Description
Mediterranean bacon salad delivers a perfect blend of crispy and fresh flavors, harmonizing salty bacon with zesty Mediterranean vegetables. Delightful ingredients create a mouthwatering experience you’ll crave again and again.
Ingredients
Scale
Proteins:
- 6 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
- 2 hard-boiled eggs, sliced (optional)
Vegetables and Greens:
- 6 cups mixed greens (like romaine, spinach, or arugula)
- ½ red onion, thinly sliced
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- ½ cucumber, sliced
Cheese and Dressing:
- ½ cup shredded cheddar or crumbled blue cheese (optional)
Dressing Ingredients:
- 3 tablespoons (45 milliliters) bacon drippings (or olive oil if preferred)
- 2 tablespoons (30 milliliters) apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon (5 milliliters) Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon (5 milliliters) honey or maple syrup
- Salt, to taste
- Black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Render the bacon in a skillet over medium heat, allowing it to transform into crisp, golden fragments. Once achieved, transfer the strips to absorbent paper towels to eliminate excess grease.
- Carefully preserve 3 tablespoons of the rendered bacon drippings for creating a robust, flavor-packed dressing.
- Crumble the cooled bacon into rustic pieces, ensuring varied texture and maximum flavor distribution.
- Craft the dressing by whisking together the reserved bacon drippings, tangy vinegar, robust mustard, golden honey, and seasoning until a harmonious emulsion forms.
- Prepare the salad foundation by layering fresh, crisp greens in a spacious mixing vessel.
- Introduce complementary ingredients: sliced red onion, juicy tomatoes, crisp cucumber, optional cheese crumbles, and delicately prepared eggs.
- Cascade the crumbled bacon across the salad’s surface, creating an appetizing visual and flavor gradient.
- Drizzle the vibrant dressing over the assembled ingredients, using a gentle tossing technique to ensure even coating without bruising delicate components.
- Serve immediately to capture the optimal temperature and textural harmony, with bacon still warm and greens maintaining their pristine crispness.
Notes
- Swap bacon for turkey bacon or tempeh bacon to create a lighter, healthier version suitable for those watching fat intake.
- Use vegan cheese alternatives like nutritional yeast or cashew cheese to make the salad dairy-free and plant-based.
- Reduce vinegar amount if you prefer a milder dressing, or add a touch of maple syrup for a subtle sweetness that balances the tang.
- Toast the bacon crumbles briefly before sprinkling to enhance their crispiness and release additional smoky flavors, creating a more complex taste profile.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Lunch, Appetizer, Snacks
- Method: Frying
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 4
- Calories: 300
- Sugar: 2 g
- Sodium: 600 mg
- Fat: 24 g
- Saturated Fat: 8 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 12 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 10 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 12 g
- Cholesterol: 180 mg