Copycat Maggiano's Chopped Salad

/

Oddly enough there aren't too many good Italian-American restaurants on the side of town J and I live. Luckily, Maggiano's is one of the few. You can get good food (and a lot of it) for a nice price. Especially since they give you a 'to-go' pasta for free when you order a pasta at the restaurant.

One of my favorite things to order there is their Chopped Salad. I love the ingredients in the salad, but I most especially love the dressing. My mom has recreated the chopped salad a few times at family dinners, but I decided to do so for lunch the other day. 

A salad is as complicated as you want to make it, and, honestly, this one wasn't at all. The only "heavy duty" prepping I needed to do was chopping the ingredients and blending together the dressing ingredients. I stored the dressing and the actual salad in two separate containers so that I could continue to eat on it a few days without everything getting soggy and mushy. It tasted just like the restaurants and can't wait to munch on it again. 

Copycat Maggiano's Chopped Salad

fullsizeoutput_1a4a.jpeg

Dressing Ingredients:

  • 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon dry mustard
  • 1⁄2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1⁄2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
  • 1⁄2 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons white vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons water
  • 1/3 cup canola oil
  • 1⁄3 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 1⁄3 cup shredded parmesan cheese

Salad Ingredients:

  • 3 romaine hearts, chopped
  • 1 (10.5 oz) container cherry tomatoes, chopped
  • 5 oz crumbled gorgonzola cheese (or blue cheese)
  • 3 oz prosciutto, pan fried till crispy and chopped
  • 1 large avocado, chopped

Steps:

1. For the dressing, blend all ingredients in a food processor or blender until smoother. *Can be stored in an air-tight container for up to a week.*

2. To crips the prosciutto, place it in a pan over medium high heat for about 4 to 5 minutes on each side until crisp. Remove from heat and let sit for 2 minutes. Slice/ break into pieces. 

3. For the salad, toss the lettuce, cheese, tomatoes, prosciutto and avocados together in a large bowl. Pour dressing and toss to coat. Serve immediately.

fullsizeoutput_1a44.jpeg