Chopped Salad

To be a really good chopped salad—and not just another salad with vegetables—you have to be impressive, a stand out, a bit of a star. Lots of recipes could be considered chopped salad—they are made with chopped vegetables and tossed in a great dressing. A cucumber salad comes to mind. But this chopped salad is one that's meant for primetime.

In less than 25 minutes, it's a dinner for everyone, even people who think they don't like salads, because it's loaded with toppings like cheese, tomatoes, ham, and bacon. The creamy buttermilk dressing brings everything together with toasty pecans adding some wonderful nuttiness and crunch.

And the best part? Many of the individual elements can be swapped out to meet your tastes—or, honestly, whatever you just happen to have in the fridge. So long as you have an incredible dressing to bring it together, this chopped salad is going to be a family favorite.

Learn how to make a classic chopped salad, and set this in your plan for a family dinner soon.

What Is a Chopped Salad?

A chopped salad is any salad made up of chopped vegetables and toppings. It's usually a combination of corn, beans, tomatoes, and cucumber, but it often includes meat and cheese. Variations of a chopped salad might skew toward Italian flavors or Mediterranean ones. They're all good, of course, but we just like our Southern version better.

Why Is It Called Chopped Salad?

The name "chopped salad" refers to the fact most items in the salad are chopped into similar bite-size pieces for incorporating lots of ingredient textures and flavors in one bite.

Ingredients for Chopped Salad

The salad is a wonderful combination of vegetables, cheese, meat, and toasty pecans. Here's what we put together for this dinner:

• Romaine lettuce hearts: You could use another type of lettuce if you have a favorite, but the crispy, juicy leaves of romaine lettuce hearts are our favorite. They hold up to the toppings and dressing well without wilting
• Corn kernels: Canned corn retains the fresh flavor and is always tender. If it's corn season, however, definitely reach for fresh, and cut the kernels off the cob. No need to cook it. About 2 cups will be perfect.
• Gorgonzola cheese or blue cheese: The smoky, tangy cheese contrasts nicely with everything else in this salad, especially the corn and pecans.
• Grape tomatoes: Halved grape tomatoes are the perfect size. Cherry tomatoes are great, too.
• English cucumber: Cool, crisp cucumbers bring some brightness to the richer toppings.
• Smoked deli ham: You can use your favorite deli ham variety. Even turkey would be great.
• Sharp Cheddar cheese: You definitely want a second type of cheese in this salad, and Cheddar marries nicely with the tangy blue.
• Red onion: A little bit of bite, a little bit of sweetness, it's the perfect onion for this salad.
• Bacon: Get ahead and cook bacon at breakfast for this salad, or use the pre-cooked variety if you want.
• Pecans: Chopped and toasted, pecans contrast nicely with the rest of the salad. You can add a little pizzazz with some spicy pecans.

Buttermilk Dressing for Chopped Salad

We're never going to deny the alluring power of a creamy buttermilk dressing, and when you try this dressing on this salad, you'll agree. To save time, feel free to use your favorite bottled salad dressing of any kind, but for the best flavors, this is the one you want to use:

• Crème fraîche: This is a type of soured cream, but it's not as sour as what we call sour cream. It's rich and thick, and we think you'll love it in this dressing for the tang and body it adds.
• Mayonnaise: Use your favorite, and if you don't have a favorite, use Duke's.
• Whole buttermilk: Just a bit adds great bite and richness.
• Red wine vinegar: Balancing all the rich dairy ingredients is important for a good salad dressing.
• Granulated sugar: A hint of sweetness will even out the garlic and tangy dairy products.
• Grated garlic: Grating garlic will help it quickly meld with the dressing for the most flavor.
• Kosher salt and black pepper: For seasoning.

How To Make Chopped Salad

If you can mix a salad dressing and arrange ingredients, you've got the basics of a chopped salad. Here's a brief outline of the process, and the entire recipe is further below.

• Step 1. Make the buttermilk dressing by whisking together the ingredients until smooth.
• Step 2. Toss the lettuce, corn, and blue cheese with some of the buttermilk dressing in a large bowl.
• Step 3. Then, arrange the remaining ingredients over the lettuce mixture. Serve the extra dressing on the side.

Can You Make This Chopped Salad Ahead of Time?

This chopped salad can be prepared several hours ahead of time if you do not incorporate the dressing. Instead, get all the elements chopped, toasted, or crumbled, and then toss the lettuce with dressing, and arrange the toppings just before serving.

Also, the dressing can be prepared and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days in advance.

Tips for the Best Chopped Salad

This whole dish will take less than 30 minutes from start to finish, but we have a few tips for speeding it up even more:

• Pre-shredded or pre-cubed Cheddar (such as Cheddar cubes) can be used to cut down on preparation time.
• Use pre-chopped veggies from the prepared produce section for the same reason.
• Make the bacon at breakfast and keep it in the fridge. Bring to room temperature before adding to the salad.

Chopped Salad Serving Suggestions

This chopped salad recipe is a full meal, dinner or lunch. So you don't need to add anything else. However, you can change out the ham for grilled chicken or grilled salmon for a more protein-forward meal. Serve with a wedge of fresh bread or cornbread to finish off the plate.

Substitutions for Chopped Salad

You can have a lot of fun with a chopped salad, making it however your family will like it. Here are a few of our favorite ideas:

1. Swap the Cheddar cheese with any of your choice, such as Monterey Jack for a softer, milder texture and flavor, or Pepper Jack for something spicier.
2. Swap ham and bacon for additional veggies, like red bell pepper or drained red kidney beans for a vegetarian version.
3. Add some herbs to the buttermilk dressing for a quick ranch-like sauce, or opt for vinaigrette for something completely different.

More Dinner-Ready Salads

We love salads that invite creativity and our favorite ingredients to the table, so try one of these next:

• Buffalo Chicken Salad
• Greek Salad With Baked Feta
• Shrimp Salad
  
• BLT Pasta Salad
• BBQ Chicken Salad