Italian Raw Vegetable Salad

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

An Italian-style Tuscan vegetable salad is like a simple crudite platter. For an elegant appetizer, serve colorful fresh raw vegetables with good olive oil, salt and pepper.

This crunchy Italian salad is called pinzimonio in Tuscany. It’s such a simple salad that really show the essence of how Italians enjoy vegetables.

It might be too simple to believe (or even require a recipe!). It’s just fresh vegetables served raw, with nothing else but olive oil, salt and pepper.

My grandmother would put a similar salad on the table after the pasta and before the pastry, even in the dead of winter. She kept it very simple — usually it was a plate of trimmed celery stalks alongside a shallow dish of olive oil, salt and pepper.

It was a pretty humble snack, but I remember how I loved to dip the crunchy, cold celery into the saucer of oil, then into the salt and pepper, thinking how unlike a potato chip it was, but just as fun to eat.

This is the opposite of those raw “veggie” arrangements served on flimsy plastic trays along with a sloppy container of ranch dressing. I have memories of seeing those at potlucks and professional meet-and-greets and was never tempted.

You don’t need pristine farmer’s market or home-grown vegetables to assemble a raw vegetable plate.

But, one thing I insist: Grab that bottle of special extra-virgin olive oil you were planning to splurge on or were saving for something special. This is the time to use it!

Email this recipe

Enter your email address and I'll send it straight to your inbox! Plus, get weekly recipe updates.

Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.

Email *

Email Post Post

By signing up, you agree to receive weekly emails. You can unsubscribe at any time.

Submit

Italian Raw Vegetable Salad

Karen Tedesco

An Italian-style vegetable salad makes an easy, elegant appetizer. Serve colorful fresh raw vegetables with good olive oil, salt and pepper.

Print SaveSaved

5 from 2 ratings

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Total Time 15 minutes mins

Course Appetizers

Cuisine Italian

Servings 8 servings

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Ingredients

• ▢ 2 pounds assorted crunchy fresh vegetables, such as carrots, colorful bell peppers, small zucchini or summer squash, cucumbers, snap peas, green beans, fennel or radishes
• ▢ Crushed ice
• ▢ Best quality extra-virgin olive oil
• ▢ Flaky salt, such as Maldon or Diamond kosher
• ▢ Black peppercorns in a pepper mill

Instructions 

• Wash, peel and trim the vegetables as needed to make bite-sized pieces or matchsticks.
• Arrange the vegetables on a serving plate or large platter. To make them extra refreshing, put them in shallow bowls on top of some crushed ice.
• Set out small plates and allow each person to mix salt and fresh ground pepper in one, and some olive oil in another.
• Dip the vegetables in oil, then in the salt mixture. Eat.

Karen’s Notes and Tips

• The vegetables are best when crunchy, fresh and cold. Before serving, you can immerse vegetables in a large bowl of ice water for 15 minutes. Drain and pat dry before arranging on a platter.

Nutrition per serving

Calories: 73kcal Carbohydrates: 15g Protein: 4g Fat: 1g Sodium: 53mg Fiber: 5g

Nutrition facts are calculated by third-party software. If you have specific dietary needs, please refer to your favorite calculator.

Tried this recipe? A star rating takes 5 seconds and helps more people find it

Save to Pinterest Email

• Italian
• Salad
• Vegetables

Hey, I’m Karen

Creator of Familystyle Food

---

Professionally trained cook, cookbook author, and the person behind every recipe here. I cook the way I was trained: Start with good ingredients, understand why they work, and don’t apologize for the salt. These are the recipes I actually make, for the people I love. Read more about me here.