Chopped Salad Recipes

Steps:

• 1. In a small bowl, combine the onions, water, vinegar, salt, and pepper. Let sit at room temperature for 5 minutes to allow the flavors to develop.
• Add 1/2 cup of the oil to the vinegar mixture. Add additional to taste.
• 2. In a large bowl, combine the lettuce, roasted peppers, olives, haricots verts, cucumber, and herbs. Toss with enough dressing to coat, and season to taste with additional salt and pepper. Serve any remaining dressing on the side.

Steps:

• Blend 1/3 cup feta, 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 tablespoon each lemon juice, water and dill, 1 small grated garlic clove, and salt and pepper to taste in a mini food processor. Toss with 1 chopped romaine heart, 1 small chopped cucumber, 5 chopped radishes, 1 drained can chickpeas, 2 chopped celery stalks, and 1/3 cup each thawed frozen peas and toasted sliced almonds. Season with salt and pepper.

Steps:

• Vegetables:
• Place a rack in the middle of oven and preheat to 350°F. Cut squash into quarters and scoop out seeds. Place skin side down on a foil-lined rimmed baking sheet. Whisk lemon juice, honey, and 2 Tbsp. oil in a small bowl and rub all over cut sides of squash; season with salt and pepper. Roast until very tender, about 1 1/2 hours. Let cool.
• Heat remaining 1 Tbsp. oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Arrange brussels sprouts cut side down in skillet and cook, undisturbed, until well browned, about 4 minutes. Toss and continue to cook, tossing occasionally and reducing heat as needed, until browned all over, about 5 minutes longer. Reduce heat to medium; add butter, thyme, rosemary, and garlic. Tip skillet toward you so butter pools on one side and cook, spooning butter over brussels sprouts, until butter smells nutty, about 4 minutes; season with salt. Add vinegar and toss to coat. Cook just until vinegar and butter form a glaze over sprouts. Let cool; discard herbs.
• Vinaigrette:
• Combine vinegar, mustard, lemon juice, and a big pinch of salt in a medium bowl. Finely grate in garlic and whisk to combine. Let sit 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, heat red pepper flakes, oregano, and 1/4 cup oil in a small saucepan over medium until oil is warm but not yet sizzling. Add remaining 2/3 cup oil to cool down infused oil.
• Pour infused oil into vinegar mixture; whisk until smooth. Season vinaigrette with salt.
• Assembly:
• Toss chickpeas in a medium bowl with ¼ cup vinaigrette; season with salt. Let sit, tossing occasionally, until chickpeas taste like they've absorbed some vinaigrette, at least 10 minutes.
• Toss scallions, salami, caciocavallo, olives, and dill into chickpeas. Scoop out bite-size pieces of roasted squash until you have 2 cups; save remaining squash for another use. Add to chickpea mixture along with brussels sprouts and glaze. Add radicchio and lettuce and toss to combine. Add more vinaigrette to taste; season with salt.
• Serve salad topped with ricotta salata and pomegranate seeds.
• Do Ahead
• Squash and brussels sprouts can be cooked 3 days ahead. Cover and chill separately. Spoon pan juices for each on top. Vinaigrette can be made 3 days ahead. Cover and chill.

Steps:

• Chop the vegetables into small 1/4 inch pieces. Place in a big bowl.
• Stir in the nuts.
• Quarter the olives; add to the vegetables.
• Stir in the crumbled cheese.
• Chop lettuce into fine pieces; combine with vegetable mixture.
• Chill several hours before serving.
• This recipe is flexible. Add or delete vegetables and/or nuts to your liking. Diced zucchini, red peppers, fresh herbs, pumpkin seed kernels can all be used in any combination that appeals to your family.

Steps:

• Cook shells in plenty of boiling water according to package directions, being careful not to overcook them. Rinse in cold water; set aside. (For advance prep tip, see note at end).
• Chop all salad ingredients, making sure you have all the pieces quite small so that you can easily stuff the salad into the shells.
• Make dressing; pour over salad and toss lightly. Add salt and pepper if desired.
• Stuff salad into cooled shells (now you will understand why you chopped the ingredients into small pieces!).
• Refrigerate up to 4 hours before serving.
• Advance preparation tip from a reviewer: "The day before, I cooked the shells to al-dente, rinsed them in cool water, separated them and let them cool. Then, I put them in a ziplock. I chopped everything for the salad part and put it in a ziplock, without the dressingl. The next day, I mixed the dressing into the salad and stuffed the shells. Worked like a dream.".