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Pizza Night Salad

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5 from 19 votes

This pizza night salad is the perfect side to go with a pizza dinner. Crisp and finely chopped romaine, radicchio, cucumber, tomato, red onion, chickpeas, sun dried tomatoes, olives, and pepperoncinis are bathed in a robust red wine vinegar and thyme dressing. Ready in 30 minutes!

An overhead shot of a pizza night salad in a wide, white bowl with wooden salad tongs. The salad contains: romaine, radicchio, chickpeas, olives, pepperoncini, sun dried tomatoes, red onion, cucumber, cherry tomatoes, and a red wine vinegar and thyme dressing.
An overhead shot of a singular serving of a pizza night salad in a wide, white and speckled bowl. The salad contains: romaine, radicchio, chickpeas, olives, pepperoncini, sun dried tomatoes, red onion, cucumber, cherry tomatoes, and a red wine vinegar and thyme dressing.
An overhead shot of ingredients used in a vegan pizza night salad, all on a worn wood surface.
A head-on shot of ingredients used for a red wine vinegar and thyme dressing.
An overhead shot of a red wine vinegar and thyme dressing.

Just the title of this recipe gets me excited! Pizza night salad 😊 . You already know: this is a veg-heavy side dish that goes well with pizza. It’s briny, vinegar-y, salty, sweet, crisp, and surprisingly hearty on its own. In my opinion this is the ultimate green salad to go with pizza. Whether we’re ordering takeout or making the pie at home, I almost always eat salad with pizza. I just like something fresh and crisp to contrast and to round out the pizza night. My take on a vegan caesar salad is also a great option.

The most key component of this salad is a homemade dressing with red wine vinegar and fresh thyme. This dressing has a lot going on! Garlic, the fresh thyme (it’s incredible here), a little sweetness from agave or sugar, Dijon mustard and Tamari for depth, a dollop of vegan mayonnaise to give it more body, a splash of salty/spicy pepperoncini brine, and olive oil. We simply shake it up in a jam jar! The dressing hangs more on the acidic side because that is my personal preference–and I also just enjoy that sharpness as a contrast to the main event.

The rest of this pizza night salad just comes together in a couple bowls and on your cutting board. Another really important thing to take note of: try to cut the romaine, radicchio, cucumber, red onion, sun dried tomatoes, and everything else nice and fine. That way you get a little bit of everything in every single bite. It’s almost like a salad within a salad.

Pizza recipes to go with your Pizza Night Salad:

The chickpeas give this dish an abundant and substantial feel. I give lots of tips and substitution recommendations in the notes of the recipe itself, just in case you can’t find every single thing at the store. Next time you need something to serve with pizza for dinner, I hope that you give this flavourful salad a try!

A head-on shot of a jar of red wine vinegar and thyme dressing.
An overhead shot of a wide white bowl containing segments of: red onion, cucumber, sun dried tomatoes, chickpeas, cherry tomatoes, pepperoncini peppers, and green olives. Everything is chopped finely.
An up close, overhead shot of a chickpea, tomato, cucumber, red onion, sun dried tomato, olive, and pepperoncini mixture tossed lightly with vinaigrette.
An overhead shot shows a salad being assembled in a wide white bowl over a worn wooden surface. The dressing is in a jar nearby.
A head on shot of dressing being poured onto a salad.
An overhead shot of a pizza night salad in a wide, white bowl with wooden salad tongs. The salad contains: romaine, radicchio, chickpeas, olives, pepperoncini, sun dried tomatoes, red onion, cucumber, cherry tomatoes, and a red wine vinegar and thyme dressing.

Pizza Night Salad

This pizza night salad is the perfect side to go with a pizza dinner. Finely chopped romaine, radicchio, cucumber, tomato, red onion, chickpeas, sun dried tomatoes, olives, and pepperoncini peppers are bathed in a robust red wine vinegar and thyme dressing. Ready in 30 minutes!
5 from 19 votes
An overhead shot of a pizza night salad in a wide, white bowl with wooden salad tongs. The salad contains: romaine, radicchio, chickpeas, olives, pepperoncini, sun dried tomatoes, red onion, cucumber, cherry tomatoes, and a red wine vinegar and thyme dressing.
Print Recipe
Prep Time: 30 mins
Total Time: 30 mins
Servings 6

Ingredients

Red Wine Vinegar & Thyme Dressing

  • ¼ cup red wine vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves, minced
  • 1 tablespoon pepperoncini pepper brine
  • 1 tablespoon vegan mayonnaise
  • 2-3 teaspoons agave nectar/fine sugar/honey
  • ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • ½ teaspoon Tamari soy sauce
  • 1 clove garlic, finely minced with a Microplane
  • sea salt and ground black pepper, to taste
  • 7 tablespoons olive oil

Salad

  • 1 cup cooked chickpeas
  • 1 cup cherry tomatoes, cut into quarters
  • ½ medium red onion, small dice (about ¾ cup diced red onion)
  • ½ English cucumber, small dice (about 1 cup diced cucumber)
  • ½ cup pepperoncini peppers, stems removed and chopped fine
  • ½ cup pitted olives, chopped fine
  • 2 sun dried tomatoes packed in oil, minced (about ⅓ cup minced sun dried tomato)
  • 2 romaine hearts, finely shredded (about 5-6 cups shredded romaine)
  • 1 small head radicchio, finely shredded (about 2-3 cups shredded radicchio)
  • vegan "parmesan", for serving (optional)

Notes

  • I recommend a milder-tasting olive oil for the dressing here. Save your robust and peppery olive oil for something extra special!
  • I used chopped up Cerignola olives–any pitted olives that you love are great.
  • I double up this dressing recipe all the time to keep on hand in the fridge. It lasts about a week.
  • If you’re sensitive to the bitter flavour of radicchio, you can substitute it with another romaine heart.
  • I really do prefer fresh thyme in this dressing! There’s just something about it. That said, if you want to make it with dried thyme, use 1 ½ teaspoons.
  • My vegan “parmesan” recipe can be found here.

Instructions

  • Make the dressing. In a sealable jar, combine the red wine vinegar, thyme, pepperoncini pepper brine, vegan mayonnaise, agave nectar, Dijon mustard, Tamari, garlic, salt, and pepper. Seal the lid on top of the jar and give it a good shake. Open up the jar and add the olive oil. Seal the lid back on and give it another shake. Set aside.
  • In a medium bowl, combine the chickpeas, cherry tomatoes, red onion, cucumber, pepperoncini peppers, olives, and sun dried tomatoes. Season this mixture with salt and pepper and toss with 3 tablespoons of the dressing.
  • Add the romaine, radicchio, and remaining dressing to a large serving bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Add ½ of the chickpea and vegetable mixture and toss to combine. Top the salad with the remaining chickpea and vegetable mixture, extra black pepper, and vegan "parmesan" if you like. Serve immediately.
Author: Laura Wright
Course: Salad, Sauce, Side Dish
Cuisine: Italian
Diet: Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian
Keyword: agave nectar, cane sugar, cherry tomatoes, chickpeas, cucumber, dijon mustard, fall, garlic, olive oil, olives, pepperoncini, radicchio, red onion, red wine vinegar, romaine lettuce, spring, summer, sun dried tomatoes, tamari, thyme, vegan mayonnaise, vegan parmesan, winter
A 3/4 angle shot of a singular serving of a pizza night salad in a wide, white and speckled bowl. The salad contains: romaine, radicchio, chickpeas, olives, pepperoncini, sun dried tomatoes, red onion, cucumber, cherry tomatoes, and a red wine vinegar and thyme dressing.
01/03/2023 (Last Updated: 01/03/2023)
Posted in: autumn, bitter, chickpeas, gluten free, nut free, quick, salad, salty, side dish, sour, spicy, spring, summer, sweet, tomatoes, vegan, winter
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