Enjoy Portillo's right at home with the perfect copycat Portillo's chopped salad recipe! This iconic salad is filled with textures and flavors from crunchy veggies, savory bacon and gorgonzola cheese, juicy chicken, and your fav pasta. It's the perfect weekday lunch or side dish for your next party or BBQ!
Course Dinner, Gluten Free, Lunch, Nut Free
Cuisine American
Keyword portillo's chopped salad
Prep Time 20 minutesminutes
Cook Time 20 minutesminutes
Total Time 40 minutesminutes
Servings 6servings
Calories 504cal
Author Monique Volz of AmbitiousKitchen.com
Ingredients
For the salad:
8ouncesbacon
4ouncesdry ditalini pasta (or your favorite gluten free short pasta)
⅔cupgorgonzola cheese crumbles (or blue cheese crumbles)
For the dressing:
⅓cupolive oil
¼cupwhite balsamic vinegar
1-2teaspoonspure maple syrup (or cane sugar)
1teaspoondijon mustard
1garlic clove, finely minced
½teaspoondried oregano
¼teaspoonsalt
Freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
Make the bacon: Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Place bacon in a single layer on the prepared pan and place in a cold oven, then preheat the oven to 425°F and bake until the bacon has reached your desired level of crispiness, 15 to 25 minutes (depending on the thickness of the bacon). Transfer bacon to a plate-lined with paper towels and blot excess grease with a paper towel. Transfer to a cutting board and chop bacon into bite-sized pieces.
While the bacon is cooking: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, then stir in the pasta. Cook according to the directions on the package, then drain and set aside to cool.
Add all the salad ingredients to a large bowl or a platter: romaine lettuce, cabbage, iceberg lettuce, tomatoes, green onion, pasta, chicken, bacon, and gorgonzola cheese.
Add all the dressing ingredients to a mason jar or a small bowl: olive oil, white balsamic vinegar, maple syrup, dijon mustard, garlic, oregano, salt, and black pepper. Shake in the jar or whisk well in the bowl to emulsify.
Pour the dressing all over the salad and toss to combine. Enjoy! Salad will last 2-3 days in the fridge; if you’re meal prepping, I recommend leaving off the dressing until you’re ready to serve.