Best Salad Ever (My Most Requested Salad Recipe) (2024)

by Mary Neumann ·

Today I am sharing one of my most requested recipes, The BEST SALAD EVER!! If you like the ingredients, you will LOVE this! Gorgonzola, apple, cherries (or cranberries), pecans and bacon, with a sweet balsamic dressing. Trust me, you will be going back for seconds…maybe thirds – it’s that good!

Read the rave reviews from people who tried this recipe on Pinterest!

Read more reviews from my original post for this salad.

The Best Salad for Dinner Parties, Holidays, Special Occasions!

I created this over twenty-six years ago when I was pregnant with my first child, trying to cure my salty, sweet, tart craving. Since then, it has been my go-to and one of my most requested recipes. I make it for dinner parties, holidays, special occasions, and it’s what my first child requests every single birthday – fitting.

I highly recommend using my saladdressingrecipe below – no substituting. All the flavorstogether is what makes this salad so delicious.

Mary’s Best Salad Ever (My Most Requested Salad Recipe):

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Ingredients

Mary’s Sweet Balsamic Dressing

Ingredients

1/2 cup vegetable oil or canola
1/3 cup sugar
3 tablespoons good balsamic vinegar
1/8teaspoondry mustard (or a little squeeze of yellow or Grey Poupon mustard)
Few twists of fresh cracked pepper Or use 1/8 tsp of reg ground pepper

Directions
Whisk all the ingredients together, until sugar and oil are blended. It takes a few minutes for the oil and sugar to blend. Keep whisking….it will blend.

Tips

You can substitute dried cherries with dried cranberries and sub Gorgonzola/blue cheese with goat or feta cheese.

The dressing is easy to adapt by adjusting the amount of sugar. If you like less sweet, add a little sugar at a time until you reach the desired sweetness.

Some people have made the dressing with olive oil and enjoyed the results. I have not used olive oil, so I am unable to tell you if it changes the taste of the salad. If you want to use olive oil, make a small batch to taste test.

Chop the apple right before serving to prevent it from browning.

Top with chicken (grilled is wonderful) for a meal.

If you make the salad, please let me know what you think.

Thanks for stopping by!

Cheers!

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Reader Interactions

Comments

Megan
April 30, 2021 at 11:30 am
How many does this serve?
- Mary Neumann
  April 30, 2021 at 11:58 am
  Serves 6-8 people Megan.
Kristy
December 23, 2020 at 6:59 pm
A friend of mine made this salad for our Christmas party last year, and I immediately had to ask her for the recipe. It’s so good! It’s been my go-to salad ever since.
Debi
December 22, 2019 at 9:40 pm
Made this for Thanksgiving dinner and everyone loved it. Will definitely make over and over. I don’t like gorgonzola so substituted with crumbled goat cheese. Delicious!!
JJeanie Schuler
December 09, 2019 at 10:57 am
I apologize if I missed this information – how many servings are there in this recipe? It sounds like the perfect salad for our neighborhood ladies’ progressive lunch next week. Thank you!
- Mary Neumann
  December 09, 2019 at 11:48 am
  When I make this, it serves up to 8 people.
Julie
December 02, 2019 at 10:53 pm
I made this salad and brought it to my family’s Thanksgiving dinner. It was so delicious and I was asked to share the recipe. This is a keeper! Thank you for posting it!
Debbie
August 09, 2019 at 4:25 pm
Hi Mary….I am an avid and very adventurous cook and so when I came across your balsamic dressing, I had to chuckle bc I’ve throwing those ingredients together with a few others and everyone goes wild. I also will throw some tortilla shells on the grill and brush some of the dressing onto it and flip and do the other side until it’s as soft or crisp as you like. I use honey and brown sugar in place of regular sugar. I also throw in some garlic, onion powder, and some herbs, and I mix in some apple cider vinegar as well. Try it and let me know your thoughts!!! Thanks for sharing!!! I love it!! 🙂
Martha Merrill
July 12, 2019 at 12:49 pm
What is the size of each bag of salad? I need to know so I am making the correct amount of salad.
Dede
August 13, 2018 at 10:25 am
Best. Salad. Ever.
I never comment or write reviews but this is worth it.
I followed recipe exactly. Unbelievable combination of tastes.
Thank you so much for the recipe!
Debby
March 21, 2018 at 7:49 am
I am highly allergic to blue cheeses -what can I sub?
- Mary Neumann
  March 21, 2018 at 11:00 am
  You can sub with feta or goat cheese, Debby.

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Best Salad Ever (My Most Requested Salad Recipe) (2024)

FAQs

What makes a salad more delicious? ›

Season the greens & vegetables

This also creates layers of flavor, giving your salad depth. Another way to add layers is by adding prepared ingredients to your salad like pickles, marinated or grilled veggies, or anything brined, like olives or capers.

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What can I put in a salad to make it more interesting? ›

Add spices and flavours such as paprika, chilli flakes, curry powder, harissa or parmesan. Add acidity or sourness with vinegar, lemon juice or pomegranate molasses to transform your salad.

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What seasoning to put on salad? ›

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Curry Powder. One interesting spice you can add to your salad to make it more flavorful is curry powder. ...
Garlic. ...
Ginger. ...
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Cumin.

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Why does restaurant salad taste so good? ›

Restaurants salt their salads.

In the restaurant I worked in, I also noticed that cooks seasoned every element with a pinch of salt — even the lettuce. This resulted in every bite tasting vibrant and flavorful. "Season your salad just like you would anything else," Simpson said.

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How do restaurants make salads so crisp? ›

The Keys to Crisp Lettuce

Lettuce actually needs a good amount of airflow, in addition to a bit of moisture (but not too much!), in order to stay crisp. That's why restaurants store their lettuce in special perforated bins that allow for air circulation while it's held in the fridge.

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What is extremely important in salad making? ›

Season, taste, repeat

Every salad component should taste good enough to eat on its own, so season your leaves, your dressing, and your add-ins (raw veg, roasted veg, croutons, nuts, and protein), tasting for salt and acid as you go. Toss, taste, and—maybe, just maybe—season again.

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How to pimp up a salad? ›

One of the easiest ways to get some flavour in your salad is to mix up your leaves with bright herbs that pack a punch. Plants like parsley, dill, mint and coriander can really kick your salads up a notch and give them some (much needed) depth and can give a great dose of flavour in every bite.

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There are five elements to a perfect salad: greens, sweetness, creaminess, crunchiness, and dressing.

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Most Famous Dressings in the World

Ranch Dressing. The ranch is a salad dressing or dip made with buttermilk, salt, garlic, onions, herbs (dill, parsley, chives, etc.), and spices (mustard seeds, black pepper, paprika, etc.) ...
Fry Sauce. ...
Chermoula. ...
Blue Cheese Dressing. ...
Thousand Island Dressing. ...
Italian Dressing.

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What's in Millionaire's salad? ›

ingredients

1 (21 ounce) can cherry pie filling.
1 (8 ounce) carton Cool Whip.
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk.
1 (16 ounce) can pineapple chunks, drained.
1 (11 ounce) can mandarin oranges.
1 cup seedless grapes (optional)
1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
1 cup mini marshmallows.

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What is the most popular salad ingredients? ›

A typical salad starts with raw greens, such as lettuce, spinach, kale, mixed greens or arugula. However, you can also add several other raw vegetables. Some popular raw veggie toppings include chopped carrots, onions, cucumbers, celery, mushrooms and broccoli.

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How you enhance the taste of the salad? ›

Add a little more and stop when things start tasting good to you.

Extra-Virgin Olive Oil: Adds richness and a “fullness” to a lusterless, dry salad.
Salt: Subdues bitter flavors and perks up the rest of them.
Lemon Juice and Zest: Brightens murky flavors, especially with dark vegetables.

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How do you make salad more appetizing? ›

Keep It Crunchy

In a bowl of soft and tender ingredients, a little crunch goes a long way. A handful of nuts or seeds—raw or toasted—are effortless and add an extra hit of nutrition. Try adding chunks of grilled bread to make a Panzanella-style salad or go for crispy breadcrumbs if you want a lighter level of crunch.