Chopped Salad - Portillo's Style

One of my favorite salads is Portillo's chopped salad! I love the flavors, the pasta, and especially the dressing. This jar salad is based on the ingredients in the chopped salad at Portillo's. The exact similarities are tomatoes, chicken, red cabbage, romaine, iceberg lettuce, and green onions. The slight differences are the use of chickpea pasta as a healthier and gluten free alternative to regular pasta, turkey bacon instead of regular and goat cheese. I am not a huge fan of gorgonzola (blue) cheese and chose to use goat cheese since it is similar in taste but not quite as pungent.

The homemade dressing is much healthier than the addicting house dressing at Portillo's but tastes so unbelievably similar especially when mixed all together with the salad. This recipe makes eight salads. Feel free to cut the recipe in half if just making salads for yourself!

CHOPPED SALAD, PORTILLO'S STYLE

Makes: 8 jars

Time: 10 minutes to assemble

Salad Ingredients

- 8 cups romaine, chopped

- 6 cups iceberg lettuce, chopped

- 2 cups red cabbage, chopped

- 4 cups grilled chicken, chopped

- 2 cups chickpea pasta (or pasta of choice), cooked al dente

- 1 cup turkey bacon, cooked and chopped

- 4 cups roma tomatoes, chopped

- 1 cup crumbled goat cheese*

- 1/4 cup green onion, chopped

- 3/4 cup sweet Italian dressing

* Any cheese can be used in this salad. The original version at Portillo's uses gorgonzola cheese. I added goat cheese to mine and my husband preferred sharp white cheddar in his.

Dressing Ingredients

- 1/2 cup olive oil

- 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar

- 2 cloves garlic, minced

- 2 tsp honey

- 1 tsp oregano

- salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. In a small bowl or jar, combine all ingredients of dressing.

2. Measure and add about 1.5 tbsp of the dressing to each jar.

3. Add 1/2 cup tomatoes, 1/4 cup pasta, and 1/2 cup chicken to each jar.

4. Measure and add 2 tbsp cheese.

5. Add 1/4 cup red cabbage, 1 cup romaine, and about 3/4 cup iceberg lettuce.

6. Top each with 1 tbsp green onion.

7. Place top on jar and tighten.

8. Store in refrigerator and eat within 5 days.

Nutrition (no dressing)

Dressing