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I grew up eating Campisi’s — and if you’re from the DFW area, you probably did too. Growing up, my parents would grab a thin crust pizza and their famous house salad to-go for an easy and satisfying weeknight dinner. I love it so much that I decided to create my own Campisi’s-Inspired House Salad and it’s almost as easy as grabbing takeout.
Campisi’s simple house salad is just that — simple. But it’s really so good. The combination of bright and tangy dressing, salty Parmesan cheese, crunchy iceberg lettuce, green onions, and briny olives isn’t anything fancy but it hits every time.
I’ve been trying to get the dressing just right at home so that I can make the salad whenever the craving strikes, which, let’s be real, is more often than not. It’s a classic oil-and-vinegar situation, but what makes it special is that subtle briny kick from olives and pepperoncini juice, plus a little freshly grated Parmesan.
It’s unfussy. It’s nostalgic. And it’s exactly what I crave on pizza night.
Ingredients:
- Distilled White Vinegar
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Freshly Grated Parmesan Cheese
- Pepperoncini Brine
- Olive Brine
- Garlic Cloves
- Granulated Sugar
- Kosher Salt
- Freshly Ground Black Pepper
- Iceberg Lettuce
- Green Onions
- Pitted Green Olives
- Whole Green Olives
- Whole Pepperoncini
Step-by-Step:
step one: make the dressing
In a small jar or bowl, combine all of the dressing ingredients and whisk (or shake) to combine.
step two: toss the salad
In a large bowl, combine the lettuce, green onions, and chopped olives. Drizzle the dressing over the lettuce and toss until well coated and combined.
step three: garnish and serve
To serve, divide the salad among 4 shallow bowls. Garnish with 1 to 2 pepperoncini, a few whole olives, and more grated Parmesan cheese.
Recipe FAQs:
You can make the dressing up to 24 hours in advance but I’d wait to assemble and dress the salad until you’re ready to serve it so that the lettuce doesn’t get soggy!
For this recipe, I used Gordal olives.
Whether or not you’ve had the opportunity to eat at Campisi’s, I hope you’ll try this Campisi’s Inspired House Salad. Let me know what you think of this copycat recipe in the comments below!
Looking for more of my favorite salad recipes? try these!
Little Gem Salad with Creamy Cacio e Pepe Dressing
Campisi’s Inspired House Salad
Ingredients
For the Dressing:
- 1/3 cup distilled white vinegar
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 tablespoon pepperoncini brine
- 1 tablespoon olive brine
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
For the Salad:
- 4 cups roughly chopped iceberg lettuce (from about 1 small head)
- 4 green onions, finely chopped
- 1/4 cup finely chopped pitted green olives
- whole pepperoncini, for serving
- whole green olives, for serving
- freshly grated Parmesan cheese, for serving
Instructions
- In a small jar or bowl, combine all of the dressing ingredients and whisk (or shake) to combine.
- In a large bowl, combine the lettuce, green onions, and chopped olives. Drizzle the dressing over the lettuce and toss until well coated and combined.
- To serve, divide the salad among 4 shallow bowls. Garnish with 1 to 2 pepperoncini, a few whole olives, and more grated Parmesan cheese.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Photography and styling by Eat Love Eats.
Is olive brine oily or watery? It looks like a grocery store olive-bar container—which type of green olives did you choose?
I do like to get them from the olive bar if possible- but both work.
Serving this tonight but I did give it a taste. It’s delicious! How long can I store the dressing in the refrigerator?
Can I substitute the juice in pepperoncini and olive jars for the brines?
Yes, they’re functionally the same thing!
I’ve never been to campisi’s (I’m in Denver) but now need to go! Let me say this simple salad is perfect for summer. Lighter than a Caesar salad it’s the perfect dish with a protein.
So simple and so fresh – this is going to be a go to!
Perfect salad for pizza night! I
I’m in Houston and have never been to Campisi’s, but the dressing looked yummy so I made it last night for a girls’ dinner along with your Herby Harissa Lamb pasta from Dinner Tonight. Immediately everyone commented how good the salad was. One friend literally asked, “Is this from Campisi’s? It’s a restaurant in Dallas that I often go to when visiting my sister and their dressing tastes exactly like this.” So I guess you nailed it!
This is SO good! It was easy to put together and my husband said it tastes just like Campisi’s! The unexpected addition of olive & pepperconini brine gives it that familiar tang. Thank you Alex, I’m happy to have a recipe for their iconic salad!
Thanks so much, Jane!! Glad you love it!
Easy and delicious! Hubs thought I was a super hero!
Can’t wait to try this ! Have you tried the Prego Pasta house salad ? Would love to know tha recipe – probably pretty similar.
I haven’t had their salad yet- you’ll have to give this one a try!
Been eating this salad since mid 70’s until I moved to Florida in 2020. There has never been chopped olives in dressing, always on top. I can’t wait to try your version – if its close I will be eternally thankful to you for the recipe.
Thank you, Steve! I hope you’ll try it and give me a 5 star review instead of 4. 😉