This salad is my farewell salad to summer. And no, that doesn’t mean we wont continue to eat salads for the rest of the season, but this salad is everything I love about the summer season and I felt like if I was going to post a salad “recipe” this had to be it! It’s chock full of so many fresh ingredients and is definitely something you should make before tomato season is over. Between the sweet cherry tomatoes, crispy bacon, toasted bread crumbs and creamy dressing this is my kind of salad. It’s filling, delicious and a breeze to prepare. Bonus, you can probably buy all of the ingredients (including dressing ingredients) at your local farmers market. I hope you all enjoy this tasty number as much as we do. Grab a fork and dig in!
Ingredients:
For the Salad
- 3 strips of bacon, chopped
- 2 cups sourdough bread, torn into bite size pieces
- olive oil
- salt and pepper
- 1 head of lettuce, washed and torn into bite size pieces
- 1/2 of a small red onion, thinly sliced
- a few sprigs of basil, torn
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
Dressing
- 4 ounces goat cheese, at room temperature
- 2 tablespoons buttermilk
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- Pinch of salt and pepper
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 425F
- Fry the bacon in a large cast iron (or oven proof) skillet over medium heat until cooked through and slightly crispy. Remove from the heat and set aside on a paper towel lined plated to drain. Reserve the bacon grease.
- Add the torn bread to the pan with the reserved bacon grease (if it needs more oil add a touch of olive oil) sprinkle with salt and pepper and toss to coat. Place in the preheated oven and bake until the bread is toasted and lightly crisp. About 15-18 minutes. Toss the bread a few times while baking.
- In a large bowl add the torn lettuce leaves along with the onion, basil and cherry tomatoes. Top with the bacon crumbles and bread.
- Prepare the dressing by placing all the ingredients in a blender (or use an immersion blender) and blend until smooth and creamy. Taste for seasonings and adjust as needed.
- Drizzle the dressing over the salad and enjoy
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