With Easter this weekend, we wanted to share a delicious salad recipe perfect as a side dish or you can add some grilled chicken on top for a more filling option. This salad blends together fresh ingredients with bold colors and is topped with a creamy vinaigrette.
Delicious Chopped Salad
Ingredients:
- 1 cup cooked ditalini pasta
- 1/2 cup cooked and crumbled bacon (7 slices)
- 2 cups rotisserie chicken, diced (can also use sliced grilled chicken)
- 5 cups chopped lettuce
- 1 and 1/2 cups chopped red cabbage
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered
- 1 cup thinly sliced green onions
- 1/4-1/2 cup crumbled feta or mozzarella (we use both!)
For dressing:
- 1/2 cup honey-vanilla Greek yogurt
- 1/4 cup of balsamic vinegar
- 1/4 cup pure maple syrup (make sure it’s pure!)
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 tbsp dijon mustard
- 1/2 tsp EACH: finely minced garlic, fine sea salt, freshly cracked pepper
Instructions:
- DRESSING: Place all the dressing ingredients in a small blender jar. Blend until combined, creamy, and emulsified. Transfer dressing to an airtight container and store in the fridge until ready to eat. Shake up the dressing before adding to the salad.
- COOK PASTA: Cook the pasta according to package directions. Make sure to generously salt the water; this is what we will actually season the pasta! I add 1 tsp salt to every 4 cups of water. Drain and cool; run under cold water and shake off to dry. When dry, toss with a few tbsp of the dressing
- BACON AND CHICKEN: Cook bacon in a skillet. Remove, let cool slightly and then chop coarsely. Chop a rotisserie chicken into small bite sized pieces.
- SALAD ASSEMBLY: In a large bowl combine the lettuce, red cabbage, halved or quartered tomatoes, and thinly sliced green onions. Add in the cooked pasta, chopped bacon, and chopped chicken. Add feta cheese and dressing.
- SALAD STORAGE: The salad can be made in advance as long as the salad, bacon, cheese, and dressing is stored separately (otherwise it may get a little soggy all combined for an extended period of time). Combine right before eating.
I hope you all enjoy this recipe and remember to tag us on Instagram whenever you make any of these recipes! We love seeing what you guys are enjoying and my mom especially loves seeing 🙂 Have a great day!
