A chopped salad that is light but filling – it works well in the summer heat or with the fireplace burning. This salad reminds me of an old friend and is one of my go-to’s for a meal with friends and family.
As for the kids, they aren’t into eating salad…but the good news is only a small portion of box of Ditalini Pasta is used in the recipe – so the kids get served a side of pasta and ingredients of the salad, nicely separated on their plate (grilled chicken and avocado).
Prepare the Chicken: Trim the chicken breast and marinate in a mix of Olive Oil, Lemon, Garlic, Salt and Pepper).
Make the Dressing: Combine all ingredients into a chopper and mix – I continue occasionally mixing this as I’m making the salad to get it nice and emulsified.
Make the Pasta: Cook as directed, El Dente.
Prepare the Salad: The key to this salad is chopping all ingredients up very small. Each bite you take is easy to fork and contains almost all ingredients because they are all chopped and mixed together.
Cook the Chicken: Grill chicken, dice up and add to salad while still warm.
Serve: Toss the salad with dressing and enjoy!
Ditalini Salad
Ingredients
Dressing
- 1/2 cup Balsamic Vinegar
- 1 cup Olive Oil
- 1/2 tsp Sugar
- 2 cloves Garlic Pressed
- 1 tsp Dried Oregano
- 1/2 tsp Dried Basil
- 1/2 tsp Onion Powder
- 1/2 tsp Salt
Chicken & Marinade
- 1 pound Boneless Chicken Breasts
- 1/4 cup Olive Oil
- 3 cloves Garlic Pressed
- 1 Lemon Squeezed
- 1/4 tsp Salt
- 1/4 tsp Pepper
Salad
- 2 cups Ditalini Pasta Cooked
- 3 hearts Romaine Lettuce Chopped
- 2 Roma Tomatos Deseeded & Chopped
- 1/3 cup Scallions Diced
- 1 Ripe Avocado Peeled and Diced
- 8 slices Cooked & Crispy Bacon Crumbled
- 1/4 cup Crumbled Blue Cheese
Instructions
Dressing
- Using a chopper – add balsamic vinegar, garlic and all dry ingredients, then the olive oil. Mix until blended – I continue to mix this occasionally as I'm making the salad to blend it.
Chicken & Ditalini
- Trim the chicken breasts and put in a bowl, add all marinate ingredients and stir to coat the chicken. Marinate the chicken at least 30 minutes – or multiple hours, this is an easy step to take care of early.
- Boil water to cook Ditalini pasta el dente. Drain and set aside to cool.
- Start making the salad and grill the chicken. Once the chicken is done cooking, if the salad is ready – dice the chicken and add to salad. If the salad is still a work in progress, cover with tin foil to keep it warm and dice the chicken once the salad is ready.
Salad
- Chop all ingredients small to achieve a "chopped" salad. Add lettuce, tomatoes, scallions, and cooled ditalini, toss together. Add avocado, bacon, and blue cheese, toss again. Dice the hot chicken and add to the top – pour dressing on the top and toss – start with 1/2 cup + and coat with dressing to your liking.
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