Kale Salad with Bacon and Olive Oil Vinaigrette
Learn how to make a mushroom, walnut and kale salad recipe. Dress it with a delicious bacon fat and olive oil vinaigrette. Packed with browned cremini mushrooms and crispy bacon pieces, this kale salad is so good, it’s sure to become another favorite in your house.
Delicious and Flavorful way to Eat Kale
Since I started making this kale salad recipe, kale doesn’t last long in our house. Once I come home from the grocery store, I know I’m going to use at least half of the 16 oz bag of kale I got to make this delicious mushroom, walnut kale salad with bacon vinaigrette. It’s flavorful without being too powerful. I love it for lunch with some toast on the side. This kale salad is also impressive enough to serve when guests come over.
What type of kale should I use for this mushroom, walnut kale salad?
I always use common curly kale when making this mushroom, walnut kale salad. Curly kale is pale green in color and has frilly-edged leaves that grow on long, thick stems. It is usually sold bound together in loose leaves. It is a hearty green that isn’t fun to eat totally raw. I suggest removing the leaves from the stems and massaging the leaves with a bit of salt before eating. This softens it up and makes it easier to eat.
To save on prep time, I like to buy a 16 oz bag of chopped curly kale from the store. This way, the leaves are already removed from the stems and chopped into pieces. All I have to do is pour it into a bowl and massage it, then it’s ready to be eaten in a salad or grain bowl.
What type of bacon should I use for this kale salad?
The best type of bacon for this kale salad is a thick cut style bacon. You can use thin bacon, but it won’t be as substantial as thick-cut bacon when chopped and mixed in with the walnuts, mushrooms, and kale. Thick cut bacon crisps up well without burning easily, like thinner bacon might. When thick cut bacon is chopped up, it makes for nice, robust bacon pieces that won’t get lost in the fray.
Do I have to use walnuts?
Nope. If you don’t like/don’t have walnuts at home, you can use a variety of nuts and seeds to add to this kale salad. Some good variation options are almonds or pecans. If you’re allergic to nuts, you can use sunflower seeds in the salad too.
What if I’m making this kale salad ahead of time?
If you plan to serve this kale salad later, avoid tossing it with the vinaigrette right away as suggested at the end of the recipe. Instead, cover the salad and refrigerate it until it’s time to serve. If you prepared the vinaigrette in a jar, refrigerate the jar of vinaigrette as well.
Keep in mind that since the vinaigrette contains olive oil and bacon fat, both of which solidify when refrigerated, you’ll need to warm it slightly before drizzling it over the salad. You can do this by microwaving the vinaigrette in 10-second bursts for a total of about 30 seconds until it becomes pourable again.
Tips for Making Mushroom, Walnut Kale Salad
- Buy a large bag of pre-chopped kale to help make prepping this recipe a breeze.
- If you don’t like and/or don’t have walnuts, try another type of nut (like almonds) or a seed (like sunflower seeds).
- This recipe is very versatile, try adding your own favorite salad components. I personally love cucumber in this salad. You could add dried cranberries to add some sweetness and chew.
- If making this kale salad ahead of time, wait to toss the salad in the vinaigrette until right before serving. If the bacon fat and olive oil vinaigrette hardens while in the fridge, microwave for about 30 seconds to melt it and make it pourable.
Kale Salad with Bacon Vinaigrette
March 5, 2024Equipment
- 1 Skillet (I used my 12" cast iron skillet)
- 1 Large Bowl
- 1 jar with lid (for vinaigrette, or use a bowl)
Ingredients
For the Salad
- 8 oz Kale Chopped into small pieces
- 1 tsp salt
- 3 strips Bacon Thick Cut
- 8 medium-large Cremini Mushrooms cut into small pieces
- dash salt
- 2 tsp olive oil extra virgin
- 1 cup walnuts
For Vinaigrette
- 2 TBS Bacon Fat aka Bacon Grease
- 2 TBS Olive Oil Extra Virgin
- 2 TBS Dijon Mustard
- 1/2 tsp Fresh cracked pepper ~20 cranks of the pepper grinder
Instructions
Prep the Salad
- Put the prepared kale into the large bowl. Sprinkle the salt on top of the kale. Using your hands, massage the salt into the kale for about 1 minute. After a minute or so, the kale should feel soft and be brighter in color.8 oz Kale, 1 tsp salt
- Heat the skillet over medium heat. Lay the bacon into the heated pan. Cook on the first side for about 5 minutes or until well browned. Flip bacon over and cook on second side for another 3 – 4 minutes or until browned and crisp. Remove from pan and place on a plate lined with paper towel.3 strips Bacon
- Remove from heat and let pan cool down for a minute or two. After the pan has cooled a bit, drain the bacon fat into the jar (I like to have the jar with it's lid off set in the sink when I do this in case of dripping). Set bacon fat aside.
- Heat the pan over medium heat again. Put the chopped mushrooms into the pan and sprinkle some salt on them. Stirring every so often, cook the mushrooms for about 5 – 8 minutes. After the extra water has cooked out of the mushrooms, drizzle some olive oil on them and cook 3 more minutes. When the mushrooms are browned, take them out of the pan and put them in the bowl with the kale.8 medium-large Cremini Mushrooms, dash salt, 2 tsp olive oil
- Lower the heat to low and let the pan cool for about a minute. Once the pan has cooled a bit, add the walnuts to the pan. Stir the walnuts often to help toast them evenly and prevent burning. Once the walnuts are golden and fragrant, take them out of the pan and put them on a cutting board.1 cup walnuts
- Chop up the walnuts and bacon into small pieces. Add the walnuts and bacon pieces to the bowl of kale and mushrooms.
Prep the Vinaigrette
- Into the jar of bacon fat (if it has solidified, microwave for about 30 seconds), add in the olive oil, dijon mustard, and pepper. Put the lid on the jar and shake it up until it is emulsified.2 TBS Bacon Fat, 2 TBS Olive Oil, 2 TBS Dijon Mustard, 1/2 tsp Fresh cracked pepper
- Pour the vinaigrette onto the kale, mushrooms, and walnuts in the large bowl. Using tongs, evenly dress the salad with the vinaigrette.
- Enjoy!
If you have a boatload of kale and aren’t sure what to do with it, how about trying out this kale salad? It might just become another favorite in your house.
