Summer is here, y’all and so is the ridiculous heat wave that comes with it in Texas. This is not my annual gripe-about-the-heat post, I’m saving that for August. Texas is still just preheating in June! Although turning on the oven has to be done sometimes, I honestly try to keep it to a minimum during the scorching summer months. This practice is what’s best for my summertime mental health!
To help avoid heating up the kitchen, we often use our gas grill outdoors to grill meats and heat up side dishes that would normally go on the stove top. I also bust out the big gadgets, and I use them very often. My slow cooker, air fryer, and microwave oven are in especially high demand for the months of June through October! (Yes, October. It’s typically still warm enough to swim here until mid-October!)
Purchasing fully-cooked, whole rotisserie chickens at the grocery store is one of my favorite cooking short cuts all year round. I shred or dice the meat to use in pasta dishes, soups, and casseroles when I make them. Using a flavorful, deli-prepared chicken really cuts down on prep time as well as oven or stove top time. Yes, please.
We also love hearty dinner salads in all forms. Well, three out of four of us love salads in all forms… the 11-year-old girl, not so much! But, I just know one day she will eat all the veggies, y’all!! 🤞🏻🩷🙂
One of my favorite, no-cook salads for any time of the year is this amazingly flavorful Artichoke-Pepperoni Salad! I make this simple salad often for a satisfying, but light lunch or dinner. I tend to make this most often just as I’ve shared the recipe below, but at times I add in a measure of diced rotisserie chicken to bulk it up for my husband (the resident meat-atarian). It’s a delicious addition that fits right into this earthy combo of salad goodness.
How to make artichoke pepperoni salad
To make this quick and tasty, Mediterranean-inspired salad, I use shredded lettuce, canned artichoke hearts, turkey pepperoni, red onion, cherry or grape tomatoes, feta cheese, and some zesty bottled vinaigrette to keep this recipe nice and simple.
I often use a store-bought bag of pre-shredded iceberg lettuce as a time-saving, practical measure for my family. I don’t like to shred more lettuce than we can use before it goes bad. Shredded lettuce can turn in what seems like minutes, particularly when it’s hot outside.
A quality, light balsamic vinaigrette is a perfect complement for this simple artichoke salad, although a good bottled Italian dressing or Greek-style vinaigrette works well with this rich mix of ingredients too.
This easy artichoke pepperoni salad is a personal favorite recipe, but I’ve found it’s quite the crowd pleaser when we’ve got company over too. It’s an unexpected, flavorful addition to any meal, and it’s a great dinner salad option too.
If this tasty salad is made as the recipe is written, it’s also low-carb, gluten-free and low-fat! Can a salad really do more, y’all?? 🙂
I hope y’all enjoy this flavor party of a salad as much as we do.
Happy eating, my friends! 🥗💚🌞
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Easy Artichoke-Pepperoni Salad
Course: Salads, MainCuisine: MediterraneanDifficulty: Easy4
servings20
minutesThis is Simple Artichoke-Pepperoni salad is packed with flavor and it’s snap to make! This is a wonderful starter, main dish salad or side choice for any season of the year. Adding in a measure of diced rotisserie chicken can bulk this recipe up, if one prefers. Toss with any zesty vinaigrette dressing of your choice.
Ingredients
1 (14 oz) can artichoke hearts, drained and coarsely chopped
1 small clove garlic, finely minced
2 – 3 fresh basil leaves, coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons finely diced or sliced red onion
20-25 pepperoni, chopped or quartered (I use turkey pepperoni)
1/2 cup sliced cherry or grape tomatoes (slice grapes into 3 sections)
2-3 tablespoons light balsamic, light Italian or light Greek-style vinaigrette, your choice
shredded Iceberg or Romain lettuce, for serving
crumbled Feta cheese, for serving
Directions
- Combine the first six ingredients in a large mixing bowl and gently toss to combine salad ingredients. Pour in salad dressing and gently toss ingredients until they are evenly coated. Serve salad immediately or chill until ready to serve.
- For each serving, place 3/4 – 1 cup of shredded lettuce in an individual serving bowl or plate and spread it out. Top bed of lettuce with 3/4 – 1 cup of artichoke salad. *see notes below
- Top individual servings with crumbled Feta cheese, as desired and enjoy!
Recipe Video
Notes
- *Use a one cup size measuring cup to conveniently portion the servings
- Recipe from A Little Fish in the Kitchen blog at www.alittlefishinthekitchen.com. All content is owned by Marcelle G. Bolton. Please contact the author for permission to republish
What a perfect meal for a summer evening… especially now that I can source both the pepperoni and artichokes without garlic! Thanks for this!
Hi David, thank so much my friend! I hope y’all enjoy the salad!!
I used to buy artichokes in a jar and use them in salads but i haven’t done that for ages. Must do it again when summer comes around. Yes a great idea to buy a roast chook and have it for all sorts of dishes. Here in brisbane it is mostly warm all year round and gets hotter in summer and more humid but it’s pretty warm most of the time. Thank heavens for the air con!
cheers
sherry
Hi Sherry! I hope y’all are having some nice cool weather at the moment! Thanks so much for the kind comment!! 💙
I’m a salad guy myself, so it’s hard to surprise me – but this salad looks and sounds so intriguing! Such a lovely combination of flavours and textures.
Hi Ben, thank you!
Simple quick and healthy! A delightful salad, Marcelle.
Hi Angie, thank you so much!