I attended a wedding recently where bacon was a big topic of conversation at the dinner table (always a sign of a good wedding!). The question was whether or not bacon drippings and bacon were overkill on a green salad. I leaned towards the side of restraint while others dove right in with tales of bacon indulgence. Here are 10 salads that take bacon and run with it.
Bacon certainly makes most things taste better, and a simple salad of greens or frisee comes alive with a few bit sprinkled throughout. But what about a carrot or zucchini salad featuring bacon? How about beet salad and bacon? A little research unearthed a whole world of bacon-loving salad eaters out there. Are you one of them?
Try a Recipe:
• City State's Diner Wedge Salad - The Kitchn
• Layered Salad - The Pioneer Woman
• Classic Cobb Salad - Smitten Kitchen
• Beet Salad with Crispy Leeks and Bacon - Big Girls Small Kitchen
• Candied Bacon Green Salad - Jamie Oliver
• Spinach Salad Recipe with Bacon and Feta - Kalyn's Kitchen
• Frisee Salad With Warm Bacon Vinaigrette - Martha Stewart
• Blue Cheese Coleslaw (with Bacon) - Bon Appetit
• Broccoli Salad with Bacon and Raisins - Pinch My Salt
• Grilled Zucchini and Sweet Potato Salad - Perry's Plate
Related: Recipe Roundup: Potato Salads With Bacon
(Image: Leela Cyd)
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You should keep in mind there are reasons not to spray bacon over every damn thing you cook:
-that sodium nitrate, commonly used in bacon, has been linked to stomach cancer
-Some people are allergic to sodium nitrate or other preservatives
-That there are those who are vegetarian, are of faiths that don't allow the eating of pork, or are trying to avoid red meat due to health issues.
You can avoid the problems of additives with preservative-free bacon. That also covers people with gluten allergies, because preserved bacons often have gluten-containing additives. Cons: unpreserved bacon is more expensive and spoils faster.
I made this BLT Salad last night, and it was absolutely wonderful:
http://www.thekitchn.com/recipe-blt-salad-with-bacon-vi-120311
The bacon grease is used in the dressing and to fry up the bread cubes. I let everyone know that it wasn't "health salad" and we were all ok with that.
I don't eat bacon, but I made this warm/cool salad with thin crispy strips of fried trumpet mushroom, pine nuts and smoked gouda, and I think it had the same flavor.