Winter Salad With Bacon-End Vinaigrette And Ranch-Size Croutons
15m prep 15m cook 30m ready
A hearty winter salad with mixed greens, warm bacon vinaigrette, and homemade croutons. Perfect as a side or main dish.
Ingredients
- 5 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/2 lb bacon ends or roughly chopped bacon cut into 1-inch pieces if large
- 4 cup bread cubes from about 8 ounces hearty bread
- Kosher salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- 1 large shallot finely chopped
- 2 tbsp red onion finely chopped
- 1/4 cup champagne vinegar
- 2 cup radicchio chopped
- 2 cup romaine lettuce chopped
- 4 cup red leaf lettuce chopped
Nutrition (per serving, estimated)
Estimated based off 7 of 11 identified ingredients (per 100 g food data, scaled by amount).
Vitamins & minerals
- Calcium: 18.2 mg
- Iron: 0.73 mg
- Magnesium: 11.7 mg
- Phosphorus: 71.3 mg
- Potassium: 199 mg
- Zinc: 0.61 mg
Let's Cook
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Step 1.
In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over medium-low heat. Add the bacon ends and cook, stirring frequently, until the bacon has rendered its fat and begins to crisp, about 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the bacon to a plate, leaving the fat in the skillet.
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Step 2.
Add the bread cubes to the skillet with the bacon fat, tossing and stirring to coat them evenly. Season liberally with salt and pepper and cook over medium-low heat, turning frequently, until the cubes are toasted on all sides, about 4 minutes total. Transfer the croutons to a large salad bowl.
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Step 3.
Return the bacon to the skillet and increase the heat to medium. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the finely chopped shallot and cook, stirring, until it begins to crisp, about 3 minutes. Remove the skillet from the heat and stir in the champagne vinegar and the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. (If making ahead, set aside for up to 1 hour; rewarm over very low heat for a few minutes before serving.)
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Step 4.
Add the chopped radicchio, romaine, and red leaf lettuce to the salad bowl with the croutons. Pour the warm vinaigrette and bacon over the greens, toss to coat all the leaves evenly, and serve immediately.
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