That Good Salad
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There’s just something about That Good Salad. This much-requested recipe has everything a good salad needs–fresh greens, crunchy nuts and croutons, a bright garlic dressing, and bacon, of course!
I was standing in line at Carter’s doing a little Christmas shopping when I got a text from my husband: “I just cat-called a lady on the sidewalk outside Carter’s that I thought was you. I’m staying in the car.”
Well, that certainly explained why he hadn’t joined me inside yet. Being the gentleman that he was, he had dropped me off in front of the store 10 minutes earlier and gone to find parking. Unfortunately, as he circled back around the over-crowded parking lot, that same gentleman happened to spot a woman who looked shockingly like me (especially in our matching puffy, black, fur lined winter coats) and proceeded to let out an exuberant “owww owww!” in her general direction. When the woman turned to face him with an expression that was clearly annoyed (and clearly not me!), my husband shrank into the seat of his car and immediately signed up for the witness protection program.
When I got the text, I couldn’t help letting out a little yelp of laughter. I love that I’m married to a man who still wants to cat call his wife but is also genuinely mortified at the prospect of ever cat-calling a random stranger. He’s a good one.
We’re kicking off the new year with a salad. I know. I’m so basic. But guys, this isn’t one of those dumb salads you force yourself to eat because it’s good for you, and you made that pesky resolution to eat salad every day in 2017. There’s no “forcing” when it comes to this salad, only asking for seconds.
I got this recipe from my best friend, who brought it to a dinner party a few months ago. It was go good, I texted her immediately after she left, begging for the recipe. She texted me back a few minutes later with a picture of the recipe in her family’s cookbook. The title? “That Good Salad.” No other description needed.
Of course, I’m a food writer, so I feel the need to give you a little more description. Let’s start with the lettuce–a simple mixture of romaine and curly kale. I slice it into thin strips, which is ideal for soaking up dressing and giving you a fresh crunch in every bite.
Then there are the toppings–halved grape tomatoes, mozzarella and Parmesan cheese, toasty slivered almonds, crumbled bacon, and croutons. It’s all you ever needed in a salad–fresh, crunchy, creamy, and bacony. That’s like the four food groups of salad, right?
Everything is tossed in the easiest ever lemon garlic dressing. The dressing is bright, but subtle, hanging out in the background and letting all those amazing toppings shine. If I’m feeling feisty, I like to add an extra clove or two of garlic to the dressing for a big pop of flavor. One note about the croutons–I like to rough em up a bit so they’re in small crumbles instead of big honking squares. This evenly distributes the crunch factor and also keeps you from cutting the roof of your mouth on a giant crouton. Win-win.
This year, resolve to eat deliciously…and maybe to avoid cat calling people other than your spouse, too. Just a little word of advice from a guy I know.
If you’re looking for more salads that don’t feel like a chore, check out my Copycat Northstar Chopped Salad or Mason Jar Chicken Taco Salad!
Looking for a little Soup with your Salad? Check out this Fresh Tomato Soup with Basil for the perfect combination.
That Good Salad
Video
Ingredients
Salad:
- 1 cup slivered almonds
- 8 strips bacon
- 1 head romaine lettuce
- 2 stalks curly kale (stems removed)
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes (halved)
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
- 1 cup croutons (coarsely chopped)
Dressing:
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 2 - 3 cloves garlic (minced)
- 3/4 cup olive oil
- Salt and Pepper (to taste)
Instructions
- Add the bacon to a cold skillet and fry until crispy. Remove to a paper towel lined plate and allow to drain, then chop the bacon into small pieces.
- In a dry skillet, toast the slivered almonds for a few minutes, stirring often, until lightly browned and fragrant. Cool.
- Chop the kale and romaine into thin strips. In a bowl, toss together the cherry tomatoes, cheeses, croutons, nuts, and bacon.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice and garlic. Pour the oil slowly into the mixture, whisking constantly. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Toss the salad with the dressing and serve.
Notes
- Feel free to swap out toppings or use this dressing on your own favorite salad. You may come up with your own new recipe everyone asks for!
If I’m making the salad for a party where people may be eating at different times, should I keep the dressing on the side?
Yes, I recommend keeping the dressing on the side if you want the greens to stay crisp more than 1-2 hours.
I’m making this tomorrow for Christmas Eve. Can the dressing be made ahead of time? Can’t wait to try it!
Yes you definitely can! It’ll stay fine at room temp overnight. If you’re storing it for longer than that, toss it in the fridge.
I love this salad. It’s one of my favorites. Do you know how long would the salad dressing last in the refrigerator?
The dressing should last for 1-2 weeks. You’ll want to bring it up to room temp and shake well to reincorporate.
Do you store the leftover dressing in the fridge or can it be left out?
I store the dressing in the fridge if I’m not using it within 24 hours.
Bacon with lemon sounds gross, but IT ISN”T! Just found my new favorite side salad!
Best salad EVER!
Best salad ever! I am a salad lover and this one is my favorite. Thank you for this recipe.
I made this for my work family this evening. We are licking our plates!!! Love all the ingredients. We skipped the kale and used Romaine and Red leaf lettuce. Thanks for sharing this. It’s a new favorite and I’m sharing!
I’m so glad you enjoyed the salad! Thanks for coming back to let me know!
Wow. I just found this comment after checking out the salad recipe. Really? Some feelings or opinions need to be kept private. Anywho, haven’t tried your recipe yet, but look forward to it. Thanks Courtney!
T.
Omg…i just wanted a recipe….not your life story. No one cares about all of that.
I made this salad for my family’s early Thanksgiving dinner today- it was a huge success! There was only one salad lover at the table, but all right of us had seconds ( and thirds) of this until it was all gone! Thanks for sharing!!!
I made this delicious salad for a social gathering at the lake. It was a big hit. I didn’t have any kale, but had Swiss Chard growing in the garden, so substituted that. So happy to have another recipe to use Swiss Chard! We had a little left over and am eating it now as I am typing this. I was afraid it wouldn’t be very good with soggy croutons, but I am still enjoying it! lol! Thanks for the great recipe!
I cannot link to the actual recipe with ingredients, even went to blog and same thing there! Was going to make this tonight.
Hi Patti! I’m so sorry about that! The recipe card was unavailable temporarily. It should all be back up and running now. Please refresh the page and see if that works. If you have any other issues please let me know! I hope you love the salad!
Tried this recipe for dinner tonight. I thought the combination of ingredients was kind of weird, and also that the dressing was really sour. But….put it all together, and it was so delicious. The dressing made the whole salad very fresh. Definitely a keeper!
I’m so glad there was a But in that comment. 🙂 Thanks for coming back to let me know! I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
I’m definitely going to try this salad recipe – for the hot Australian summer that is predicted, for 2018. Could you use proscuitto instead of bacon? Proscuitto might have a lighter flavour? What about tossing the nuts, just out of the pan, in a little powdered chilli? Or would that overpower the flavour. Probably. Thank you. Gabrielle (from Sydney, Aust.)
You could absolutely use prosciutto instead of bacon, but I probably wouldn’t recommend the chili on the nuts. I hope you enjoy the recipe!
This salad is VERY similar to the salad with the same name from Taste of Home. Theirs uses Swiss cheese, romaine, no kale. The dressing is very close to theirs too
I have saved this recipe and look forward to trying it.
Sorry, but I have to point this out. The recipe says the cook time is 15 HRS. Lol
It looks delicious and can’t wait to make it for 4th of July festivities.
Haha, oh dear! I will have to fix that. I don’t care how good it is, no salad is worth 15 hours! 😂😂
What kind of mozzarella cheese do you recommend? Fresh (like the kind packed in water) or regular grocery store mozzarella? Thanks!
I usually don’t use fresh—either preshredded or block mozzarella cheese will work great.
I made That Good Salad earlier this week and it was a big hit with the family. So much so that it was requested again for last nights dinner. Another success enjoyed. We especially like the light dressing. Thank you for sharing the recipe.
That’s wonderful! Thanks so much for coming back to let me know. It always makes my day!
I rate this 5 stars for sure!! It’s an amazing salad. I’ve received great reviews every time I’ve made it. It’s easy and delicious. The bowl is always empty at the end of dinner. 🙂
Wow it was such a hit so simple and good . Had a party everyone wanted recipe. Ha ha I told them I made it oops. Then I could not tell lie. Got it from you. Thx for such a good salade
Haha! You’re the one who put all the ingredients into the bowl, so you DID make it! Thanks for sharing the recipe though. I really appreciate it!
Hi there. Do you use fresh squeezed lemon juice or is bottled lemon juice ok?
I usually use fresh, as I feel bottled can have a really strong, sometimes bitter flavor.
I just made this salad for my husband and in-laws and it was a huge hit! Everyone loved the citrus dressing!
I’m so glad! We love to keep the dressing on hand all the time. It’s our favorite part!
Other than the croutons, would this be gluten free? I’m thinking of making this for my bunko group and one of our ladies can have no gluten.
I’m sorry I didn’t see this comment sooner! YES, this salad is gluten free if you leave out the croutons! You might also want to check the labels on the nuts to make sure it isn’t processed in a facility with wheat.
Would love to know how many people this salad serves and the calories per serving.
Thanks
Susan
It is delicious. It is possible that I get more
salad recipes. Thank you for your kindness
This salad is aw-mazing and I had to improvise! Decided I wanted to make a salad to take to our neighborhood 4th of July bash and found this recipe. Not wanting to face the last minute shoppers I had to use iceberg & kale, toasted pecans, roma tomatoes and homemade croutons made from hotdog buns. It got rave reviews, especially that awesome dressing. I am making the original recipe for dinner this week.
That is awesome! Love your hot dog bun hack. I’m always left with extra buns and I’m definitely going to do that next time. So glad you liked the salad!
My new favorite salad!! The dressing is so simple to make and is not overpowering. Just perfect! I added half and avocado and a veggie chciken patty and it makes a great lunch! Yum!! So glad I found this!
That is awesome! I’m so glad you enjoy it!
OMG I usually just pass up the stories and skip to the recipe but for some reason I stopped and glanced at it….lmao its was a great one thanks for making me laugh
Well, that’s what happens when you indulge in PDOA! (Public Displays of Affection) Too funny.
This dressing looks amazingly simple. I’ve got to try it. Thanks for posting a great recipe to start off the year right.
OMG I was cracking up for a whole minute here. Your poor hubby! And lucky you 🙂 this salad looks amazing–the perfect side for this hilarious story!
Right?! The poor guy was so mortified. I still giggle every time I think about it.