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Thursday, July 10, 2014

Chopped Summer Salad


I pinned this salad ages ago--it looked so fresh and good. It's a perfect mix of a chopped salad and a pasta salad. I took it to dinner group and it was a hit. I picked our first ripe tomato today--perfect timing for this summer salad.
Chopped Summer Salad
4 cups cooked Ditalini pasta, chilled
1 cup crisp cooked and crumbled bacon
6 cups sliced romaine lettuce
2 cups thinly sliced red cabbage
2 carrots, julienne sliced
1 cucumber, seeded and diced
2 tomatoes, seeded and diced
1 bunch sliced green onions
4 ounces crumbled Gorgonzola or Feta cheese
2 cups diced cooked chicken (optional)
Sweet Italian Dressing
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup olive oil
Cook pasta in salted water, drain and chill. I added a few tablespoons of the dressing to the pasta as it chilled, it made it more flavorful. Mix salad ingredients in a large bowl or platter. Dress the salad just before serving--no one likes a soggy salad! For the dressing mix the vinegar and seasonings together, slowly add olive oil--I used an immersion blender to mix the dressing. A food processor or blender would also work. This dressing is amazing, it will keep 2 weeks in the refrigerator so you might want to make extra. I tasted this dressing and imagined dipping warm Rosemary Bread in it. It is yummy.
Inspired by a recipe from the blog of The Girl Who Ate Everything.


2 comments:

Debra Eliotseats said...

Great way to celebrate the first tomato!

Deb A said...

I love chopped salads Cindy and this one is full of flavor! Hope you are enjoying your summer!!