This easy wilted lettuce salad with hot bacon dressing is tangy, zesty, and 100% addictive. Crisp, fresh lettuce is topped with crispy bacon AND the most amazing hot bacon vinaigrette. Ready in just 10 minutes, you’ll be in love after just one bite!
Why You’ll Love This Wilted Lettuce Salad Recipe
This wilted lettuce salad is the perfect combination of tangy and zesty flavors, with an addictive warm bacon dressing. Once you try it, you’ll be hooked! Here’s why you’ll love it:
- Bacon, Bacon, Bacon: Loaded with crisp, crumbled bacon and topped with a flavorful bacon dressing, this salad has a savory and smoky taste in every bite.
- Hot Bacon Dressing: This warm and zesty vinaigrette is made with bacon drippings and may be the best thing you’ve ever tasted. We add it while it’s still hot, giving the salad the signature ‘wilt’ taste and texture. It is SO good!
- Quick and Easy: Ready in just 10 minutes, this wilted lettuce salad is perfect for busy weeknights when you want something tasty without a lot of effort.
- Perfect For Any Occasion: Whether you’re looking for a light appetizer, or a side salad to accompany your main course, this salad is sure to impress!
Looking for more fresh salads? Try this shaved brussels sprouts salad with bacon, refreshing strawberry and spinach salad or our arugula salad with fried goat cheese!
What You’ll Need
Before we get started, let’s make sure we have everything we need to make this delicious wilted lettuce recipe. Scroll down to the recipe card for exact amounts.
- Lettuce: We’ll be using a head of crunchy romaine and a head of bitter radicchio. The combination is awesome! Check the tips section for more lettuce options.
- Green Onions: Sliced, for added flavor. A thinly sliced shallot also works.
- Bacon: We used thick cut bacon, for extra bacon grease to create our hot bacon dressing recipe!
- Apple Cider Vinegar: You can sub regular white vinegar or red wine vinegar, but you’ll lose some of the tanginess.
- Honey: 1 teaspoon of granulated sugar may be substituted for honey.
- Salt and Pepper: Use as needed to season the bacon vinaigrette the way you like it.
How to Make Wilted Lettuce With Hot Bacon Dressing
Are you ready to learn how to make the most delicious wilted lettuce salad? Trust us, it’s easier than you think! Scroll to the recipe card at bottom of the post for full detailed instructions.
- Toss: Tear the lettuce into pieces and toss them together in a large bowl.
- Hot Bacon Dressing: Cook the bacon until nice and crispy. Use a slotted spoon to remove the cooked bacon and set aside on a paper towel. Pour the vinegar and honey into the bacon fat and stir until combined. Be sure to scrap up all those tasty bacon bits!
- Combine: Pour the hot dressing over the lettuce. Toss well and watch that lettuce wilt! Add the crumbled bacon on top and serve immediately.
Cooks’ Tips
Here are some tips and variation options to help you get the best results:
- Toppings: Wilted lettuce salad is the perfect base for all the toppings you love. Some of our favorites are some crumbled blue cheese, candied nuts and crispy fried onions. You can also add sliced hard boiled eggs for a Cobb salad feel.
- Radicchio: If you cannot find radicchio, try a little red cabbage or omit it. We added the radicchio to give color and a little bite to this salad. Radicchio has a slightly bitter flavor, but it mellows perfectly when mixed with the bacon vinaigrette.
- Lettuce Greens: You can use different types of lettuce, but make sure whatever you choose is hardy, otherwise it’ll wilt too much. You could try butter leaf lettuce, iceberg lettuce or fresh baby spinach!
- Use Your Hands: We used our hands to tear the lettuce. Using a knife can make the lettuce turn brown quicker.
What to Serve With This Wilted Lettuce Recipe
Here are some of our favorite dishes to serve alongside this wilted lettuce salad:
- Chicken: You can go simple with grilled chicken breasts, or this salad would pair wonderfully with our juicy baked lemon pepper chicken!
- Beef: Slice up a perfectly cooked air fryer steak and serve it on top of this wilted lettuce salad. Another tasty option is to go the Southern route with our smothered cube steak.
- Pork: If the bacon wasn’t enough pork already, this warm salad is perfect served alongside our fried pork chops! For a lighter meal, try our easy and oh-so-juicy air fryer pork chops.
- Seafood: Some juicy grilled shrimp or this blackened Mahi Mahi are fast and easy options that pair wonderfully with this bacon filled salad!
Can I Store Leftovers?
Once assembled, this salad is best served immediately. Since the lettuce is wilted, it does not store well to enjoy again later.
However, you can store the salad mix and dressing separately in airtight containers in the fridge. When ready to serve, reheat the hot bacon dressing and then pour over the lettuce mixture. Serve immediately.
More Easy Salad Recipes
- Cucumber Tomato Salad
- White Bean Salad
- Broccoli Salad
- Mexican Corn Salad
- Asian Chicken Salad
- Shrimp and Orzo Salad
Yield: 4 servings
Wilted Lettuce Salad with Warm Bacon Dressing
This Wilted Lettuce Salad is tangy, zesty, and 100% addictive. Our secret? Crisp, fresh lettuce topped with salty bacon and the most amazing hot bacon dressing. One bite and you'll be in love.
Ingredients
- 1 head romaine lettuce, torn into pieces
- 1 head radicchio, torn into pieces
- 3 green onions, sliced
- 6 slices thick cut bacon, cut into pieces
- 4 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 teaspoons honey
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- In a large bowl add the romaine lettuce, radicchio and green onions. Toss and set aside.
- In a medium sized skillet, cook the bacon over medium-high heat until crispy. Use a slotted spoon to remove the cooked bacon and set aside.
- Turn off the burner under the skillet. If there is more than a ¼ cup of bacon grease, spoon the excess out before continuing.
- Pour the apple cider vinegar and honey into the bacon grease and stir until combined, scraping up any bacon stuck to the skillet.
- Pour the hot bacon dressing over the lettuce. Toss well and season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Top the salad with the crumbled bacon and serve immediately.
Notes
Storage: Once assembled, this salad is best served immediately. Since the lettuce is wilted, it does not store well to enjoy again later.
Make Ahead: However, you can store the salad mix and dressing separately in airtight containers in the fridge. When ready to serve, reheat the hot bacon dressing and then pour over the lettuce mixture. Serve immediately.
Apple Cider Vinegar: You can sub regular white vinegar or red wine vinegar, but you’ll lose some of the tanginess.
Honey: 1 teaspoon of granulated sugar may be substituted for honey.
Toppings: Wilted lettuce salad is the perfect base for all the toppings you love. Some of our favorites are some crumbled blue cheese, candied nuts and crispy fried onions. You can also add sliced hard boiled eggs for a Cobb salad feel.
Radicchio: If you cannot find radicchio, try a little red cabbage or omit it. We added the radicchio to give color and a little bite to this salad. Radicchio has a slightly bitter flavor, but it mellows perfectly when mixed with the bacon vinaigrette.
Lettuce Greens: You can use different types of lettuce, but make sure whatever you choose is hardy, otherwise it’ll wilt too much. You could try butter leaf lettuce, iceberg lettuce or fresh baby spinach!
Use Your Hands: We used our hands to tear the lettuce. Using a knife can make the lettuce turn brown quicker.
Nutrition
Serving: 1 serving, Calories: 285kcal, Carbohydrates: 13g, Protein: 10g, Fat: 22g, Saturated Fat: 7g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g, Monounsaturated Fat: 9g, Trans Fat: 0.1g, Cholesterol: 36mg, Sodium: 388mg, Potassium: 742mg, Fiber: 4g, Sugar: 5g, Vitamin A: 13760IU, Vitamin C: 14mg, Calcium: 75mg, Iron: 2mg
