Copycat Portillo’s Chopped Salad Recipe (+VIDEO

Portillo’s Chopped Salad is a knock off from the famous salad recipe at Portillo’s in Chicago. It’s hearty and topped with the tastiest dressing. This salad has bacon, tomato, Gorgonzola cheese and even little bits of pasta throughout!

PORTILLO’S CHOPPED SALAD

After the weekend of eating all the treats, a big bowl of foliage was calling my name. I feel like chopped salads are all the rage these days; the new black if you will.

This Portillo’s Chopped Salad is apparently from Portillo’s restaurant. I’ve never actually been there but it looked enticing. Adding pasta to a salad is a great way to add some bulk and make it stretch further.

The salad is tossed with an Italian vinaigrette with a hint of oregano that gives it a unique flavor.

You can totally use a store bought vinaigrette but I really like the flavor of this homemade one. Supposedly the real Portillo’s Chopped Salad has chicken on it, so feel free to add chicken to make it a meal.

Everyone who has this salad asks for the recipe!! It’s so good.

OTHER SALAD RECIPES:

Portillo’s Chopped Salad

This Portillo’s Chopped Salad is a knock off from the famous salad recipe at Portillo’s in Chicago. It’s hearty and topped with the tastiest dressing.

• 1 cup uncooked Ditalini pasta, (2 cups cooked)
• 1 lb bacon, (about 1 cup cooked and crumbled)
• 3 cups chopped romaine lettuce
• 2 cups chopped iceberg lettuce
• 2 cups chopped red cabbage
• 1 cup grape tomatoes, quartered
• 1 cup sliced green onions
• 4 ounces crumbled gorgonzola cheese, (about 1 cup)
• (optional) 2 cups cooked and diced chicken

Sweet Italian Dressing:

• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup white balsamic vinegar, (see note)
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

• Cook Ditalini pasta according to package instructions. Make sure you salt the pasta water while cooking to give it some flavor. Drain and cool. Set aside.

• Cook bacon in a skillet until done. Let bacon cool, then crumble it.

• Combine romaine, iceberg, red cabbage, tomatoes and green onions in large salad bowl.

• Add cooled pasta, bacon and gorgonzola cheese to salad. Add chicken if desired.

• Add dressing to taste right before serving so that it doesn’t get soggy.

• For the Dressing: Whisk together olive oil, vinegar, garlic, Dijon mustard, sugar, oregano, salt and pepper.

White balsamic can be found right next to the regular balsamic vinegar at the store.
Some readers have used apple cider or red wine vinegar instead of regular balsamic (when white can’t be found) so that the color is lighter and more appealing when drizzled on the salad. 

Christy is the voice behind The Girl Who Who Ate Everything! She is no stranger to making meals that kids and adults will love. She grew up in Mesa, Arizona as the youngest of ten kids. She can always be found in her kitchen with music playing and cooking with her kids. She published her first cookbook in 2014. She loves party food that gets the conversations going!