Pizza Night Salad

Name: Pizza Night Salad
Prep time: 30 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 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; 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))

Created by Laura Wright

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5 from 45 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 red wine vinegar dressing with 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. I like to top it with my vegan parmesan.

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!

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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.