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Asian Chopped Salad with cabbage, bell peppers, cucumber, and zesty peanut dressing is fresh, healthy and delicious! It’s full of texture, color and perfect as a vegan main or starter salad.
Light, fresh foods are my inspiration these days. Fresh is back in my kitchen as I crave the lighter fare with the changing season.
Asian Chopped Salad is on the menu today and is meant to be enjoyed in abundance! Each serving is full of vitamins, minerals, protein (14g) and fiber (11g)!
Plus, it’s easily customizable and ready as fast as you can chop. I love how easy it is to change up the ingredients to suit your taste.
This chopped salad recipe will make quite a bit so you can either graze on it throughout the day, or simply have a small portion and save the rest for later.
So without further ado, let’s make something healthy, fresh and delicious!
What is chopped Salad?
A chopped salad includes all the usual ingredients a regular salad uses – leafy greens, veggies, and dressing. The difference is how they are served. Chopped salads are mixed together with the dressing before serving, whereas most regular salads are served with the dressing poured over top.
Asian Chopped Salad Ingredients
This chopped salad is meant to be versatile and easily changed using whatever produce you prefer or have on hand.
- The leafy greens – I have used red and green cabbage along with romaine lettuce here for texture. Feel free to use any combination if you don’t want to use all three.
- Veggies – The vegetables are in abundance too and include colorful bell peppers, celery, and cucumber. I didn’t add carrots so that may be something you might like to add to yours.
- The Dressing: The peanut dressing will add protein to the salad. The creaminess is delicious and the flavor zesty from the vinegar. If you’re not a fan of vinegar, you can cut it in half and use water or non-dairy milk as noted in the recipe card below.
- The Tofu: I have also included lightly grilled tofu on top of my salad, but this is an option.
As Tim Gunn from Project Runway liked to say, ‘Make it work!’ – that’s exactly how we’ll approach this salad with the various tastes we all have.
I hope you’ll enjoy it as much as we did. Cheers to the changing seasons and new adventures in vegan fare!
How To Make Asian Chopped Salad
- Start with the dressing. In a small bowl, mix your dressing and set aside letting the flavors develop. Taste before serving adding anything you feel it needs.
- Assemble the salad. Prepare the vegetables and place them in a large bowl. Drizzle the dressing over top and give a good mix to coat. Top with sesame seeds and almonds.
Fresh and healthy, light and delicious!
Top Tips
- Add tofu for extra protein. This Asian chopped salad is great with grilled tofu slices. I like to add it to my individual bowls, saving a little dressing to drizzle over top.
- Change up the dressing. For variation, try this Citrus Peanut Dressing or Zesty Miso Ginger Dressing.
- Make a little extra dressing. In case you add grilled tofu to your serving, make a little extra of the dressing or save a little to drizzle over the tofu.
Storing + Meal Prep
Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 5 days in airtight containers. This chopped salad is great for meal prep and does well in these multi-use storage containers (affiliate link).
Dietary Adjustments
You can easily change up the ingredients with these substitution ideas for various dietary needs.
- Nut-free: For the dressing, use sunflower butter and omit the almonds in the salad.
- Nightshade free: Omit the bell peppers and sub with sliced or shredded carrots and radishes.
- Sugar-free: Use monk fruit sweetener (affiliate link) in place of maple syrup.
More Fresh Salad Ideas
- Asian Slaw Salad + Miso Ginger Dressing
- Thai Crunch Salad + Citrus Peanut Dressing
- Rainbow Chop Salad + Spicy Mango Dressing
- Detox Salad + Lime Ginger Cardamom Dressing
- Crunchy Romaine Salad + Almond-Lime Dressing
If you try this chopped salad recipe, please let me know! Leave a comment and rate it below. I love to hear what you think, or any changes you make.
ASIAN CHOPPED SALAD
Asian Chopped Salad is an easy and versatile salad that is meant to be enjoyed in abundance! Enjoy the lighter fare…
- Author: Julie | The Simple Veganista
- Prep Time: 10 min
- Cook Time: 10 min
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: Serves 4 – 6 1x
- Category: Entree, Salad
- Method: mix
- Cuisine: Asian
- Diet: Vegan
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 small head green, savoy or napa cabbage, sliced
- 1 head romaine, sliced
- 1/3 head red cabbage, sliced
- 1 red bell pepper, julienned
- 1 yellow bell pepper, julienned
- 1 small cucumber, halved and thinly sliced
- 2 stalks of celery, thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup chopped cilantro, loosely packed
- 2 tablespoons black sesame seeds, garnish
- 1/4 cup slivered almonds, garnish
- 8 oz. plain or grilled firm or extra firm tofu, cubed (optional)
Peanut Sesame Dressing
- 1/2 cup apple cider or rice wine vinegar
- 1/3 cup natural peanut or almond butter
- 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup (2 if using raw almond butter)
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil, optional
- 1 inch knob ginger, grated or minced
- pinch red pepper flakes or 1 tsp sriracha, optional
- pinch of pink salt or splash of tamari
Instructions
Dressing: In a small bowl, mix your dressing and set aside letting the flavors develop. Taste before serving adding anything you feel it needs.
Salad: Prepare your vegetables, place in a large bowl. Pour the dressing over top and toss to coat. Top with sesame seeds and slivered almonds. Alternatively, you can toss and serve adding a drizzle of dressing over top once plated.
Serve: Place in individual bowls and serve with optional tofu and extra sesame seeds and slivered almonds.
Serves 4 – 6
Store: Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 4 – 5 days in a sealed container.
Notes
Use whatever ingredients you like here. There is plenty so if you don’t have access to a few of the items you can sub in something else or omit it all together. Make this a rainbow salad by adding in some julienned or grated carrots. You may like to add in some small broccoli florets, sliced scallions or zucchini too.
If you don’t care for vinegar, I would suggest replacing the 1/3 cup of vinegar with water or unsweetened almond milk and maybe a splash of vinegar for the extra zest it gives. This dressing is meant to be somewhat on the thin side. If you prefer it thicker add a bit more nut butter, to thin add a tad more of the liquids.
For the tofu, you can use uncooked or grilled. I lightly cooked mine using sesame seed oil and a cast iron griddle, about 6 minutes on each side. But it is perfectly fine with tofu from the package, just press if needed and cube it. If you’re looking to use cooked tofu here is a tutorial from Olives for Dinner that you can reference: 15-Minute Quick and Easy Tofu.
Nutritional values are estimates only. See our fullnutrition disclosure here.
Keywords: asian chopped salad
Updated:Asian Chopped Salad was originally published in March 20124. It has been retested and updated with new photos and helpful tips in January 2021.
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