Super Salad

A Super Salad That Is Also A Complete Meal

I made this salad for myself on Super Bowl Sunday so I am calling it Super Salad. I saw a similar recipe in a magazine, thought it sounded delicious and made it with a few modifications. The ingredients for this Super Salad are easily accessible and the only seasoning is salt and pepper so you can adjust that to your preference. I love the addition of the fresh lemon in the dressing and the crispy bacon. The full, printable recipe is below, I am just going to share a few tips as to how I made this.

Super Salad Recipe

Yield: 8 Meal Sized Servings

Super Salad

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An easy salad with simple ingredients that combined make for a perfect salad. This salad can be made ahead of time and the dressing and croutons added when you're ready to serve. The meat and cheese combination in this salad make it a complete meal as well.

Ingredients

• For The Salad
• 2 Heads Of Romaine, torn
• 1 Cup Diced Tomatoes
• 1 Cup of Freshly Shredded Swiss Cheese
• 1/4 Cup of Freshly Shredded Parmesan
• 1/3 cup crushed pecans, toasted
• 8 Strips of Bacon. Crumbled
• 1 bag of Caesar or Italian Seasoned Bread Crumbs
• For The Dressing (Must Be Refrigerated 4 Hours Before Serving)
• 1/3 Cup of Vegetable Oil
• 1/4 Cup of Lemon Juice
• 3 to 4 cloves of garlic, minced
• Salt and Pepper To Taste

Instructions

1. Wash and tear the romaine lettuce and add to a large bowl.
2. Make your bacon extra crispy by baking it in the oven. Spread the bacon on a cookie sheet, set the oven to 350 degrees, add the cookie sheet to the oven as it heats up to prevent splatters, bake until crispy, about 15 to 20 minutes, drain on paper towels.
3. Dice tomatoes and toss with the lettuce.
4. Add your pecans to a skillet and toast for a few minutes, making sure not to burn. Let cool.
5. Freshly shred your cheeses, this makes a difference in texture and flavor.
6. Make your dressing by combining the lemon juice with the garlic, oil, lemon juice and salt and pepper, add to a jar, shake well and refrigerate at least four hours.
7. When you are ready to serve your salad, add the cheese, bacon crumbles, toasted pecans and dressing to the lettuce and tomatoes, toss and top with the croutons.

Bake Your Bacon

One of the things I learned in my cooking career while working in restaurants is to bake your bacon in the oven. It makes very little mess, there is easy clean up, the bacon comes out flat and crispy. Here’s how I do it:

• Add your bacon to a cookie sheet, one that has a rim so that the grease doesn’t leak in your oven.
• The slices of bacon can be placed very closely as they shrink when they cook.
• Set your oven to 375 degrees and place the cookie sheet in the oven as it heats, this prevents it from splattering all over your oven and allows it to cook and come out flat without it curling up.
• The bacon will cook in about 15 to 20 minutes once it reaches temperature. The thickness of the bacon will depend on the cook time so check on it until you get an idea of long it is going to take.
• Remove the bacon from the oven, remember it will continue to cook for a few minutes on the hot pan so you may want to take it out just before it reaches the level of crispness that you like. Drain the bacon on some paper towels.

The Lemon Garlic Dressing

I like to keep some jars with lids on hand to make dressings in. This makes it easy to shake and combine the ingredients as well as storage. This dressing is very few ingredients, lemon, oil, salt, pepper and garlic. I recommend letting this dressing sit for at least four hours once you combine it. Remember that the garlic and salt get stronger as it sits so don’t overuse the garlic or salt at first, you can always add more after it sits.

Super Salad For Meal Prep

This is a great salad to make ahead of time and eat on all week. I would keep the toppings separate if you are going to make a big batch for lunches or dinners so that all the ingredients stay crisp. Assemble as you serve.

Shred Your Own Cheese

I know this may seem like a menial task, but I really believe in shredding your own cheese fresh for recipes. The cheese is always much more flavorful and creamier when you shred it yourself. I think maybe this is because there are less preservative than when you buy it in a bag already shredded.

I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I did. I really love the combination of the crispy, salty bacon and the combination of the parmesan and Swiss cheese. The brightness of the fresh lemon and rich flavors of the garlic really bring this salad together. Enjoy!