Mega Italian Salad

Ingredients

• 3 slices white sandwich bread, ~1.75 cm / 3/4" thick, crust off, cut into cubes (Note 1)
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2 pinches salt
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tbsp red wine vinegar (Note 2)
• 4 tsp freshly grated parmesan (Note 1)
• 2 tsp sugar (any)
• 1/4 tsp each garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp dried basil
• 1/4 tsp chilli flakes (red pepper flakes), optional
• 1/2 tsp cooking/kosher salt
• 1/8 tsp black pepper
• 1 head cos / romaine lettuce, chopped into large or small bite size pieces (Note 3)
• 2 large tomatoes, cut into 6 to 8 wedges, then each wedge in half
• 1/2 green capsicum/bell pepper, 1.5cm / 2/3″ cubes
• 1/2 red onion, finely sliced
• 1 cup whole pitted kalamata olives (Note 4)
• 1/4 cup (tightly packed) finely grated parmesan

Steps

1. Croutons: Preheat oven to 200°C/390°F (180°C fan). Toss bread with oil and salt. Spread on a tray and bake 15 minutes, stirring twice, until golden and fully crisp. Cool on tray.
2. Dressing: Shake ingredients in a jar.
3. Make salad: Set aside some parmesan for garnish. Place croutons and all remaining salad ingredients in a large bowl. Pour Dressing over, toss well.
4. Serve: Transfer salad into a serving bowl. Sprinkle with reserved parmesan. Serve immediately!