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Have you ever tried a salad with warm vinaigrette? If the answer is no, it’s time to try this Warm Bacon Vinaigrette Salad. So much flavor and so impressive as a starter salad for your holiday meal!

Salad greens piled on a large platter with bacon, shallots, and dressing piled on top.

The flavors are warm and hearty. The base of the salad is packed with little gem lettuce and a crunchy, beautiful bite of raddichio– which adds color and just a touch of biterness (which I personally adore). 

But, we all know already that the real show stopper is the salad dressing here! Bacon bits are gently fried until crisp, then a quick dressing is made with sauteed shallot, garlic, walnuts, dijon, apple cider vinegar, lemon and honey. Drizzled over the greens and topped off with the creamy + robust gorgonzola cheese and a sweet bite of diced mission figs– the end result is absolutely phenomenal. 

Whether you are serving this Warm Bacon Vinaigrette Salad with my Herb Crusted Beef Tenderloin or a simple seared steak, this is a great accompaniment to any red meat when you are entertaining. 

Salad greens piled on a large platter with bacon, shallots, and dressing piled on top.
4.75 from 4 votes

Warm Bacon Vinaigrette Salad

Total: 25 minutes
Servings: 8 People

Ingredients 

  • 3 heads romaine hearts or little gem
  • ½ head radicchio
  • 4 strips bacon diced
  • 2 cloves minced garlic
  • 2 large shallots peeled and very thinly sliced
  • ¼ cup chopped walnuts
  • 1 tsp dijon mustard
  • 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tbsp honey
  • 2 tbsp lemon juice
  • Kosher salt to taste
  • Pepper to taste just a pinch of each
  • â…“ cup chopped dried mission figs
  • 1/4 cup gorgonzola cheese

Instructions 

  • Spread the little gem lettuces and raddichio across a large serving platter or large serving bowl. Set aside.

Meanwhile, prepare the dressing:

  • In a medium skillet over medium-high heat, add the diced bacon to the skillet until cooked through and crisp, about 5 minutes.
  • Using a slotted spoon, remove the bacon and set aside on a paper towel-lined plate, leaving the grease in the pan.
  • Lower the heat to medium-low and add the shallot and garlic and cook, stirring until the shallots are tender, about 2 minutes.
  • Add chopped walnuts and continue to cook, stirring, until walnuts are lightly toasted, about 2 more minutes.
  • Add the dijon mustard, apple cider vinegar and honey and whisk until well combined and slightly thickened, about 1 minute. Remove from the heat and stir in the lemon juice until well combined. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper to taste.
  • To assemble the salad, spoon the dressing evenly over the lettuces. Sprinkle with the bacon bits, the dried figs, gorgonzola cheese and a few cracks of pepper if desired.

Notes

This serves 8 as a side salad, not a main course.

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Servings: 8 People


Welcome! I’m Alex.

I’m a food lover sharing healthy, simple, delicious, recipes from my kitchen to yours. Here you’ll find lots of Whole30, lots of healthy, and a little indulgence here and there because…it’s all about balance y’all!


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Recipe Rating




15 Comments

  1. 4 stars
    A wonderful flavor combination. I would say the dressing could use a little more liquid. It was quite thick after cooking and I didn’t even spend extra time letting it thicken. Spooned it on in clumps that I spread. Regardless, tastes great and nice to have some greens on the holiday table.

      1. 5 stars
        Delicious and super simple salad. The only thing is make sure to dress right before serving. Thought we were ready but we had a mishap with the main course and ended up eating an hour later so the dressing had thickened up. Still delicious though!

  2. Hi Alex! Could I prep the dressing the day before and warm up before serving, or will the required bacon grease throw a wrench in things?