Anyone who knows me knows that I LOVE salads. For Thanksgiving, Mom asked me to bring a salad. I do tend to get into a rut and rotate between about 5 fave recipes. But this time, I decided to troll Pinterest to see what other ideas are out there for fall salads. I stumbled upon this Fall Chopped Salad….
Source: espressoandcream.com via Pamela on Pinterest
The recipe is found on the blog Espresso and Cream (click here)
Autumn Chopped Salad
Ingredients
- 6 to 8 cups chopped romaine lettuce
- 2 medium pears, chopped
- 1 cup dried cranberries
- 1 cup chopped pecans
- 8 slices thick-cut bacon, crisp-cooked and crumbled
- 4 to 6 oz. feta cheese, crumbled
- Poppy seed Salad Dressing (I like T. Marzetti)
- Balsamic Vinaigrette (I like Newman’s Own Light Balsamic Vinaigrette)
Instructions
On a large platter, combine the lettuce, pears, cranberries, pecans, bacon and feta cheese. Drizzle generously with poppy seed dressing, followed by some of the balsamic vinaigrette. (I would estimate that I used about a cup of dressing: 70 percent poppy seed dressing and 30 percent balsamic vinaigrette). If you prefer your salad to have more dressing, feel free to experiment with the combination.
The ingredients…
I bought hearts of romaine, submerged them in water, shook them out and then sliced them fairly thinly….
You know I can’t leave a recipe alone, so here are a few minor changes. To save myself some time, I used Maple Leaf Ready Crisp fully cooked bacon pieces. I also toasted the pecans in a frying pan. Make sure to stir often to prevent burning. If you are not a fan of pecans, you could always use pumpkin seeds. I used Renee’s Poppy Seed Dressing…it’s really good! And for the other dressing, I used Newman’s Balsamic Vinaigrette (NOT light). One thing I would add to the top next time, once tossed, is a drizzle of balsamic reduction!
Before tossing….I love the colors!
Tossed up and ready to go!
This is a very fresh tasting salad that still incorporates the flavors of fall. Yummy!
Love this salad!!! I’ve made it sooo many times already, and am making it to take out tomorrow night. Thankyou!!!!
It’s a pretty good one, isn’t it!! Have you made any changes or additions to it?