Salad with Goat Cheese, Pecans, and Balsamic Vinaigrette
Back when I just began cooking, one of my earliest recipes was my Quick and Best Balsamic Vinaigrette, see recipe under Salad. While I was happy with this recipe, I faced the challenge of pairing it with a salad. I first tried using romaine lettuce, but I didn’t like its bitterness. So, this eliminated a lot of other greens. Then, one day I was perusing the aisles of my local produce stand and saw a head of rather neutral red leaf lettuce. I thought to myself, this should do the trick! And that it did. The rest fell into place. With a pinch of goat cheese and crunchy pecans, this salad came effortlessly together. It’s quick to make, with only four ingredients, but the flavors dance across your palate, making it an easy crowd pleaser!
Ingredients
- 1 head red leaf lettuce
- ½ batch of My Quick and Best Balsamic Vinaigrette, ¼ cup + 1 T.
- Pecans and goat cheese to garnish
Directions
- Step 1 Wash and run your lettuce through a salad spinner if you have the luxury of having one. If you don’t, just pat the lettuce dry with paper towels.
- Step 2 Then, break the lettuce apart in bite-size pieces and assemble on salad plates. Dress each plate with 2-3 t. of My Quick and Best Balsamic Vinaigrette or another balsamic vinaigrette. Tip: take care to not drown out the lettuce and other ingredients with dressing. You may want to start off with 1-2 t. of vinaigrette and add more if needed. Go by the mantra, more is less.
- Step 3 Finally, to top it all off, garnish each salad with a handful of pecans and a sprinkle of goat cheese. Toss and serve right away since the lettuce will wilt from the dressing over time. Enjoy!
With a one-of-a-kind blend of creamy goat cheese, crunchy pecans, and a savory balsamic vinaigrette, your guests will think you labored all day in the kitchen. Don’t tell them, it took just 9 minutes to assemble and used only 4 ingredients. Everyone deserves a secret!