Fall Harvest Salad with Warm Maple Bacon Vinaigrette

In this gorgeous Fall Harvest Salad; crisp apples, pears, sliced carrots, toasted pecans and blue cheese are tossed with mixed greens and chopped bacon. The salad is then drizzled with a warm maple bacon vinaigrette! Serve as a side or top with sliced chicken as an entree.

Course Salads

Cuisine American

Keyword apple, bacon, dijon vinaigrette, fall, harvest, salad

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 5

Total Time 25

Servings servings

Calories 268

Author Laurie McNamara

Ingredients

FOR THE DRESSING:

1/3 cup pure maple syrup
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard I like country or whole grain
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons reserved bacon fat leftover in the skillet
1 small shallot finely diced

FOR THE SALAD:

10 ounce salad greens
1 small honeycrisp apple sliced
1 ripe pear sliced
1 cup sliced carrots
1/3 cup toasted pecans coarsely chopped
4 slices thick applewood bacon cooked and roughly chopped
1/4 cup blue cheese freshly crumbled - more to taste

Instructions

Cook bacon until crispy, remove bacon to drain on a paper towel lined plarte.
Meanwhile, combine the maple syrup, mustard, vinegar, salt and pepper into a small bowl or jar and set aside.
Add the salad greens to a large serving bowl. Top with sliced apples, pears, carrots, bacon, toasted pecans and blue cheese.
Reheat the bacon fat over medium heat.
Sauté diced shallot until softened. Once soft, stir while gradually pouring in the maple/mustard mixture. Simmer for a few minutes or until slightly thickened.
Plate up the salads and serve the warm maple bacon dressing drizzled over the top and more freshly ground black pepper.

Nutrition