This tricolore salad recipe is made with arugula, endive and radicchio, to represent the colors of the Italian flag. It's an easy, flavorful salad to make all year round, and you only need a few ingredients!
When I see things made with chicories, I get excited. Bring on that bitterness! This is produce that's too often overlooked. Do you stroll past them in the grocery store, not knowing what to do with them? Let me change that by calling your attention to this tricolore salad.
Radicchio and endive, two of our key ingredients, are both in the chicory family. Chicories are known for their vibrant color, hearty texture, and bitter flavors. They're balanced here by peppery arugula.
Chicories are very popular in Italy, so it's only fitting that we're using them in our tricolore salad to represent the colors of the Italian flag. And let's go all-in on the Italian situation by making a balsamic vinaigrette and shaving great swaths of parmigiano reggiano on top.
A Tricolore Salad is just the thing when you want a simple salad on the table that's not an afterthought. It brings together bitter, sweet, peppery, and salty notes to create complex flavors with very little effort.
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Tricolore salad is simple, quick and colorful!
- Just three "greens" are the base of the salad.
- Quick prep: Give the radicchio and endive a rough chop, then just whisk up a vinaigrette. Ready in 10 minutes.
- The colorful mix of red, white, and green makes it not only a celebration of the Italian flag, but a perfect salad to serve at Christmas time!
- It's gluten free and vegetarian.
Ingredients you'll need
- Arugula: The fresh peppery bite of arugula gives us the green color. You can use baby arugula, mature arugula or wild arugula.
- Radicchio: This reddish-purple chicory looks kind of like a small head of red cabbage, but the leaves are much looser and it's much lighter.
- Endive: Endive, also in the chicory family, can come with a light yellow/green top or a purple top. We're using the ligher yellow/green version here so it will still represent the color white in our tribute to the Italian flag.
- Parmesan cheese: Please use real Parmgiano Reggiano here. We only have a few ingredients so let's use the best. You can leave this out to make the salad vegan.
- Balsamic vinegar: Make sure to use a good quality brand that has a dark, caramel-y sweetness. Sometimes plain label brands or store brands really don't taste very good. Compare and see for yourself!
- Dijon mustard: This will add a bit of tang to the vinaigrette and help it emulsify.
- Olive oil
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
How to make a tricolore salad
Step 1: Chop the radicchio and endive
Cut the radicchio in half with a good chef's knife, remove the core, and slice it into thin ribbons.
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Chop the end off of the endive and slice it into thin strips.
Step 2: Shave the parmesan
Use a vegetable peeler to shave thin strips off a block of parmesan. You want 1 - 2 ounces or eyeball it. You can always shave more on top of the salad once it's finished.
Step 3: Make the balsamic vinaigrette
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the balsamic vinegar, salt, olive oil, and dijon mustard until emulsified.
Step 4: Toss the tricolore salad in the dressing and serve
Add the endive, radicchio, arugula and half of the parmesan to the bowl with the dressing and toss to evenly coat. Transfer to a serving bowl and top with the remaining parmesan cheese and freshly ground black pepper.
Tips for tricolore salad
- If you like bitter flavors, but in a more subtle way, you can soak the chopped radicchio in cold water for about 30 minutes. This will lessen the overt bitterness and leave you with a lighter, more mellow flavor.
- The shavings of parmesan in this salad provide a nice bite and a more prominent contrast of texture and flavor. But you can just as easily substitute about 2 ounces of grated parmigiano instead.
- You can play with the ratios of the greens. If you like more radicchio and less arugula, etc., go for it. Mix it up so it suits your tastes!
Tricolore salad dressing variations
I love the balsamic vinaigrette on this tricolore salad because it adds a bit of sweetness to balance the bitter flavors. But you can use a variety of other salad dressings too. Try one of these when you want to change things up.
- Lemon vinaigrette: Citrus would be a great way to give these flavors an extra punch of freshness in the winter time.
- Red wine vinaigrette: A classic made with ingredients you probably always have on hand.
- White wine vinaigrette: White wine vinaigrette can take many forms, try it with Champagne vinegar or Chardonnay vinegar!
Serve a tricolore salad with one of these Italian favorites
- Boneless, Skinless Chicken Thighs with Tomatoes, Basil and Garlic are the perfect choice for an easy summer meal.
- Vegetarian Eggplant Lasagna is the way to go if you're serving a gluten free vegetarian feast.
- Red Wine Spaghetti is elegant simplicity at its finest.
More recipes with radicchio
Use the rest of that radicchio in one of these recipes!
- Baked Pasta with Goat Cheese, Radicchio and Caramelized Red Onion is the gooey, cheesy fix you need on a cold winter night.
- Try an Italian Steak Sandwich with Grilled Radicchio for tailgating or an easy weeknight meal.
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Recipe
Tricolore Salad
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Ingredients
- ½ head radicchio
- 1 large endive or two small ones
- 3 cups arugula
- 3 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- ½ teaspoon dijon mustard
- pinch kosher salt
- 2 ounces parmesan cheese
- freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Cut the radicchio in half with a good chef's knife, remove the core, and slice it into thin ribbons. Chop the end off of the endive and slice it into thin strips.
- Use a vegetable peeler to shave thin strips off a block of parmesan. You want 1 - 2 ounces or eyeball it. You can always shave more on top of the salad once it's finished.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the balsamic vinegar, salt, olive oil, and dijon mustard until emulsified.
- Add the endive, radicchio, arugula and half of the parmesan to the bowl with the dressing and toss to evenly coat. Transfer to a serving bowl and top with the remaining parmesan cheese and freshly ground black pepper.
Notes
- If you like bitter flavors, but in a more subtle way, you can soak the chopped radicchio in cold water for about 30 minutes. This will lessen the overt bitterness and leave you with a lighter, more mellow flavor.
- The shavings of parmesan in this salad because provide a nice bite and a more prominent contrast of texture and flavor. But you can just as easily substitute about 2 ounces of grated parmigiano instead.
- You can play with the ratios of the greens. If you like more radicchio and less arugula, etc. Mix it up so it suits your tastes!
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