Copycat Portillos Chopped Salad

 

When I lived in the Chicago area, I loved the restaurant Portillos. Their Italian beef sandwiches are the best, with the spicy giardiniera pepper mix. I have made a copycat recipe of that sandwich I love and miss so much. Whenever I went to the restaurant I always ordered the sandwich, never tried anything else. Well, now I can try their famous salad.

I had to make some changes to the salad and could not make a true copycat version for several reasons. The grocery store was out of red cabbage, so I did not use it and that made my kids happy since they do not like cabbage. The store was also out of ditalini pasta, so I used elbow instead. The original uses gorgonzola cheese, which is similar to blue cheese and nobody in my house likes blue cheese, so I used queso fresco, which is a crumbly cheese like gorgonzola or blue. Definitely a salad I will make again hopefully next time I can use cabbage and the correct type of pasta.

Copycat Portillos Chopped Salad

Ingredients:

• 1 cup ditalini pasta
• 2 cups cooked cubed chicken breasts
• 6 slices turkey bacon, cooked and crumbled
• 2 1/2 cups chopped romaine lettuce
• 2 1/2 cups chopped iceberg lettuce
• 3 cups chopped red cabbage
• 2 large tomatoes, diced
• 3 stalks green onions, chopped
• 15 ounces gorgonzola cheese

House Dressing

• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup white balsamic vinegar
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon oregano

Directions:

1. Cook the pasta according to the package directions to al dente. Drain and rinse with cold water.
2. In a large bowl combine all of the salad ingredients.
3. In a mason jar, add in all of the dressing ingredients. Seal the jar and shake vigorously to combine well.
4. If you do not plan to have leftovers, pour the dressing over top the salad and toss to coat. If you will have leftovers, serve dressing on the side so the lettuce does not get soggy in the refrigerator.

Enjoy!!!

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 5
Amount Per Serving
Calories: 786
Total Fat		53.5g
Saturated Fat		19.7g
Trans Fat		0g
Polyunsaturated Fat		1.7g
Monounsaturated Fat		2.2g
Cholesterol		132mg
Sodium		1025.7mg
Total Carbohydrates		32.2g
Dietary Fiber		4g
Sugars		10.9g
Protein		43g
Calcium		67.9%
Iron		13.1%
Potassium		761.1mg
Vitamin A		17.5%
Vitamin C		58.7%
*Nutritional information will vary depending on the brands you use.

*Adapted from Contained Cuisine.