Chop Chop Salad Recipe

Cook bacon

Place bacon slices in a cold skillet in a single layer. Turn heat to medium and cook, turning occasionally, until deep golden and crisp, about 8–10 minutes. Transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate to drain and cool, then chop into bite-sized pieces.

Hard-boil eggs

Place eggs in a small saucepan and cover with cold water by 1 inch. Bring to a gentle boil over medium-high heat, then cover, remove from heat, and let sit 10 minutes. Drain and transfer to an ice bath for 5 minutes. Peel and coarsely chop or quarter each egg.

Prep produce and cheese

Wash and spin the mixed greens dry. Halve the cherry tomatoes. Peel, pit and dice the avocado into 1/2-inch pieces and toss immediately with a light sprinkle of salt to slow browning. Thinly slice the red onion into rings or half-rings and snip chives fine. Crumble the blue cheese if not pre-crumbled.

Assemble the salad

In a large bowl or on a platter, spread the mixed greens. Scatter chopped bacon, crumbled blue cheese, diced avocado, chopped hard‑boiled eggs, halved cherry tomatoes, and sliced red onion evenly over the greens. Sprinkle snipped chives on top. Season lightly with the listed salt and pepper, keeping in mind the blue cheese and bacon are salty.

Prepare dressing: if using a fresh tomato, core, seed and chop half a tomato (or use the drained crushed canned tomato). In a small bowl or jar combine the chopped tomato, chopped basil leaves, minced garlic, Dijon mustard, red wine vinegar, and honey. Whisk while slowly streaming in the olive oil until emulsified. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Taste and adjust acidity or sweetness as desired. If you prefer a smoother dressing, briefly blitz in a blender or use an immersion blender until smooth.

Dress and serve: just before serving, drizzle 2–3 tablespoons of the tomato–basil vinaigrette over the assembled salad (reserve extra dressing on the side). Gently toss or chop-and-toss with a chef’s knife (several quick chops through the salad to roughly chop contents) to distribute dressing and ingredients. Serve immediately, passing any remaining dressing at the table.