C H O P T H A T S A L A D

I got a lot of great responses from you all on my baked parmesan chicken dish, so I thought I'd share with you another one of my go-to recipes!

If you're from the Chicago land area then you know exactly what Portillo's is. 

Essentially, it's the greatest place of all time. 

From their Chicago-style hot dogs to their Italian beef sandwiches to their ribs or pasta and so much more, they seriously do it right. I can drive by there at any  time of the day or night and their drive thru line is backed up around the building and the inside is always packed with people. 

My favorite item is their infamous Chopped Salad

via

I dream all day about coming home and eating this baby nearly every night with my main meal. It's also fool proof which is what I need in the kitchen.

What you need:

Romaine lettuce

Iceberg lettuce

Ditalini pasta

Diced tomatoes 

Green onions

Chopped bacon

Gorgonzola Cheese

Run the pasta under cold water once it's done cooking before adding to your salad.

You can take out, add or modify any of the ingredients above. The original recipe calls for cabbage and diced chicken breast, but I leave that out. Some days it's easier to just use bacon bits. Aaand other times I add in crumbled feta cheese to go with it. 

Really, all that matters is the Sweet Italian House Dressing from Portillo's.
If you're in the area, you can pick it up for $3 a jar.

If not..I've got your back girl. Here's a homemade recipe: 
1/4 cup of balsamic vinegar
2 minced gloves of garlic
1 teaspoon of sugar
1/2 teaspoon of oregano
1/4 teaspoon of salt
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1/4 cup of olive oil

Place the vinegar, garlic, sugar, oregano, salt & pepper in a blender or food processor.
While the machine is running, drizzle the olive oil through the the top until the dressing is combined.

I promise you it will be worth it!
nom nom nom

I'm linking up with Just Because, Tea On Tuesdays, Your Whims Wednesday