06.03.21

Mexican-Inspired Chopped Salad

If you are looking for a show-stopping salad, look no further than this delicious Mexican-Inspired Chopped Salad that is filled with chickpeas, chorizo, and cotija cheese!


Mexican-Inspired Chopped Salad

This recipe is actually written by a friend of mine, McKenzie Mitchell. McKenzie and I connected over Instagram years ago and she has become my official recipe tester and extended part of The Defined Dish team, even though she lives in Seattle. She is so talented and we really do have such similar taste/style in cooking.  She shared this recipe with me and I knew you guys just HAD to have it. Moving forward, you may see a recipe here and there that I share are written by her. 🙂 Y’all are going to LOVE THEM.

There’s a restaurant in Seattle, Pablo y Pablo, that serves Mexican-inspired dishes with a Pacific Northwest influence. Amongst the banh mi, crab, and salmon tacos, you’ll find the shining star of the menu: The Pablo Chopped. It seems unassuming on the menu, but it’s the combination of chorizo, chickpeas, cotija, and a bright, oregano vinaigrette that makes it special.

Unlike the typical chop salad you get at a local pizza place or a neighborhood restaurant, this salad is meant to be a main dish instead of an afterthought. We’ve taken things up a notch by seasoning and roasting the chickpeas with the chorizo to get them crispy and let the chorizo render in the oven. The chewy chorizo, tangy peppadew, creamy cotija, and crunchy pepitas combine to make the perfect weeknight salad – good enough to be served as a main or served as a side with a grilled protein.

Mexican-Inspired Chopped Salad

Here, the recipe calls for a pre-cooked, cured chorizo. You can find these near the cured meat section of your local grocer. This is different from the chorizo you can purchase in a casing that is raw or at the meat counter. This looks very similar to dried salami and if you cannot find cured chorizo, cured salami or soppressata will work. When using cured chorizo, don’t forget to peel off the casing before using.

The end result of this salad is absolutely divine and extremely satisfying. Perfect to make for a weekend afternoon hosting friends outdoors, or any night of the week! 

If you love this salad, here are some of my other favorite show-stopping salads to try:

Crunchy Ramen Noodle Salad

Sheet Pan Salmon Nicoise Salad

Chopped Asian-Inspired Chicken Salad with ‘Peanut’ Dressing

Spanish Style Chop Salad

Mexican-Inspired Chopped Salad
Serves: 4 people
Print
5 from 12 votes
Prep Time15 mins
Cook Time30 mins
Total Time45 mins
Keyword: salad

Ingredients

FOR THE CHICKPEAS:

  • 1 14.5 oz. can chickpeas - drained, rinsed and peeled
  • 1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
  • ½ tsp. garlic powder
  • ½ tsp. smoked paprika
  • ½ tsp. dried oregano
  • 1 tsp. kosher salt
  • ¼ tsp. cayenne pepper - plus more to taste optional
  • 6 oz. cured chorizo - casing removed and diced into small cubes - I used Gusto Smoked Paprika chorizo

FOR THE VINAIGRETTE:

  • ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 Tbsp. fresh lime juice
  • 2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
  • 1 tsp. Honey
  • 1 tsp. Dried oregano
  • ½ tsp. Kosher salt
  • ½ tsp. Freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 large shallot, cut in half lengthwise and thinly sliced (about 1 cup)

FOR THE SALAD:

  • 4-6 cups chopped romaine lettuce 1 large head
  • 4 cups thinly-sliced and de-ribbed lacinato kale I large bunch
  • ½ cup peppadew peppers - drained and chopped
  • 1 cup thinly-sliced rainbow radish
  • 1 Fresno chile thinly-sliced (optional)
  • 3 oz. cotija cheese - crumbled
  • 1 large avocado - diced
  • ¼ cup toasted pepitas
  • Salt and pepper - to taste

Instructions

FOR THE CHICKPEAS:

  • Preheat oven to 425. Line a baking sheet with parchment and set aside.
  • Using a mesh strainer, drain and rinse the chickpeas. Line a large plate with paper towels and pat the chickpeas very dry. This step is essential to get them nice and crispy! If time permits, peel the skin off the chickpeas and discard.
  • Transfer the dried chickpeas to the baking sheet and season with olive oil, garlic powder, smoked paprika, dried oregano, salt, and cayenne if using. Toss until well coated and spread the chickpeas out evenly. Transfer to the middle rack of the oven, and roast for 15 minutes. At the 15 minute mark, remove from the oven, and add the chopped chorizo, tossing to combine. Roast for an additional 7-10 minutes until the chorizo is crisp and some of the fat has rendered off. Toss the contents of the sheet pan to coat the chickpeas in the juices from the chorizo. Transfer the chickpeas and chorizo to a paper towel lined plate and set aside to cool while you assemble the salad.

FOR THE VINAIGRETTE:

  • While the chickpeas are roasting, make the dressing. In a mason jar, shake together olive oil, lime juice, red wine vinegar, honey, oregano, salt, and pepper until well-combined. Add in the shallots and let them pickle in the vinaigrette while the chickpeas finish roasting.

FOR ASSEMBLY:

  • To assemble, add the romaine and kale to a large mixing bowl and drizzle with half of the dressing. Toss to combine, using the tongs to massage the kale to soften. Add the peppadew peppers, radishes, a few more tablespoons of dressing, and Fresno chile. Toss to combine until evenly coated. Add in half of the chickpeas and chorizo, half of the cotija, half of the avocado, and half of the toasted pepitas. Toss lightly to just combine and taste for seasoning, if needed, add the remaining dressing and a pinch of salt.
  • To serve, divide the salad amongst four bowls, and top with the remaining chickpeas, chorizo, cotija, avocado, and toasted pepitas.
Author: McKenzie Mitchell

27 Comments

  • Reply
    Rachel
    October 2, 2021 at 5:51 pm

    5 stars
    This salad was amazing! It was a bit hit and so delicious.

  • Reply
    Margaret Keating
    October 1, 2021 at 1:07 am

    5 stars
    Ah! So good! Made this for some friends that I invited over for lunch and they loved it! Had a little left over for my hubby to have for dinner….which he devoured.. Another. win, Alex. 🙂

  • Reply
    Margaret Keating
    October 1, 2021 at 1:06 am

    5 stars
    Ah! So good! Made this for some friends that I invited over for lunch and they loved it! Had a little left over for my hubby to have for dinner….he told me several times how much he liked it. Another. win, Alex. 🙂

  • Reply
    Maggie
    August 26, 2021 at 2:47 am

    5 stars
    This salad is AMAZING! My absolute favorite salad recipe. So tasty and filling. Thank you!

  • Reply
    Angela
    August 7, 2021 at 3:34 am

    5 stars
    The table went quiet tonight – this will be on repeat. Next time I’ll triple the recipe so we can have it for lunch too!!!

  • Reply
    sahar
    July 26, 2021 at 8:36 pm

    can this dressing be made ahead? looks delicious!

    • Reply
      Alex
      July 27, 2021 at 2:05 pm

      yes, definitely!!

  • Reply
    Jeremy
    July 8, 2021 at 4:59 pm

    5 stars
    This was by far one of the tastiest salads I’ve ever made, thanks for sharing!

    • Reply
      Alex
      July 8, 2021 at 5:25 pm

      so glad you love it!

  • Reply
    Sarah
    June 29, 2021 at 2:26 am

    5 stars
    Delicious in every way just like every recipe from DD. Keep them coming my friends and I go back and forth texting what we are making from DD every week as we meal plan!

    • Reply
      Alex
      June 30, 2021 at 2:21 pm

      love to hear this!! thank you!

  • Reply
    Betsy
    June 23, 2021 at 3:37 pm

    AMAZING!!!!! The flavors are fantastic and surprisingly fun – tangy, creamy, crunchy, salty, sweet with just the right spice – we could eat this every day!

    Thank you Alex for always bringing the best recipes!!

  • Reply
    Shelby
    June 22, 2021 at 12:32 am

    I added roasted pumpkin seeds to the salad and it was such a good added crunch. This salad was DELICIOUS and worth all of the peeling the chickpeas!!

    • Reply
      Laura Clark
      July 7, 2021 at 1:06 am

      5 stars
      Wow this salad was so good!! I really enjoyed trying a few new things like peppadew peppers, toasted chickpeas, and cooked soppressata. I am excited to make this again.

  • Reply
    Kyla
    June 21, 2021 at 3:17 pm

    5 stars
    Freaking delicious!! I could eat this on the daily. Thank you for sharing!

  • Reply
    Katie Branch
    June 21, 2021 at 1:11 am

    Hi Alex! So excited to make this, but I’m having the hardest time finding cured chorizo. Is uncured an okay substitute, or should I get raw chorizo and cook that? Thanks so much!

    • Reply
      Alex
      June 21, 2021 at 5:23 pm

      The best substitute is dry cured sopressata or salami!

  • Reply
    Elizabeth
    June 18, 2021 at 1:58 pm

    5 stars
    This salad is really fabulous and flavorful. Made it for my husband and my (vaccinated!) mother-in-law, as she is in town to help with the kids. Since she’s in town, I oddly had the time to peel the chickpeas. I don’t think I’ll do this next time ha!! Will it be ok?! Lol

  • Reply
    Enya
    June 15, 2021 at 12:37 am

    5 stars
    Made this fabulous salad tonight, subbing peppadew’s for pimento peppers. It was absolutely incredible, but are we even surprised?? Just another great weeknight recipe!

  • Reply
    Marisa
    June 9, 2021 at 6:31 pm

    Pablo y Pablo is one of my FAVORITE restaurants!!! Can’t wait to try this!

  • Reply
    Emma
    June 7, 2021 at 11:49 pm

    This is amazing! My husband and I really enjoyed it. Thank you!

  • Reply
    Ashley
    June 7, 2021 at 3:25 pm

    5 stars
    We had this for dinner last night and absolutely loved it! I’m a little sad that I was heavy handed with our portion of chorizo and chickpeas, as our lunch leftovers now have a meager amount. 🙂 Will absolutely make this again and again!

    • Reply
      Alex
      June 7, 2021 at 4:02 pm

      haha, i did the SAME THING.

  • Reply
    Trisha
    June 4, 2021 at 8:05 pm

    This looks absolutely delicious, and I plan to make it — but this is kindly meant — Spanish food is from Spain — this particular salad appears to be Mexican or Latino .

    • Reply
      Alex
      June 6, 2021 at 3:35 pm

      Hi Trisha,
      Thank you for pointing that out and bringing to my attention. You were right here and I’ve changed the title 🙂

      • Reply
        Lauren
        June 6, 2021 at 5:10 pm

        Turns out, peppadews are really hard to find in my area! Do you recommend any substitutions?

        • Reply
          Alex
          June 7, 2021 at 12:25 pm

          Pickled cherry peppers or pimentos are probably the best substitutes, they won’t have as much sweetness but will still be delish.

    Leave a Reply & Rating

    Recipe Rating




    You Might Also Like

    SDC Instagram