Outback Steakhouse Copycat Bleu Cheese Pecan Chopped Salad made with mixed greens & cinnamon pecans tossed in a Bleu cheese vinaigrette.
A few years ago I had a bad dining and service experience at our local Outback Steakhouse and haven't been back since. That all changed this past December when my husband and I decided to stop in for lunch to use a gift card we received as a gift a few months before.
I had never eaten lunch there so even though the menu was pretty much the same, I drifted more towards the salad options, rather than getting a full meal like I normally would have.
I was happy to see that one of my favorite salads, their Bleu Cheese Pecan Chopped Salad, came in a larger portion so I ordered that and added grilled chicken to it.
It's one of my favorite salads to order (besides this one at The Cheesecake Factory) because no one else in my family likes Bleu Cheese except for me so it's not something I tend to cook with at home.
This salad is simple to make; however, there are a few steps involved before putting it all together. If your rushed for time, they can all be done separately ahead of time so that all you have to do it mix the salad together when you're ready to serve and eat.
In the Outback Steakhouse recipe they claim to have an "Aussie crunch" which can be achieved by cooking and frying bits of Angel Hair pasta; which I did, but I don't think it really made a difference to the taste so you can leave out that step if you'd like.
How do you make Bleu Cheese Pecan Chopped Salad?
There are three steps to making this salad.
Step 1. Make the Cinnamon Pecans
Start by combining whole (or halved) pecans, ground cinnamon, melted butter and light brown sugar in a bowl. Toss to coat well; then place on a baking pan and cook in a preheated 375 degree F oven for about 3-5 minutes.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool. These can be kept in a tightly sealed container at room temperature for a few days.
Step 2. Make the Dressing
For the dressing you'll need extra virgin olive oil, white vinegar, Dijon mustard, sour cream, fresh chopped basil and crumbled Bleu cheese. Whisk all ingredients together and keep stored in the refrigerator in an air tight container for up to 1 week.
Step 3. Make the Bleu Cheese Pecan Chopped Salad
To make the salad you'll need mixed greens with red cabbage and shredded carrots. I generally don't purchase what I call "bag" lettuce; however, since I was going to be the only one eating this salad I opted for convenience and rinsed it thoroughly in my salad spinner.
Add some chopped scallions to the lettuce in a salad bowl; then add the prepared pecans and dressing. Mix well, top with more crumbled Bleu Cheese and serve immediately.
I used two bags of lettuce and this recipe is enough for 5-6 servings as a side salad; or 3-4 servings as a dinner salad. I also had some roasted chicken leftover so I added it to the top of my salad.
I've never tried other salads at Outback, but this Bleu Cheese Pecan Chopped Salad was delicious and tasted just like the restaurant version. ~Enjoy!
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Bleu Cheese Pecan Chopped Salad (Outback Steakhouse Copycat)
Ingredients
For the Cinnamon Pecans
- ½ c. Whole or Halved Pecans
- ½ tsp. Ground Cinnamon
- 1 tbsp. Light Brown Sugar
- 1 tbsp. Butter, melted
For the Dressing
- ¼ c. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- ¼ c. White Vinegar
- 2 tsp. Dijon Mustard
- 2 tbsp. Sour Cream
- 1 tbsp. Chopped Fresh Basil
- 2 oz. Crumbled Bleu Cheese
For the Salad
- 2- 7(ounce) Bags Premixed Salad Greens (lettuce, cabbage, shredded carrots), rinsed and drained
- 2 Scallions, chopped
- 2 oz. Crumbled Bleu Cheese
Instructions
To Make the Cinnamon Pecans
- Combine the pecans, ground cinnamon, melted butter and light brown sugar in a bowl. Toss to coat well; then place on a baking sheet and cook in a preheated 375 degree F oven for about 3-5 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool. (These can be kept in a tightly sealed container at room temperature for up to 5 days.)
To Make the Dressing
- Whisk all ingredients together until smooth and keep stored in the refrigerator in an air tight container for up to 1 week.
To Make the Bleu Cheese Pecan Chopped Salad
- Add the lettuce, cabbage, carrots and scallions to a large mixing bowl; then add the prepared pecans and dressing. Mix well, top with the crumbled Bleu Cheese and serve immediately.
Notes
Visit the recipe index to search for more recipes by category.
More Copycat Recipes
- Tuscan Chicken {The Cheesecake Factory Copycat}
- Steak Gorgonzola Alfredo (Olive Garden Copycat)
- Chicken Margherita (Olive Garden Copycat)
- Alice Springs Chicken Quesadillas
- Blooming Sauce
- Wedge Salad
Shauna says
This was excellent! Thanks for the recipe. I only made one change which was to add some sugar to the dressing.. about 1 1/2 Tablespoons since Outback's is on the sweeter side. DELISH! Added some grilled chicken and forgot about those crunchy noodles and will add those next time.
Carrie's Experimental Kitchen says
I'm so glad you liked the recipe, thanks for giving it a try!
Marcia Brushwood says
At Outback right now and their salad alsohas crispy rice noodles. I don’t see that in yours.
Carrie's Experimental Kitchen says
Yes, I omitted them from my recipe as our local Outback didn't have them on the salad I tried at the time. You can add them if you'd like.
Rach says
How much basil to you use for the dress? I did not see the basil listed in the dressing ingredients. Am anxious to try this.
Carrie's Experimental Kitchen says
I'm sorry about that. It's in the text, but not in the recipe card. You can add one tablespoon chopped fresh basil and I'll update the recipe card! I hope you like the recipe!
Robin Robinson says
My dressing was way to sour! Help
Carrie's Experimental Kitchen says
If you found it too sour for your taste, try cutting back the white vinegar to 2 tablespoons. I hope that helps!
Cyndi says
My Outback let’s me order it as an entree size and add chicken. (They just charge me the price of their steak salad, which I don’t mind because it’s totally worth it!) I can’t wait to try this recipe though!!
Carrie's Experimental Kitchen says
I hope you like the recipe Cyndi! I love adding some grilled chicken to it as well!
Pat says
I love the noodles in the restaurant version and the fried spaghetti was not the answer. Did some internet research and came up with LaChoy rice noodles (not Chow Mein noodles)...hard to find but they are the real thing! Walmart and Amazon carry them online, but Walmart is cheaper and you can pick them up at the store.
Carrie's Experimental Kitchen says
Great tip, thanks for sharing Pat!
linda abernathy says
Love this salad myself and get the small version when I order my meal as a side salad. You can also get this same salad with steak but it is a lartger portion.I have also used a copycat recipe for the steak in which one of the secret ingredients is Corianderas part of the steak rub. Now for the good news. I going to handmake this wonderful salad dressing at home and instead of making it. I hunted around and I found it at the grocery store. Tastes exactly the same and is in the cold salad dressing section in the grocery and it's called: Bluecheese Vinegarette made by Marie's. My husband who has always hated Bluecheese now loves it!
Carrie's Experimental Kitchen says
That's fantastic Linda! I'll have to try Marie's version myself. 🙂