I’ve got a thing for restaurant salads.
But I’ve also got a thing called a budget. So I try not to eat out very often, recreating my favorite salad combos at home instead. At Cosi, the Signature Salad is my go-to order. The salad base is easy: A bed of mixed greens topped with Gorgonzola cheese and studded with red grapes, pistachios, pears, and dried cranberries.
But oh, the dressing. The Sherry Shallot Vinaigrette that’s so good I want to drink it straight from the little plastic cup. I went off the rails trying to figure out that dressing. (The task was made even harder without sherry vinegar. I’m morally opposed to sharing recipes that use ingredients not commonly found at the grocery store.)
An entire afternoon, multiple bottles of olive oil, and too many shallots later, I had mixed up about a half dozen variations, including recipes from copycat Cosi Signature Salad blog posts just like this one. But none of them seemed right.
I became a little obsessed. My kitchen reeked of vinegar. I bumped into a friend at the store while I was carrying a shopping basket full of nothing but shallots. As I looked at her with what I’m sure were those cartoon swirly eyes and explained that I was desperately trying to recreate the Sherry Shallot Vinaigrette from the Cosi Signature Salad, even I heard the cray-cray in my voice. I hit rock bottom when I found myself standing at the stove, caramelizing shallots. Who has time to caramelize shallots for salad dressing? I don’t.
I was ready to give up when I stumbled on a recipe for Shallot Vinaigrette from Sarah’s Cucina Bella. In one exhausted, last-ditch effort, I whisked together a batch, making a couple of small modifications. Then I tasted it against the Cosi dressing.
At long last: Yes.
Cosi Signature Salad Knock-Off
Ingredients
- 2.5 ounces mixed greens half of a 5-ounce box
- 1/4 cup shelled pistachios
- 1/4 cup red grapes halved
- 1/4 cup Gorgonzola cheese
- 1 pear chopped
- 2 tablespoons dried cranberries
- 1/2 shallot peeled and finely minced
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine salad greens, pistachios, grapes, cheese, pear, and dried cranberries.
- In a small mixing bowl, combine minced shallot, vinegar, mustard, honey, and olive oil and whisk until thoroughly combined. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Drizzle desired amount of dressing on salad and toss well to coat.
- Store leftover dressing in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to five days.
Nutrition
For more recipes using Grapes From California in salads, go here.
Disclosure: I’m happy to be working with Grapes from California as a Blogger Ambassador. I am compensated for my time. All opinions expressed are my own.
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This looks SO good. I needed a reason to go buy some Gorgonzola.
Thanks Alli! And yes, I am definitely enjoying the leftover Gorgonzola. Never met a cheese I didn’t like. 🙂
OMG – I totally forgot about this salad! When I worked in downtown Philly, there was a Cosi two doors down from my office and I would eat there at least 2x week and always always always get this salad (yes, you could drink that dressing – not to mentio n their bread is heavenly.)
Sadly, there’s no Cosi close to me anymore but happily, this recipe makes up for it (though now I’m craving that bread too…..)
Deanna–I remember when Cosi first opened in NYC. I worked nearby at Conde Nast and we would go over there and stand in a HUGE line that wrapped around the corner. Oh that bread! If only I could install a wood-fired oven in the kitchen…
I’ll have it per sure but without honey. Love gorgonzola, yum!
Heh. This is better than Cosi’s. I was going to buy one and just had them show me the ingredients. It has both brown sugar and corn syrup in it! So disappointed- when I was pregnant I craved it and ate a signature salad for lunch 3x/week!
THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!! I have found a ton of mock ups of this dressing recipe and have tried them all and none have come close. This is perfect.
Thanks Chelsea! Glad you like it. It’s not quite as sweet as the COSI dressing, but I decided that I’m just not willing to put that much sweetener in my dressing! 🙂
Made tonight and it was delicious! (even with my pistachios mysteriously disappearing to some late night snacking – we subbed in some cashews) Going in rotation for sure.
Katherine–so glad to hear you liked it!
do you have a non alcoholic substitute for the vinegar?
Maria–no, I’m sorry I don’t. If you don’t want a vinegar-based dressing, you could make one that doesn’t use vinegar, like the lemon vinaigrette in this post: https://www.realmomnutrition.com/2015/07/09/4-homemade-vinaigrette-dressings/
Thanks for the prompt reply, Sally! I don’t mind using vinegar. It’s the alcohol base I don’t want to use.
Maria–hmm, perhaps you could try balsamic or apple cider vinegar. I have never tried those with this dressing, so I’m not sure how it will taste but it’s worth a try.
I’ve deconstructed the Cosi Signature Salad before on my own, and have used a good but store-bought raspberry salad dressing with it. Figuring out the components of the salad wasn’t too hard – you just look at what you’re eating at Cosi and put it together the same way at home. I hadn’t tried making my own dressing, ever, until I followed this recipe. I’d say the recipe was a bit heavy on Dijon mustard, and I used about half of what was called for, but otherwise the recipe was spot-on, and we made a delicious salad for our guests!
Glad you liked it!
HI,
Do you have the calories for the dressing only…I think what you posted for nutritional calories was for the whole salad/dressing.
I’ve make it twice now and have double the recipe.
OMG – I have been craving this amazing Cosi salad since 2005 (here it is 2016) and this recipe by far NAILS IT! The dressing is what is key to taking it over THE top of just your standard ‘restaurant’ salad – this dressing is what MAKES the salad. Love it love it – refrained from having an orgasm at dinner it was simply that dang good. Thank you so much for you investment of time, energy and multiple trips to the grocery store – you nailed darling! Fabulous!
Elizabeth–I’m so glad you like it!
I just made this yesterday. OMG it was delicious! It’s just like the signature salad at Cosi. THANK YOU! !!
Paula–so glad you like it! 🙂