Apple Pecan and Bacon Salad with Maple Vinaigrette Dressing
This Apple Pecan and Bacon Salad with Maple Vinaigrette Dressing features crunchy candied pecans, sweet, crisp apples, savory bacon pieces, and tart, dried cranberries. Serve with your favorite lettuce and top it off with a simple and delicious 2-minute vinaigrette for the perfect salad to go with any meal!
Servings:8 servings
Ingredients
For the Salad
- 6 cups lettuce, I used green leaf lettuce and arugula
- 1 cup pecan halves
- ¼ cup sugar
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- ⅓ cup chopped bacon pieces, see note for my time-saving tip!
- ⅓ cup dried cranberries
- 1 apple thinly sliced and halves cut crosswise, or chopped
Maple Vinaigrette
- ⅓ cup olive oil
- ⅓ cup pure maple syrup, see note
- 5 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons orange juice, or 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon coarsely cracked black pepper, or 1/8 teaspoon finely ground black pepper
Instructions
- First, prepare the candied pecans. In a small skillet, toast pecans for 1 minute over medium-high eat. Add sugar and stir constantly until sugar dissolves. Sprinkle cinnamon over pecans and stir until pecans are sugar-coated. Immediately transfer to a sheet of parchment or a heat-resistant plate to cool slightly.
- Prepare salad by arranging lettuce on a platter. Top with apples, cranberries, pecans, and bacon.
- Combine all dressing ingredients in a jar, shake vigorously to combine. Pour over salad immediately if serving right away, or wait until just before serving (shake well just before pouring over salad).
Notes
For the bacon: I love bacon in my salads, but I don't like to take the time to cook and chop bacon just for a salad. To save time I like to use bacon bits. Stay with me here! Add your bacon bits to a small microwave-safe dish. Microwave for 15-20 seconds and you will be amazed how they warm and crisp up! When choosing bacon bits at the store, I look for ones that look a bit "raw" (for lack of a better term), and skip any that are too tiny and look dried out.
The apples: For flavor and texture, I prefer bright red apples in this salad. Gala, fuji, honey crisp are all good options!
Maple Syrup: use REAL maple syrup, NOT maple flavored breakfast syrup.
Nutrition
Calories: 300 kcal, Carbohydrates: 26 g, Protein: 5 g, Fat: 21 g, Saturated Fat: 2 g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 5 g, Monounsaturated Fat: 12 g, Sodium: 400 mg, Potassium: 189 mg, Fiber: 3 g, Sugar: 20 g, Vitamin A: 287 IU, Vitamin C: 4 mg, Calcium: 46 mg, Iron: 1 mg