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Chopped Salad Recipe

Name: The Guest House Austins CHOPPED SALAD Recipe
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients: 6 cups Romaine lettuce; 2 cups Red leaf lettuce; 1 cups Baby spinach; 1 cups Cherry tomatoes; 1 whole Cucumber; 1 cups Roasted corn kernels; 0.25 cups Pumpkin seeds (pepitas), toasted; 0.5 cups Manchego cheese, shaved or thinly sliced; 0.25 cups Red onion, finely diced; 0.25 cups Fresh cilantro, chopped; 1 tsp Salt; 0.5 tsp Freshly ground black pepper; 4 whole Medjool dates, pitted; 3 tbs Apple cider vinegar; 6 tbs Extra-virgin olive oil; 1 tsp Dijon mustard; 1 tbs Honey; 2 tbs Warm water; 1 tbs Lemon juice (fresh); 0.5 tsp Salt; 0.25 tsp Black pepper; 1 whole Avocado, diced; 2 slices Cooked bacon, chopped

Inspired by The Guest House Austin

Time30m

Serves4

date vinaigrette | roasted corn | pumpkin seeds | manchego

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Ingredients

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Salad

6 cups Romaine lettuce

2 cups Red leaf lettuce

1 cups Baby spinach

1 cups Cherry tomatoes

1 whole Cucumber

1 cups Roasted corn kernels

1/4 cups Pumpkin seeds (pepitas), toasted

1/2 cups Manchego cheese, shaved or thinly sliced

1/4 cups Red onion, finely diced

1/4 cups Fresh cilantro, chopped

1 tsp Celtic sea salt

1/2 tsp Freshly ground black pepper

Date Vinaigrette

4 whole Medjool dates, pitted

3 tbs Apple cider vinegar

6 tbs Extra-virgin olive oil

1 tsp Dijon mustard

1 tbs Honey

2 tbs Warm water

1 tbs Lemon juice (fresh)

1/2 tsp Celtic sea salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

Optional Garnish / Add-ins

1 whole Avocado, diced

2 slices Cooked bacon, chopped

Method

Prepare Vegetables & Salad Base

Wash and chop greens

Wash romaine, red leaf, and baby spinach thoroughly. Dry with a salad spinner or paper towels. Coarsely chop the romaine and red leaf into roughly 1/2-inch pieces. Leave spinach whole or roughly chop if leaves are large.

Prep other vegetables

Halve the cherry tomatoes. Peel (if desired) and dice the cucumber into 1/4-inch pieces. Finely dice the red onion. Chop the cilantro leaves. If using avocado, dice and hold with a squeeze of lemon to prevent browning.

Place all prepared salad components (romaine, red leaf, spinach, tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, cilantro) into a large mixing bowl. Season with 1 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper, tossing gently to combine.

Roasted Corn

If using fresh corn: heat a skillet or cast-iron pan over medium-high heat with 1 tsp oil. Add corn kernels (from about 2 ears) and cook, stirring occasionally, until kernels develop golden-brown char spots, about 6–8 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly. If using frozen corn: thaw and pat dry, then follow same procedure. Alternatively, char corn on a grill for 6–8 minutes.

Toast Pumpkin Seeds

Heat a small dry skillet over medium heat. Add 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds and toast, stirring frequently, until fragrant and beginning to pop, 2–4 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.

Make Date Vinaigrette

Pit the Medjool dates and roughly chop. Place dates in a small bowl and cover with the 2 tablespoons warm water. Let soak 5 minutes to soften.

In a blender or food processor, combine soaked dates (with any soaking liquid), apple cider vinegar, Dijon mustard, honey, lemon juice, and 6 tablespoons olive oil. Blend until smooth. If dressing is too thick, add up to 1–2 tablespoons additional warm water to reach desired consistency.

Taste and season the vinaigrette with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Blend briefly to incorporate. The dressing should be smooth, sweet-tangy, and pourable.

Assemble Salad

Add the roasted corn to the bowl with the chopped greens and vegetables. Add toasted pumpkin seeds (reserve a tablespoon for garnish) and half of the manchego shavings. Toss gently to combine.

Pour about 4 tablespoons of the date vinaigrette over the salad, then toss gently and taste. Add additional dressing as desired (total dressing typically 4–6 tablespoons for 4 servings). Adjust salt and pepper as needed.

Plate the chopped salad. Sprinkle remaining manchego shavings and the reserved pumpkin seeds on top. If using optional add-ins, add diced avocado and chopped bacon now. Finish with a light drizzle of any remaining vinaigrette.

Serve

Serve immediately at room temperature so toasted seeds remain crunchy and manchego retains texture. Leftover dressing can be refrigerated up to 5 days; bring to room temperature and whisk before using.