Portillo’s Chopped Salad with Sweet Italian Dressing

Name: Portillo’s Chopped Salad with Sweet Italian Dressing
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 35 min
Yield: 8 servings as a main dish
Ingredients: ⅓ cup white or regular balsamic vinegar; ⅓ cup olive oil; 2 cloves garlic; 2 teaspoons sugar; ½ teaspoon dried oregano; ¼ teaspoon salt; ¼ teaspoon black pepper; 8 ounces about 1 cup or so uncooked Ditalini pasta (see note); 5 cups chopped lettuce; 1 cup chopped red cabbage (see note); 1 cup chopped tomatoes; 3 green onions; ½ - 1 cup cooked and crumbled bacon; ¼ - ½ cup crumbled gorgonzola cheese; 2 cups cooked diced chicken (see note)

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4.5

360 reviews

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Prep Time
25 mins
Cook Time
25 mins
Total Time
35 mins
Servings
8 servings as a main dish
Course
Salad
Cuisine
American

Portillo’s Chopped Salad with Sweet Italian Dressing

Iris Warren

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This delightful recipe is easy to follow and perfect for any occasion.

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Ingredients

Servings

Sweet Italian Dressing:

⅓ cup white or regular balsamic vinegar
⅓ cup olive oil
2 cloves garlic finely minced
2 teaspoons sugar honey or maple syrup
½ teaspoon dried oregano
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper

Salad:

8 ounces about 1 cup or so uncooked Ditalini pasta (see note)
5 cups chopped lettuce use what you like: romaine, spring mix, iceberg or a combo
1 cup chopped red cabbage (see note)
1 cup chopped tomatoes
3 green onions chopped
½ - 1 cup cooked and crumbled bacon
¼ - ½ cup crumbled gorgonzola cheese
2 cups cooked diced chicken (see note)

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Instructions

For the dressing, combine all the ingredients in a blender or jar. Process or shake until well-combined. Add additional salt and pepper to taste, if needed. You can make and refrigerate the dressing a week or two in advance.
In a pot of salted, boiling water, cook the pasta according to package directions. Drain and rinse quickly with cool water so it doesn't stick together while it cools. Pour a few tablespoons of the dressing over the pasta and stir lightly. Set aside to cool to room temperature (spreading it into a flatter layer - versus mounded in a bowl - will speed up the cooling process).
In a large bowl, toss together the lettuce, cabbage, tomatoes, and green onions. Add the cooled pasta, bacon, gorgonzola cheese, and chicken.
To serve, you can toss the salad with the dressing before serving - or, if you anticipate leftovers, add dressing only to the portions of salad served and then store the dressing and salad separately for fabulous leftovers.

Notes

Pasta: ditalini pasta is a tiny tube-shaped pasta. If you can't find it, you can easily sub in another little pasta shape. Even small elbow macaroni would work. You're looking for about 3 cups cooked pasta when it's all said and done.
Lettuce: the lettuce is really customizable here. If you buy bagged lettuce that already has red cabbage or radicchio in it, you could omit or cut down the chopped cabbage. I believe the original Portillo's salad is a combination of iceberg, romaine and red cabbage.
Chicken: for the chicken, a rotisserie chicken works great here, as well as any other kind of leftover cooked/grilled chicken (the more flavorful, the better!). Keep in mind you could leave the chicken out completely for more of a side dish salad.
Cheese: you could sub in another kind of cheese (experiment with varieties you like) if you aren't a fan of the Gorgonzola.
Vinegar: I like the taste and color of white balsamic vinegar here but regular dark balsamic will work, too, just keep in mind that the dressing will color the salad a bit. I think you could easily use red or white wine vinegar, too.
Leftovers: this salad makes the best leftovers. I eat it for days and it makes me so very happy. When I've made it for large group gatherings (entertaining, potlucks, etc), I always toss the entire salad with the dressing, which is ok because there are rarely leftovers. But if it's just for our family, I add dressing to each portion so that I can store the dressing and salad separately (keeps the leftovers fresh and non-soggy).

Nutrition Information

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Serving 1 Serving Calories 353kcal (18%) Carbohydrates 26g (9%) Protein 19g (38%) Fat 19g (29%) Saturated Fat 5g (25%) Cholesterol 45mg (15%) Sodium 440mg (18%) Fiber 2g (8%) Sugar 4g (8%)