Salad

Chopped Salad with Turkey, Bacon, and Apples

Here I go again talking about the weather, but for me it really plays a role in what I will…

Here I go again talking about the weather, but for me it really plays a role in what I will serve for our meals. We had a tease of cool temperatures over the weekend, but that was short lived and it’s warm again. With the cusp of Fall around the corner, I wanted to enjoy the flavors that the season has to offer in a refreshing meal that won’t heat up my kitchen.

Smoked turkey, crisp apples, bacon, and a simple blue cheese vinaigrette come together to satisfy my seasonal taste buds. I take it a few ingredients further by adding shallots, which help balance all the sweet and savory flavors. I also enjoy the addition of dried cranberries and toasted pecans (more seasonal flavors) to round out the salad, but you can certainly omit them or do as I do and serve them in bowls and allow your family and/or guests to serve themselves.

Serve it for lunch or as light dinner with a basket of hot buttered biscuits, or a batch of sweet cornbread. I can hear the leaves rustling now….

Chopped Salad with Turkey, Bacon, and Apples

By Nicole Prep: 10 minsAssemble Time: 5 minsTotal: 15 mins Servings: 4 A plate of salad with lettuce, diced chicken, apple pieces, pecans, and dried cranberries, set on a white table next to a fork, a napkin, a green glass of water, and small bowls of pecans and cranberries.

A plate of salad with lettuce, diced chicken, apple pieces, pecans, and dried cranberries, set on a white table next to a fork, a napkin, a green glass of water, and small bowls of pecans and cranberries.

A quick and easy seasonal Fall salad!

Ingredients

For the Dressing

3 ounces blue cheese, crumbled
¼ cup neutral oil, like Safflower
2 ½ tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 medium shallot, minced
½ teaspoon granulated sugar
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

For the Salad

8 ounces thick-cut deli smoked turkey breast, cut into ½-inch pieces
8 slices of bacon, cooked and chopped
2 Romaine hearts, cored and chopped
2 Honey Crisp apples, cored and cut into ½-inch chunks
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
½ cup toasted pecans, optional
½ cup dried cranberries, optional

Instructions

For the Dressing

In a large bowl, mash together half of the cheese, oil, vinegar, shallot, and sugar until smooth and creamy. Season with salt and pepper.

For the Salad

Add the lettuce, apples, turkey, bacon, parsley and remaining cheese to bowl with dressing and toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper. Garnish with pecans and cranberries if using or serve on the side. Enjoy!

Notes

Purchase 1/2-inch thick slices of deli turkey.
Dressing can be made several hours in advance.
Almonds and walnuts can be used instead of pecans

Nutrition

Calories: 516kcal, Carbohydrates: 34g, Protein: 21g, Fat: 35g, Saturated Fat: 8g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g, Monounsaturated Fat: 20g, Trans Fat: 0.04g, Cholesterol: 50mg, Sodium: 1198mg, Potassium: 584mg, Fiber: 6g, Sugar: 24g, Vitamin A: 5314IU, Vitamin C: 10mg, Calcium: 160mg, Iron: 2mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.