Home Kitchen Bacon Blue Cheese House Salad with Sweet Basil Vinaigrette

Truth be told, rarely do I cook on the weekend.

Usually Pat will grill and I sort of get to take a break from the kitchen. It’s appreciated, because by Friday I’m simply done and if I have to wash one. more. dish. However, I never mind making a salad, especially one that calls for bacon and blue cheese.

This salad is pretty much based on a salad Pat and I would order years ago at our then go-to Italian restaurant. This is the salad that began my love affair with blue cheese. Back then we would order it with the blue cheese on the side, now we have it on top with some extra on the side 😉.

First things first, make the sweet basil vinaigrette.

For this Bacon Blue Cheese Salad Set out:

• thick-cut apple wood smoked bacon
• 2 to 3 ounces blue cheese
• toasted pine nuts
• kalamata olives
• sweet basil vinaigrette
• freshly ground black pepper

Bacon, blue cheese and olives, three of my go-to food groups. Put them in a salad and top it with the most memorable sweet basil vinaigrette. Did I mention olives? Oh it’s such a crazy thing to mix bacon and blue cheese with Greek kalamata olives but trust me on this.

After you have prepared the vinaigrette, cook 6 strips of apple wood smoked bacon in a skillet until crisp, then roughly chop.

In a dry skillet, toast 1/3 cup pine nuts over medium to medium-low until golden and fragrant.

Gather the rest of the ingredients; your regular blend of spring or power lettuces blends, kalamata olives, black pepper and don’t forget the sweet basil vinaigrette.

There’s no wrong way to build this bacon blue cheese house salad, only pile up the leafy green lettuces and top with crumbled bacon, blue cheese and the toasted pine nuts. Lastly scatter the olives and add a few grinds of fresh black pepper.

This bacon blue cheese house salad with sweet basil vinaigrette salad works with simply about any main dish; pizza, grilled steak or chicken or even your go-to pasta. It’s a symphony of flavors in the most savory harmony. In fact, I did grill last night. Pat went golfing so I was forced to cook and served warm slices of grilled chicken on the salad I had leftover. It was phenomenal to say the least.

Enjoy! And if you give this Bacon Blue Cheese House Salad recipe a try, let me know! Snap a photo and tag me on twitter or instagram!