Today I am sharing my most requested salad recipe. If you like the ingredients below, you will LOVE this salad!
MY MOST REQUESTED SALAD
This is the BEST Salad….EVER!! Made with Gorgonzola, apple, cherries, pecans & bacon, with a sweet balsamic dressing! Trust me, you will be going back for seconds. This has been my most requested salad recipe for over 25 years!
Read rave reviews from people who tried this salad recipe on Pinterest!
Mary’s Most Requested Salad Recipe
Recipe serves 6–8 people, depending on portion size
Ingredients
1 bag spring salad mix (9 or 10 ounce bag)
1 bag romaine (9 or 10 ounce bag)
3 oz bag of Oscar Mayer real bacon (or make your own – I often cheat)
1/2 cup dried cherries or cranberries
1 large granny smith apple, chopped
1/2 cup toasted pecans or almonds
5 oz gorgonzola or blue cheese crumbled
* you can add more or less of each ingredient, do what you like!
Mary’s Sweet Balsamic Dressing
1/2 cup vegetable oil or canola
1/3 cup sugar
3 tablespoons good balsamic vinegar
1/8 teaspoon dry mustard (or a little squeeze of yellow or Grey Poupon mustard)
Few twists of fresh cracked pepper Or use 1/8 tsp of reg ground pepper
Whisk dressing ingredients until sugar and oil are blended.
If you plan on serving the entire salad, go ahead and add the dressing a little at a time, blending until you reach the desired amount. If not, keep dressing separate and add individually.
THIS IS A THICKER DRESSING and is easy to adjust. If you like less sweet, reduce the sugar. I make it as is – it’s perfect for this salad.
Tips
You can substitute dried cherries with dried cranberries and sub Gorgonzola/blue cheese with goat or feta cheese.
The dressing is easy to adapt by adjusting the amount of sugar. If you like less sweet, add a little sugar at a time until you reach desired sweetness.
Some people have made the dressing with olive oil and enjoyed the results. I have not used olive oil so I am unable to tell you if it changes the taste of the salad. If you want to use olive oil, make a small batch to taste test.
This salad is great with grilled chicken tossed on top for a meal.
If you make the salad, let me know what you think!
Thanks for visiting, Sweet Little Bluebird!
Cheers!
Karen
NO SALT in the dressing? I thought that usually added a lot of flavor to dressings (?) I’ve always added salt to my homemade dressing. I was wondering about olive oil, too. WHY canola oil? Just curious. Thanks. Hope to make this for a Christmas party.
Laurie
I have people in my family with an eversion to mustard. Is there a substitute ingredient for the dressing or will it be okay without?
Thanks
Mary Neumann
You can skip it, Laurie.
Linda Cunningham
I have made this salad for the last two years probably 3 times a week. I love it. Had it tonight for dinner. Everyone I have served it to loves it. Thank you for the recipe.
Karen
Using olive oil or canola oil?
Taryn
This looks delicious! I want to make this for a family gathering but blue cheese is a bit polarizing in my family… Would the salad taste good without it? Thanks!
Mary Neumann
You can use Feta or goat cheese, Taryn. The cheese is a big part of what makes it so good.
Jola
I don’t like bleu cheese either and I make a very similar salad using goat cheese and it’s delicious.
Fran Butler
I made the dressing but it seems very thick. Is that the way it should be? Followed the recipe exactly. Thks
Mary Neumann
Yes, Fran, the dressing is thick.
Johanna
Love this salad! Only changes are I use honey instead of sugar and candied walnuts from Trader Joe’s. So so good! Thanks for recipe!!
Johanna
Omg this salad is everything!! Thank you!😍😍😍😍
Beth
Can you substitute olive oil for the vegetable oil/canola oil?
Mary Neumann
I have never used EVOO for the dressing – it will change the flavor. You could make a small batch and test it to see if you like it with olive oil.
Diana
Hi! As Wendy commented, I also made this dressing and it was so thick I had to throw it out. I followed the direction as stated. Not sure what went wrong. Any idea?
Mary Neumann
This dressing is thick, but not too thick to pour. If you refrigerate it and don’t use it right away, the sugar will crystallize – just let it get to room temp before serving.
Jackie
While I enjoy thick dressing my family’s preference is on the thinner side, I added 1/3 cold water and a touch of rice wine vinegar and that thinned it out to their liking and it was still delicious! Thank you for a great recipe!
Rainah
Wow! Yum! This is now officially my most prized recipe! I have other favorites, but they are put to memory. I am making an extra copy of this email recipe and putting it in a safe place in case I lose my working copy! Thank you!
Lyn
This salad sounds so yummy. I was wondering if the salad dressing can be made the day before. Thanks!
Wendy
I followed the directions of the dressing and it became thick. Is that the correct consistency for the dressing? Thank you!
Alana Carroll
We were having dinner at a friend’s house so I decided to take this salad because it looked quick and easy (and yummy). It was all devoured and everyone kept raving about how good it was! I don’t usually leave reviews but this recipe merited one.
Mary Neumann
Smiling ear to ear!! Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment, Alana.
Pat Smith
This salad dressing is the best i have every made…salad is great also thanks!
Mary Neumann
Thank you, Pat. I use this dressing with a few other recipes – it’s great drizzled on margherita pizzas and pasta salads with feta.
Donna
I made this and everyone absolutely loved it!! That dressing….omg sooo good!!! I crave it!! This will be my new to go dish to bring to gatherings. I’m so glad I found you! lol
Mary ~
Thanks for hosting, Amiee!!!
Aimee - ItsOverflowing.com
Sounds delicious!!! Thanks for linking up! Check out my giveaway….
XO, Aimee
Mary ~
Hi Trish!
It really is a great salad – if you like all the ingredients, you will LOVE IT! If you make it, be sure to use the balsamic dressing…it pulls the salad together!
I'll be linking up! Thanks so much for hosting!
Oh…and thank you for the sweet comments – as for my header, it's still a work in progress… – Banner BLVD did a great job for me!
Off to link up!
Cheers ~ Mary
Trish - Sweetology101
btw, I love your blog title and header!
Trish - Sweetology101
Now, I just love this recipe! I am trying to broaden my salad "mind" if you will and this is just perfect!! The new link is up, can't wait to see what you share this week! http://sweetology101.blogspot.com/2012/01/white-chocolate-champagne-scones-with.html
Mary
Thanks for the visit, Southern Product Queen! The salad is so good – the sweet balsamic dressing is my favorite!
I'll be sure to stop by and link up – thanks much for the invite!
Headed over now….Thanks again!
The Southern Product Queen
Omg, this looks so yummy and healthy! I will have to make! I'm having a linky party… Please share! Here is the link http://www.thesouthernproductqueen.com/one-stop-shoppe-linky-party
Mary
Hi Lisa – If you like gorgonzola and blue cheese, you will love this! Can't wait to hear! Hope you're off to a great 2012!
Lisa ~ The SweetTalk Shop
YUMMY!!! I love salad could eat it everyday!!! I will be trying this the weekend!!