Chopped Salad

By Melissa Clark

Published July 14, 2022

  • Bobbi Lin for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Eugene Jho. Prop Stylist: Christina Lane.
Media 1 of 1
Total Time
20 minutes
Rating
4(687)
Comments
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A good chopped salad is a buoyant mix of different textures (creamy, crisp, crunchy, juicy), a range of colors, and sweet, salty and tangy flavors. This one has it all, in just the right proportions. You can gather all the ingredients in advance, including cooking the bacon and the eggs. But don’t toss everything together until just before serving — and, preferably, do so at the table for maximum impact.

Featured in: 20 Easy Salads for Hot Summer Days

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Ingredients

Yield:6 to 8 servings

  • 1 lemon

  • ⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil

  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper

  • 3 romaine hearts (about 1 pound), trimmed and torn into bite-size pieces

  • 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved

  • ¾ cup (about 6 ounces) chopped cooked bacon

  • ¾ cup thinly sliced cucumber

  • ½ cup crumbled blue cheese or feta

  • ¼ cup thinly sliced scallions

  • 1 ripe avocado, pitted, peeled and sliced

  • 2 hard-cooked (or jammy) eggs, quartered

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 to 8 servings)

7 grams carbs; 69 milligrams cholesterol; 302 calories; 14 grams monosaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 7 grams saturated fat; 26 grams fat; 4 grams fiber; 587 milligrams sodium; 12 grams protein; 2 grams sugar

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Make the dressing: Zest the lemon into a small bowl, then halve the naked lemon and squeeze the juice into the bowl. Whisk in oil and season to taste with salt and pepper; set aside.

  2. Step 2

    Put the romaine into a large bowl, then top with tomatoes, bacon, cucumber, blue cheese and scallions. Drizzle in about two thirds of the dressing, then toss until well coated.

  3. Step 3

    Place sliced avocado and eggs on top of salad, and season lightly with salt and pepper (especially the avocado, which can take a lot of salt). Drizzle salad with remaining dressing, and serve.

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Ratings

4 out of 5
687 user ratings
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Comments

PBW

This has all the right ingredients, but it's not a chopped salad because it's not chopped. What makes a chopped salad so special is that all the ingredients are cut or chopped really small so you get almost every flavor in every bite. Chopping can be done with a knife or pastry cutter, or there are several kinds of salad choppers that can be ordered online.

Carmen

To increase fiber content add roasted bell peppers and cooked beans/chickpeas

thecaptainoftheship

I’ve been using feta-stuffed olives in martinis recently and now I have a reason to free them from their usual gin bath. Also, I’ll add fresh dill because I ADD IT TO EVERYTHING. #HotDillSummer

Laurel M

has anyone tried Russian dressing or thousand Island? thanks

Richard X

The suggested dressing of lemon juice and oil is what I would call a "wet" dressing that coats the salad ingredients with a light film. Russian and Thousand Island dressings, on the other hand, are thick and creamy and weigh down the salad ingredients. Also, your two suggestions wouldn't do well with blue cheese.

Laurel M

has anyone tried Russian dressing or thousand Island. thanks

Shane

I tried this with both blue cheese and feta, and the feta was far superior! And I say this as a lover of blue cheese.

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