Salad

This is one of my favorite salads – and it is super easy to make!  I love how quick it is to prepare, and is a great way to dress up a salad.  I make this a lot for guests and always get compliments!

You’ll need:

  • balsamic vinegar, olive oil, salt, and pepper (for homemade)
    • or, I recommend Newman’s Own Balsamic Vinaigrette
  • blue cheese
  • chopped walnuts (I buy them pre-chopped, or you can easily chop them on your own)

Salad with Balsamic Walnuts Blue Cheese

How to make the Balsamic Vinaigrette:

The general rule for making a balsamic vinaigrette is 1 part balsamic to 3 parts oil.

I use a nice balsamic and extra virgin olive oil – I love the rich flavors!

Once you have your ratio of vinegar and oil, sprinkle in salt and some pepper.  How much you make really depends on how big of a salad you are preparing – often I am making just enough for myself.

Whisk or shake your mixture.  It will stay together for a little while and separate out over time.  Also check to make sure you added enough salt – I have made the mistake of not adding enough salt and it was a little bland.

If I make this for our family at home, I sometimes just make this in a glass mixing cup and whisk with a fork (or mini whisk).  Other times when we are serving guests, I use a mason jar and shake it up.

Balsamic Vinaigrette

Assembling the salad:

For this salad, one of my favorites is a butter lettuce, but you could use a romaine or spring mix.  (In my photos, I used a baby romaine mix).

I generally wait to add the dressing until the salad is ready to be served, so that it stays fresh.

Salad

Toss the dressing with the salad, then top with chopped walnuts and blue cheese.  If you toss the salad with the toppings, the toppings tend to end up at the bottom, so I leave the cheese and walnuts on top, even if just for presentation.

I also sometimes make this like a ‘salad station’, so that if we are serving kids, they can make their own salad.  My kids are not a fan of blue cheese, so I give them the option of leaving it off.

Salad