This Maple Dijon Vinaigrette recipe has been getting 5-Star reviews! This is the recipe for the salad I designed to go with it with tender mixed greens, crisp apples, toasted pecans, and salty bacon. It would be just as delicious with a mix of other favorite fall ingredients. Feel free to use pears instead of apples, try a different toasted nut, add some avocado, or any other combination you think of. The dressing is sweet and savory and makes a phenomenal salad! Here’s how I make this simple Bacon, Apple, Pecan Salad with Maple Dijon Vinaigrette.
What are the best ingredients for an Autumn Salad?
I love mixing both textures and flavors in salads. I reach for crispy, flavorful Honeycrisp apples. Though they can be expensive you really only need 1 large one so I feel it’s worth the splurge! I like toasted pecans, but toasted almonds are just as great. You can toast them in the oven, or in a pan on the stove top. Lastly, bacon. I like to cook a whole pan of it in the oven because we usually end up eating half of it before it ever makes it into a salad, but you could easily pop a few slices in a skillet.
With vinaigrette dressings, I recommend tossing everything together before serving. With creamy dressings like my homemade ranch, it works well to have people dress their own salads on the plate, but it’s challenging to toss a salad like this in individual servings and it tastes better when it all has a lovely light coating of dressing.
This is the perfect salad for company, or for a holiday dinner like Thanksgiving or Christmas (though it would obviously work any time of year!) and even just a casual dinner at home.
Bacon, Apple, Pecan Salad with Maple Dijon Vinaigrette
Ingredients
Salad:
- 1 large salad bowl full of mixed spring greens or spinach
- 1 large apple I love honeycrisp chopped
- 4-5 slices bacon cooked crisp and crumbled
- 1/2 cup toasted pecans
Maple Dijon Vinaigrette:
- 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
- 1 1/2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 4 tablespoons canola oil or sub your fave oil like avocado, olive, etc.
- 1/2 tablespoons grated onion
- 1/2 clove garlic grated on microplane or fine-hole grater
- 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 pinch black pepper
Instructions
- To make dressing, combine all ingredients in a mason jar and shake vigorously until combined. Set aside.
- Combine all salad ingredients and drizzle on dressing to taste, tossing to coat everything.
