount of black pepper (which you can barely see in that last photo) and serve!

More Amazing Salads with Feta Cheese

• Green Bean Salad with Greek Olives and Feta Cheese 
• Spinach Salad with Bacon and Feta 
• Broccoli Salad with Feta and Almonds 

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Yield: 8 servings

Peperoncini Chopped Salad with Romaine, Peppers, and Feta

Prep Time 25 minutes

Total Time 25 minutes

Peperoncini Chopped Salad with Romaine, Peppers, and Feta is a favorite salad with my huge extended family, and I've made this many times for parties.

Ingredients

Dressing Ingredients:

• 1 tsp. dried oregano (use Greek oregano if you have it)
• 1/2 tsp minced garlic
• 3 T white wine vinegar
• 1 T Peperoncini brine (from the jar of Peperoncini)
• 6 T extra-virgin olive oil
• salt and fresh-ground black pepper to taste (I didn't use much of either in the dressing)

Salad Ingredients:

• 6 cups chopped or torn romaine lettuce, washed and spun dry in salad spinner, or dry with paper towels
• 1 cup sliced Peperoncini (or more, see notes)
• 1 cups sliced sweet mini peppers (or use thin slices of red red bell pepper if you prefer; use more pepper if you prefer)
• 1/2 cup crumbled Feta cheese (or more)
• fresh-ground black pepper to taste (I didn’t use salt because the Feta is salty)

Instructions

1. Put dried oregano and minced garlic in a small bowl and mash together with a fork or use a mortar and pestle (affiliate link). Add the white wine vinegar (affiliate link), Peperoncini juice, and salt and pepper to taste and stir together. Whisk in olive oil about 2 tablespoons at a time until dressing is well emulsified and add a little salt and fresh-ground black pepper if desired. Let dressing sit so flavors can blend while you prep other ingredients.
2. Cut or tear romaine lettuce into bite-sized pieces and wash and dry with salad spinner (affiliate link) or wash lettuce in a colander and dry with paper towels.
3. Cut stem end from each Peperoncini, squeeze out the seeds and discard, and slice Peperoncini into slices about 1/2 inch thick. (If they seem extra juicy, drain Peperoncini in a colander as you cut the stems off.
4. Cut stems off the sweet mini-peppers and cut out the seeds with a paring knife; then cut peppers into thick rings. (Or just chop up a red bell pepper into thin strips if you prefer.
5. Crumble enough Feta cheese to measure 1/2 cup, or as much as you prefer.
6. Put the lettuce into a large salad bowl and toss with desired amount of dressing. Add Peperoncini strips, red bell pepper strips, and crumbled Feta cheese and toss again.
7. Season salad to taste with salt and fresh ground black pepper and serve immediately. (I didn’t add any salt at the end but did season with a generous amount of fresh-ground black pepper.)
8. Every single time I've made this salad, it was all devoured immediately, so I don’t know how well it would keep overnight in the fridge, but I’d guess it’s best freshly made.

Notes

If you're lucky your store might sell sliced Peperoncini peppers (affiliate link), which makes this salad even easier to make!

This recipe inspired by Greek Italian Chopped Salad from The Bon Appetit Cookbook: Fast Easy Fresh, with lots of adaptations by Kalyn. 

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

8

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 135Total Fat: 12gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 9gCholesterol: 8mgSodium: 378mgCarbohydrates: 5gFiber: 2gSugar: 2gProtein: 2g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I am using. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, since many variables affect those calculations.

Did you make this recipe?

Did you make this recipe? Please leave a star rating (under the PRINT button in the recipe) or share a photo of your results on Instagram! THANKS!

Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
This Peperoncini Chopped Salad with Romaine, Peppers, and Feta is a perfect salad for low-carb and low-glycemic diet plans, including Keto. It’s also good for any phase of the original South Beach Diet. One reason I was inspired to buy two big jars of Peperoncini is because they are such a wonderfully low-carb ingredient.

Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use Salad Recipes to find more recipes like this one. Use the Diet Type Index to find recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to follow Kalyn’s Kitchen on Pinterest, on Facebook, on Instagram, or on YouTube to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.

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