This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.

Chopped endive and romaine salad
This chopped endive and romaine salad probably looks like a generic salad to you but it is anything but.
I actually was inspired to make this chopped endive and romaine salad because I had the very same salad in Southern France.
We were in the cute and quaint town of Roquebrun and we dined at a tiny local restaurant and this salad was actually a mistake.
There were 12 of us at the table and none of us spoke a lick of French (the owners were so incredibly patient with us).
The menu was in French with no English translation (btw, did you know the Google translate app, you can use the camera feature and it’ll live translate whatever right in front of you?).
Apparently this chopped endive and romaine salad was a mistake because none of us ordered it.
We let it sit until everyone got their meals but we also didn’t want it to go to waste so my friend, Meredith and I just split this salad amongst us.
We were incredibly surprised at how good it was. It had the simplest of ingredients but it had such great flavor.

What makes this chopped endive and romaine salad so good?
This endive and romaine salad is so good because it’s crisp, light, and refreshing.
Additionally, the texture from the walnuts and the bite of the onion and balsamic vinegar really add to the complexity of this salad.
The creamy dressing that the salad is dressed with is the perfect combo!
What do I need to make this chopped endive and romaine salad?
The simplest of ingredients make this endive and romaine salad:
- Belgian white endives
- Romaine lettuce
- White onion
- Walnuts
- Shaved parmesan cheese
- Gorgonzola crumbles
- Balsamic vinegar
- Ranch dressing
How do I put together this endive and romaine salad?
The beauty of salads is you can toss it all in a large bowl!
You’ll want to chop up the endives, romaine, and onion first but then the rest just gets tossed in a large bowl!
What if I can’t find endive?
You can substitute with escarole or raddichio.
Can I use red onion instead?
Usually I would say yes but the white onion in this gives it a slightly milder taste and not that much of an onion bite.
It tastes much better.
Omg, romaine. Scary.
It’s always a risk eating anything raw. Make sure to wash fruits and veggies thoroughly.
Tips for making this chopped endive and romaine salad your own
You can add in anything else you think that would elevate the salad.
I thought about throwing in dried fruit such as dried apricots but I opted to keep it as how I had it in France!
Can this be made ahead of time?
You could toss all the ingredients together and dress it when ready.
Definitely don’t dress it if you plan on letting it sit. It’ll turn all the leaves soggy.
If you like this salad recipe, you’ll like these other ones:
Shredded chicken kale caesar salad
Crispy chicken apple cabbage salad
Chopped Endive and Romaine Salad
Ingredients
- 2 cups (180 g) finely chopped Belgian white endive leaves
- 2 cups (94 g) finely chopped romaine lettuce leaves
- ½ medium white onion, (thinly sliced in half moons)
- ⅔ cup (78 g) walnuts
- ½ cup (57 g) gorgonzola crumbles
- ½ cup (50 g) shaved parmesan
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- Ranch dressing
Instructions
- Add all ingredients (except the dressing) into a large bowl and using your hands or salad serving tools, toss ingredients together to evenly distribute.
- Drizzle as much or little dressing on and toss again to coat.
- If you aren't eating this immediately, dress the salad prior to eating. Do not dress it and let it sit. It will cause the leaves to be soggy.
I made this last night, and it was amazing! I used onion powder instead of onion (somehow I ran out of onions??!), and was already sneaking bites of salad before adding the dressing.
Ahh yay!! Thank you for letting me know!
Julie – the balsamic vinegar…. does it get tossed with just the onions or is it thrown in along with the ranch and the salad then gets tossed? Or is the whole salad tossed with the balsamic just before the ranch… This salad is reminding me of one that I get at a local restaurant and now I’m on a mission to duplicate. I’m overthinking for sure!
Hi Sue, great question. Haha, you can definitely do it however you want! It won’t alter the taste of it by doing it another way. The easiest would probably be to put it in before the ranch dressing so it all gets tossed together.