Chopped Salad with Creamy Lemon Basil Dressing

One of my favorite salads is the chopped salad. The miracle of this salad is you can use any combination of ingredients from the farmers market to ethic influenced ingredients such as Asian or Mexican. It could be simple, refreshing mix of greens and vegetables, or a hearty combination of grilled flank steak, blue cheese crumbles and meaty mushrooms.

My husband and I both enjoy going to Ruth’s Chris for dinner and always order the Ruth’s Chop Salad or as he likes to call it, “Can Salad”. They form the salad in a ring and looks like it was molded with a can. My husband Charles has a great sense of humor and always makes me laugh.

After a long day at work at the beginning of the week, all I wanted was a delicious but simple hearty salad and thus this chopped salad was born. Enjoy and I look forward to hearing about your favorite combinations.

Chopped Salad with Creamy Lemon Basil Dressing

Serves 4

1 head of Iceberg lettuce, julienned
½ Medium red onion, thinly sliced
5 Large basil leaves, chiffonade
1 C. Grape tomatoes, sliced in half
1 ½ C. Salami, julienned
1 ¼ C. Crimini mushrooms, sliced thin
4 to 5 Deli slices, provolone – julienned
1 C. Chopped turkey
1 ½ C. Garbonzo beans
8 Bacon slices, cooked, crumbled, set aside to garnish

Dressing

¾ C. Sour Cream
¼ C. Mayo
3 T. Lemon juice, fresh squeezed
½ t. Garlic powder
¼ to ½ t. Season salt (taste before adding second ¼ teaspoon
10 grinds fresh pepper
¼ C. Fresh basil, chiffonade

Add all of the ingredients to a bowl and mix. Only add ¼ teaspoon of the season salt, then taste, if you desire add the second ¼ teaspoon of season salt.

To assemble:

Add all of the salad ingredients, except the bacon. Toss together and then add the desired amount of dressing to your preference. Divide among your guests and top with the crumbled bacon.