Bacon Blue Cheese Kale Salad

5 from 3 votes

Bacon Blue Cheese Kale Salad

Crunchy, colorful Bacon Blue Cheese Kale Salad is a quick, crave-worthy side dish for fall family dinners or festive holiday feasts!

Course Side Dish

Cuisine American

Keyword bacon blue cheese kale salad, kale salad

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 10

Total Time 20

Servings

Calories 313kcal

Author Aubrey

Equipment

Ingredients

2 strips bacon thinly sliced
½ red onion peeled and thinly sliced
8 cups kale wash and torn off the stem and into small pieces (see note)
½ cup chopped walnuts toasted (see note)
1 Fuji apple cored and sliced
¼ cup blue cheese crumbles

Dressing

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon dijon mustard
⅛ teaspoon salt

Instructions

Add the sliced bacon to a large skillet over medium heat. Once the fat begins to render from the bacon, add the red onion. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the bacon is crispy and the onion is soft, about 10 minutes. Drain any excess fat from the pan.
While the onions cook, whisk together the dressing ingredients in a large serving bowl until they are smooth and creamy.
Add the kale to the serving bowl and toss to coat. Once the bacon and onions have finished cooking, let them cool for 1 minute. Then, add them to the bowl with the kale.
Add the walnuts, sliced apple, and blue cheese to the salad and toss everything together to combine. Serve immediately.

Notes

You can use pre-packaged baby kale to save on prep time.

To toast the walnuts: Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F and place the walnuts on a baking sheet in an even layer. Toast them for 6-8 minutes. Keep a close eye on things as the nuts can burn easily. (I do this while the bacon and onions are cooking, so everything finishes together.)

Nutrition