I love a salad full of a variety of ingredients so that every bite tastes different. Take advantage of the season's best flavors like roasted and caramelized sweet potatoes, tangy blue cheese, and ripened pears to create this delicious and hearty winter chopped salad recipe. A Winter Chopped Salad with Maple Dijon Vinaigrette is vibrant and colorful with layers of flavor from seasonal ingredients and a variety of hearty, crunchy, and crisp greens.
In about 30 minutes, you can have a hearty and rich big salad ready to serve for a weekday lunch or as a dinner side. Tossed with a sweet and zesty maple dijon vinaigrette, every bite has a different texture, from crunchy walnuts, crispy bacon, creamy blue cheese, and chewy vegetables.
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Why You Will Love This Salad
This salad is a delicious mix of flavor, texture, color. Here are some of the salad's best attributes.
- The mix of roasted and fresh vegetables add contrast and crunch.
- The flavor of the bold vinaigrette will not disappear when the salad is combined.
- The salad is filling enough to be a meal.
What is a Classic Chopped Salad?
Chopped salads originated at La Scala restaurant in Beverly Hills. Created because of the demand for a salad that was easier to eat, just a fork was required to enjoy it.
Key components
The key to a standard chopped salad is the variety of ingredients and their size. Everything should be a similar size.
- A variety of crisp greens helps to give a little structure to the salad. Some winter green suggestions are kale, brussels sprouts, spinach, or arugula.
- Vegetables, such as cherry tomatoes, onions, cucumbers, celery, red onions, or avocado, help to add some bulk to salad. Beans, such as black beans, cannellini, or chick peas, are a great healthy addition for added protein.
- Cheese is always welcome in a salad. Parmesan shards, crumbled feta, or chunks of sharp cheddar add some zing to a chopped salad.
- Proteins such as crispy bacon, shredded chicken, or smoked ham help to make the salad a meal.
- Garnishes add a bright spot of flavor. Try glazed nuts, pomegranate seeds, or diced chives.
Ingredients
With the road map for a classic chopped salad in mind, this recipe includes winter friendly ingredients available this time of year that add flavor, texture, and variety.
Salad
- assorted greens - Use a variety of hearty greens such as baby kale, sliced brussels sprouts, spinach, or arugula. For interest, add romaine or frisee for texture and crunch. Fresh parsley adds a bright herbal flavor.
- fruits and vegetables - Use sweet potatoes and bosc pears for a spark of natural sweetness and color.
- bacon - Don't forget the bacon for crunch, smoky flavor, and some salty savoriness.
- shallots - Not quite as sharp as onions but with a subtle sweet flavor.
- blue cheese - Try to get a creamy blue cheese. How sharp is up to you - from a mild Danish blue to a sharp Stilton.
- sweet glazed walnuts - For crunch and as a counterpoint to the tangy ingredients.
Maple Dijon Vinaigrette
- apple cider vinegar
- fresh garlic
- whole grain dijon mustard
- maple syrup
Step-by-Step Instructions
The recipe is not complicated. I suggest you start with the ingredients that need to be cooked. They need to cool before adding them to the greens.
Cook the Sweet Potatoes and Bacon
- Peel and dice the sweet potato into ½-inch pieces. Place the cubes onto a sheet pan and toss with olive oil, kosher salt, and ground black pepper.
- Place the sweet potatoes in a 425-degree preheated oven. Roast for 20 minutes until the cubes are fork-tender.
- While the sweet potatoes are in the oven, fry the bacon and drain it on towels to absorb any excess grease. When the bacon has cooled off, break it into bite-sized pieces.
Prep Salad Ingredients
- Rinse the salad greens in cold water. If you have a salad spinner, give the greens a spin to drain excess water. You can also drain the greens in a colander. Place in the refrigerator while you prepare the other ingredients.
- Thinly slice the shallots. A mandolin is very helpful for this job. Otherwise, if you use a knife, make sure to slice the shallots very thinly.
- Break the blue cheese into smaller pieces.
- Wait to peel and dice the Bosc pear until you are ready to serve the salad. It will oxidize or discolor if cut too early.
Prepare Maple Dijon Vinaigrette
- Pour apple cider into a small bowl. Using a microplane or a garlic press, grate a ½ teaspoon of fresh garlic into the vinegar.
- Add kosher salt and ground black pepper to the bowl. Let the salt dissolve before you proceed.
- Whisk in the whole grain dijon mustard and the maple syrup. Use real maple syrup - it makes a difference.
- Whisk in the extra virgin olive oil in a steady stream until the vinaigrette is emulsified.
- You can use a jar to make the vinaigrette and give it a shake to combine the ingredients.
Assemble the Salad
Toss the greens, sweet potatoes, bacon, shallots, Bosc pears, blue cheese, and nuts gently in a large salad bowl. Add the maple dijon vinaigrette and toss to combine with the salad ingredients.
Serve with some warm, crusty bread.
FAQ's
Yes. Prep the ingredients, except the pears, ahead of time. Store the ingredients separately in airtight containers. When it is time to serve the salad, toss the ingredients together in a large salad bowl. Peel and dice the pears, then add them to the salad. At this point, add the vinaigrette and toss everything to coat the ingredients.
The vinaigrette will last 7-10 days. It has many uses. Try it on roasted potatoes.
Substitutions
Here are suggestions for ingredient substitutions.
- Don't like walnuts? Use can easily make these switches - pine nuts, pecans, or sliced almonds. Roast the nuts for more flavor.
- Pomegranate seeds will add crunch as well as tartness.
- Add diced apples, preferably one with a crunchy texture, in place of the pears.
- Roasted butternut squash would be a delicious substitution for the sweet potatoes.
- Goat cheese or feta would be a good match with the vinaigrette.
Hearty Salad with a Fresh Taste
This Winter Chopped Salad with Maple Dijon Vinaigrette is a crunchy and colorful salad packed with flavorful vegetables and fruit. The bold flavor of the sweet and tangy vinaigrette complements the savory ingredients and hearty greens.
If you are craving something with a fresh taste and crisp texture this winter, this salad will hit just right. Enjoy the crunchy greens, seasonal vegetables, and tangy vinaigrette in this crave worthy winter chopped salad.
If you are looking for more winter salad inspo, try this kale salad. Delish! - https://tenpoundcakecompany.com/winter-kale-crunch-salad-with-apple-cider-dijon-vinaigrette/
Recipe
Winter Chopped Salad with Maple Dijon Vinaigrette
Equipment
- 1 cutting board
- 1 knife
- 1 vegetable peeler
- 1 sheet pan
- 1 salad spinner
- 1 mandolin
- 1 microplane
- 1 small bowl
- 1 whisk
Ingredients
Salad
- 8 cups assorted hearty greens (12 ounces/343 grams)
- ½ cup fresh Italian parsley leaves
- 1½ cups sweet potato, diced (7.5 ounces/210 grams)
- 8 slices bacon
- 1 large shallot (½ cup, 2 ounces/56 grams)
- 3 Bosc pears, diced (1½ cups/8 ounces/224 grams)
- 1 cup blue cheese (4 ounces/116 grams)
- ¾ cup glazed nuts (3.5 ounces/98 grams)
Maple Dijon Vinaigrette
- 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 garlic clove
- 1 pinch kosher salt
- 1 pinch black pepper
- 1 tablespoon whole grain dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- ¼ cup olive oil
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425℉
Prep Sweet Potato
- Peel and dice the sweet potato into ½-inch pieces. Place the sweet potatoes on a sheet pan and toss with 1½ tablespoons of olive oil, ¼ teaspoon of kosher salt, and ¼ teaspoon of ground black pepper.
- Roast the sweet potatoes for 20 minutes, until they are fork tender.
Prep Salad Ingredients
- While the sweet potatoes are roasting, fry the bacon.
- Using a mandolin, thinly slice the shallots.
Finish Salad Ingredients
- While the sweet potatoes cool to room temperature, chop the bacon.
- Break the cheese into pieces.
- Just before tossing the salad, peel and chop the bosc pears into ½-inch pieces.
Prepare Maple Dijon Vinaigrette
- Pour apple cider vinaigrette into a small bowl. Using a Microplane, grate ½ teaspoon of garlic into the bowl.
- Add the kosher salt and pepper to the bowl.
- Once the salt has dissolved, whisk in the dijon mustard and the maple syrup into the vinegar.
- Add the olive oil in a steady stream to the vinegar while whisking.
Assemble the Salad
- Toss the greens, sweet potatoes, bacon, shallots, bosc pears, blue cheese, and nuts gently. Add the maple dijon vinaigrette and toss to combine with the salad ingredients.
- Serve with some warm, crunchy bread.
Notes
Nutrition
Julie says
Full of texture and flavor. Love the vinaigrette!