This 1962 Beverly Hills power-lunch salad was chopped tableside for studio execs who refused to unhinge their jaws for lettuce.
La Scala Chopped Salad
A famous chopped salad made popular by social media, featuring a mix of iceberg lettuce, salami, chickpeas, and a tangy dressing.
Prep
0
min
Cook
0
min
Serves
4
people
Level
beginner
The Story
This isn't ancient Roman fare at all—it's a 1956 Hollywood invention, cooked up by Jean Leon at his Sunset Boulevard restaurant La Scala to please Frank Sinatra and the Rat Pack, who wanted something lighter than pasta but still properly indulgent, proving that the most iconic 'Italian' salad in America was actually born in California under the Hollywood sign, not Naples.
Regional Twist
Down in Sicily's Trapani province, cooks ditch the mozzarella entirely for aged caciocavallo cheese and toss in briny Nocellara olives alongside the chickpeas, because apparently even salad needs a passport stamp before it's allowed anywhere near a dinner table.
📝 Ingredients
🥬Fresh Produce(3)
- 1 head of iceberg lettuce, very thinly shredded
- Optional: chopped pepperoncini or artichoke hearts
- 1/4 cup red onion, thinly sliced
🥛Dairy & Eggs(2)
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded or diced
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan or Romano cheese
🫙Pantry Staples(2)
- 1 can (15 oz) chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained and rinsed
- 1/3 to 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil (80-120 ml)
🧂Spices & Seasonings(2)
- A pinch of black pepper
- A pinch of salt
🍯Sauces & Condiments(2)
- 2 tsp to 2 tbsp Dijon mustard (adjust to taste)
- 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
📦Other(1)
- 1 cup Italian salami, sliced or diced
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories
352
Protein
14g
Carbs
17g
Fat
26g
👨🍳 Instructions
- 1
Chop the base: Finely shred the iceberg lettuce and thinly slice the red onion and salami so all pieces are uniform and small.
- 2
Combine ingredients: Add the chopped lettuce, salami, rinsed chickpeas, mozzarella, and red onion into a large mixing bowl.
- 3
Make the dressing: In a jar or small bowl, whisk or shake together the olive oil, red wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, Parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper until emulsified.
- 4
Toss and serve: Pour the dressing over the salad base, toss thoroughly to coat every piece, and let it sit for 5 minutes so the flavors soak in before serving.
💡 Pro Tips
- ✓Shred iceberg lettuce no thinner than 1/8 inch and dress within 10 minutes of cutting to prevent oxidation of cell walls, which causes browning and bitterness within 15-20 minutes of exposure to air.technique1/8 inch thickness, use within 10 minutes
- ✓Emulsify the dressing by whisking at a 3:1 ratio of olive oil to red wine vinegar (roughly 1/3 cup oil to 1/4 cup vinegar) while adding mustard first—its 3-5% emulsifier content from egg yolks stabilizes the emulsion for up to 4 hours.ingredient3:1 oil-to-vinegar ratio, mustard first
- ✓Dice mozzarella into 1/4-inch cubes and keep refrigerated until the moment of tossing because warmth above 68°F causes fat to migrate out of the protein matrix, making cheese greasy and turning the salad oily within 8 minutes.timing1/4-inch cubes, toss within 8 minutes of room temperature
- ✓Add 1-2 teaspoons of mustard rather than the upper range of 2 tablespoons because excessive mustard (above 8% by volume) will overpower the delicate bitterness of raw onion and mask the salami's umami compounds.ingredient1-2 tsp (not exceeding 8% of dressing volume)
- ✓Rest the dressed salad for exactly 5 minutes before serving—this allows the lettuce's cell wall pectin to partially absorb the acidic vinegar (pH 2.4), softening the texture slightly and allowing flavors to penetrate without causing wilting within 8-10 minutes.timing5 minutes (avoid exceeding 8 minutes)
Share this recipe
Prep
0
min
Cook
0
min
Serves
4
people
Level
beginner
Share this recipe
This 1962 Beverly Hills power-lunch salad was chopped tableside for studio execs who refused to unhinge their jaws for lettuce.
La Scala Chopped Salad
A famous chopped salad made popular by social media, featuring a mix of iceberg lettuce, salami, chickpeas, and a tangy dressing.
The Story
This isn't ancient Roman fare at all—it's a 1956 Hollywood invention, cooked up by Jean Leon at his Sunset Boulevard restaurant La Scala to please Frank Sinatra and the Rat Pack, who wanted something lighter than pasta but still properly indulgent, proving that the most iconic 'Italian' salad in America was actually born in California under the Hollywood sign, not Naples.
Regional Twist
Down in Sicily's Trapani province, cooks ditch the mozzarella entirely for aged caciocavallo cheese and toss in briny Nocellara olives alongside the chickpeas, because apparently even salad needs a passport stamp before it's allowed anywhere near a dinner table.
📝 Ingredients
🥬Fresh Produce(3)
- 1 head of iceberg lettuce, very thinly shredded
- Optional: chopped pepperoncini or artichoke hearts
- 1/4 cup red onion, thinly sliced
🥛Dairy & Eggs(2)
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded or diced
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan or Romano cheese
🫙Pantry Staples(2)
- 1 can (15 oz) chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained and rinsed
- 1/3 to 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil (80-120 ml)
🧂Spices & Seasonings(2)
- A pinch of black pepper
- A pinch of salt
🍯Sauces & Condiments(2)
- 2 tsp to 2 tbsp Dijon mustard (adjust to taste)
- 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
📦Other(1)
- 1 cup Italian salami, sliced or diced
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories
352
Protein
14g
Carbs
17g
Fat
26g
👨🍳 Instructions
- 1
Chop the base: Finely shred the iceberg lettuce and thinly slice the red onion and salami so all pieces are uniform and small.
- 2
Combine ingredients: Add the chopped lettuce, salami, rinsed chickpeas, mozzarella, and red onion into a large mixing bowl.
- 3
Make the dressing: In a jar or small bowl, whisk or shake together the olive oil, red wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, Parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper until emulsified.
- 4
Toss and serve: Pour the dressing over the salad base, toss thoroughly to coat every piece, and let it sit for 5 minutes so the flavors soak in before serving.
💡 Pro Tips
- ✓Shred iceberg lettuce no thinner than 1/8 inch and dress within 10 minutes of cutting to prevent oxidation of cell walls, which causes browning and bitterness within 15-20 minutes of exposure to air.technique1/8 inch thickness, use within 10 minutes
- ✓Emulsify the dressing by whisking at a 3:1 ratio of olive oil to red wine vinegar (roughly 1/3 cup oil to 1/4 cup vinegar) while adding mustard first—its 3-5% emulsifier content from egg yolks stabilizes the emulsion for up to 4 hours.ingredient3:1 oil-to-vinegar ratio, mustard first
- ✓Dice mozzarella into 1/4-inch cubes and keep refrigerated until the moment of tossing because warmth above 68°F causes fat to migrate out of the protein matrix, making cheese greasy and turning the salad oily within 8 minutes.timing1/4-inch cubes, toss within 8 minutes of room temperature
- ✓Add 1-2 teaspoons of mustard rather than the upper range of 2 tablespoons because excessive mustard (above 8% by volume) will overpower the delicate bitterness of raw onion and mask the salami's umami compounds.ingredient1-2 tsp (not exceeding 8% of dressing volume)
- ✓Rest the dressed salad for exactly 5 minutes before serving—this allows the lettuce's cell wall pectin to partially absorb the acidic vinegar (pH 2.4), softening the texture slightly and allowing flavors to penetrate without causing wilting within 8-10 minutes.timing5 minutes (avoid exceeding 8 minutes)