Bacon Blue Salad Recipe

Prepare greens

Wash and thoroughly dry the romaine and baby spinach. Chop or tear romaine into bite-size pieces. Place romaine and spinach in a large salad bowl and toss lightly to combine.

Prepare vegetables

Halve the cherry tomatoes. Peel (if desired) and thinly slice the cucumber into rounds or half-moons. Thinly slice the red onion into half-moons and separate into rings. Add tomatoes, cucumber and onion to the bowl with the greens.

Add crunchy and savory elements

Chop cooked bacon into bite-size pieces and add to the salad bowl. If using nuts, roughly chop and scatter toasted walnuts or pecans over the greens. Reserve a small handful of bacon and blue cheese for garnish if you prefer.

Top with cheese

Crumble the blue cheese and sprinkle most of it over the salad, reserving a little for garnish.

In a medium bowl, combine mayonnaise, sour cream, and buttermilk. Whisk until smooth.

Add white wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, minced garlic, honey, salt and black pepper. Whisk to combine, then slowly drizzle in the olive oil while whisking to emulsify the dressing.

Fold in the 1 oz of crumbled blue cheese, smashing a few pieces against the side of the bowl with the back of a spoon if you want a creamier texture with blue flecks. Taste and adjust seasoning — add a pinch more salt or a splash more buttermilk if you prefer a thinner dressing.

Chill dressing for at least 10 minutes if time allows to let flavors meld; otherwise proceed immediately.

Just before serving, drizzle about half the dressing over the salad and toss gently to coat. Add more dressing to taste — typically 3 to 4 tablespoons per serving.

Scatter the reserved bacon and blue cheese over the top for visual appeal. Serve immediately so the greens remain crisp.

Leftover dressing can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 4 days; toss salad just before serving to retain crunch.