Strawberry Iceberg Salad with Blue Cheese Vinaigrette
Easy strawberry salad recipe with iceberg lettuce, crumbled bacon and a homemade blue cheese vinaigrette. Jump to the Iceberg Strawberry Salad Walk into most grocery stores these days and you’ll find bags upon bags of mesclun mixes and delicate baby greens. As much as we love the choice, you’ll likely find us pushing the bags aside and reaching for heads of iceberg or romaine. We love the crunch. Forget the Wedge and Make this Salad with Strawberries and Tangy Blue Cheese Dressing Iceberg lettuce sometimes gets a bad rap, but it is perfect in this salad. It is crisp and hearty — plus it stands up to the extra spoonfuls of blue cheese vinaigrette we douse it with. (Yep, douse — it’s best this way). For the dressing, we mash blue cheese crumbles into apple cider vinegar — the cheese breaks down just enough that it sort of melts in. That along with a little garlic and olive oil makes everything really punchy. If you are more into creamy dressings, use our Creamy Blue Cheese Dressing, instead. Since the dressing is so forward, you really need the crisp iceberg and lots of sliced strawberries to cool things off. Oh and we add bacon. No explanation needed there, right? You’ll find us munching on a big plate of this strawberry salad for dinner, but you could easily turn it into a starter. Or make it your own and add some extras — roasted shrimp would be delightful. We love salad for dinner, here’s another dinner worthy salad for you: Balsamic Strawberry Salad with Goat Cheese and Candied Walnuts Recipe updated, originally posted July 2013. Since posting this in 2013, we have tweaked the recipe to be more clear. – Adam and Joanne Strawberry Iceberg Salad with Blue Cheese Vinaigrette PREP 10 mins COOK 20 mins TOTAL 30 mins PREP 10 mins COOK 20 mins TOTAL 30 mins With lots of crunch from iceberg lettuce this strawberry topped salad is perfect for dinner or served at the beginning of a meal. Think about adding some extra protein such as grilled shrimp or chicken. The vinaigrette is pretty punchy — if you’re not a big fan of tangy vinaigrettes, try topping the salad with a more traditional creamy blue cheese dressing. Makes 4 servings You Will Need Salad 5 thick-cut bacon slices, cooked until crisp then crumbled 1 medium head iceberg lettuce, trimmed and cored, sliced into 1-inch-thick rounds (should get about 4 to 5 rounds) 6 ounces strawberries, hulled and sliced (9 strawberries) 1/4 medium red onion, thinly sliced 2 ounces blue cheese, crumbled (1/2 cup) 1/2 teaspoon very finely minced garlic (about 1/2 medium clove) Pinch sugar, plus more to taste 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar, white wine vinegar or champagne vinegar 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil Salt and fresh ground black pepper Directions 1Place lettuce rounds onto plates or arrange all slices onto a larger platter. Top with crumbled bacon, strawberries and onion slices. 2Make vinaigrette. In a medium bowl, use a fork to mash the blue cheese, garlic and sugar into the cider vinegar until the blue cheese has melted into the vinegar. You don’t need to mash until completely smooth, it’s fine to have some small pieces of cheese left. 3Add the olive oil and whisk until creamy. Adjust seasonings with more sugar, salt and/or pepper. Drizzle dressing over stacked salad. If any blue cheese remains, it doesn’t hurt to add a few extra crumbles on top. 1Place lettuce rounds onto plates or arrange all slices onto a larger platter. Top with crumbled bacon, strawberries and onion slices. 2Make vinaigrette. In a medium bowl, use a fork to mash the blue cheese, garlic and sugar into the cider vinegar until the blue cheese has melted into the vinegar. You don’t need to mash until completely smooth, it’s fine to have some small pieces of cheese left. 3Add the olive oil and whisk until creamy. Adjust seasonings with more sugar, salt and/or pepper. Drizzle dressing over stacked salad. If any blue cheese remains, it doesn’t hurt to add a few extra crumbles on top. Adam and Joanne's Tips For the bacon, we bake it. If you have one, inset a metal cooling rack into a rimmed baking sheet lined with aluminum foil. Arrange bacon slices on rack. Bake bacon in a 400 degree F oven for 15 to 20 minutes until crispy. If you do not have a cooling rack that fits inside a baking sheet, lay bacon slices directly onto baking sheet. See more about baking bacon here. Nutrition facts: The nutrition facts provided below are estimates. We have used the USDA database to calculate approximate values. For the bacon, we bake it. If you have one, inset a metal cooling rack into a rimmed baking sheet lined with aluminum foil. Arrange bacon slices on rack. Bake bacon in a 400 degree F oven for 15 to 20 minutes until crispy. If you do not have a cooling rack that fits inside a baking sheet, lay bacon slices directly onto baking sheet. See more about baking bacon here. Nutrition facts: The nutrition facts provided below are estimates. We have used the USDA database to calculate approximate values. If you make this recipe, snap a photo and hashtag it #inspiredtaste — We love to see your creations on Instagram and Facebook! Find us: @inspiredtaste Nutrition Per Serving Serving Size 1/4 of the recipe / Calories 225 / Protein 8 g / Carbohydrate 9 g / Dietary Fiber 2 g / Total Sugars 6 g / Total Fat 18 g / Saturated Fat 5 g / Cholesterol 21 mg AUTHOR: Joanne Gallagher We’re Adam and Joanne, a couple passionate about cooking and sharing delicious, reliable recipes since 2009. Our goal? To inspire you to get in the kitchen and confidently cook fresh and flavorful meals.More About Us