Warm bacon vinaigrette with shallots, garlic, balsamic vinegar, honey and mustard is an amazingly flavorful dressing for salads and vegetables that’s ready in about 15 minutes.
We had a lovely long weekend at the beach for the July 4th holiday.
The weather was gorgeous, and we got in plenty of beach time, pool time, cast netting on the docks, eating on the porch, watching sunsets, watching fireworks, snuggling and watching movies, and so much more.
Makes getting back to work a little difficult, but I'm diving in nonetheless.
OK, let's move right along to the food.
I’ve shared a version of this dressing with my warm chicken, spinach and sweet potato salad with bacon vinaigrette.
Today’s recipe for warm bacon vinaigrette is very similar to that one, but even easier to make.
The other version uses orange juice, which I wanted for that flavor to go with the sweet potatoes, but this version is more based on pantry staples, so you can make it anytime.
We’ve got bacon that we’re using for the grease, some sautéed shallots and garlic, olive oil and balsamic vinaigrette, honey, mustard, and salt and pepper.
You bring all of those heavy-hitting flavors together and you have a simply outstanding hot bacon vinaigrette that is going to knock your socks off!
This dressing will liven up any salad and is also amazing on steamed or roasted vegetables, such as green beans or asparagus.
Plus, you’ve got the reserved bacon that you can crumble over top of whatever you are serving as well to just really put it over the top.
Seriously tasty! You will be looking for more ways to use this vinaigrette.
And because I do that exact thing, stay tuned because I have a loaded spinach salad recipe coming up for you soon that features this dressing. (See photo above; it's ahhhmazing!)
You can sign up for my free e-newsletter to get all of my new recipes delivered straight to your inbox so you never miss a thing. I’ll even send you my free e-cookbook, Healthy Weeknight Dinners, as a thank you!
But back to today’s recipe. Let’s get cooking.
Now, I’ve got some notes and tips coming up below on how to make bacon vinaigrette. Just tryin’ to be helpful.
If you want to jump on down to the recipe, simply scroll right on through the rest of the text. The recipe card is near the bottom of the page, above the comments section.
Notes on making warm bacon vinaigrette:
- Bacon: I tend to use a center-cut or thick-cut bacon, but regular is fine, too. You cook it for the grease, which is used in the dressing. But definitely crumble the cooked bacon and use it for your salad or veggies, too!
- Shallot: The shallot adds so much flavor and texture, and I really love it in this dressing. However, I know some people skip it.
- Honey: Honey is my go-to here, but I think you could sub maple syrup if that’s what you have on hand.
- Mustard: I like the texture and look of the coarse grain mustard, but you could substitute Dijon mustard or use a mixture of the two mustards if you prefer.
And this is a really easy vinaigrette to throw together.
First, cook the bacon in the skillet to get the grease. While that’s going, you can prep the rest of the ingredients.
Remove the bacon, keeping 2 tablespoons of the grease in the pan, and then briefly sauté the shallot and garlic in the bacon grease before adding the rest of the ingredients to the pan and stirring it all together really well.
That’s it! It’s ready to use or you can let it hang out on low heat on the stove.
Last thing, let’s talk about what to do with any leftovers.
This recipe makes about ¾ cup of the vinaigrette, and depending on what you’re using it on, you may have extra.
Transfer the cooled vinaigrette to a small jar or bowl and keep, covered, in the refrigerator for up to a week.
It will solidify in the fridge, so just remove it and spoon it into a small skillet to rewarm for a few minutes before using again.
(Feel free to make this ahead and store it if you need to have it ready to go.)
I hope that helps and I hope you give this a try. It will transform your salads and veggies and have you happily eating your greens.
Enjoy!
XO,
Kathryn
Warm Bacon Vinaigrette
Ingredients
- 5 pieces bacon
- ¼ cup minced shallot
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 3 tablespoons honey (or sub maple syrup)
- 3 tablespoons coarse grain mustard (or sub Dijon mustard)
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Place the pieces of bacon in an even layer in a large skillet and cook over medium heat until cooked through and crispy, turning as needed to cook the bacon evenly, about 10 minutes.
- Remove the bacon to a paper towel to drain and cool and set aside.
- Drain all but 2 tablespoons of the bacon grease from the skillet. Add the shallow and garlic to the skillet and cook in the bacon grease for 2-3 minutes.
- Add the olive oil, vinegar, honey, mustard, salt and pepper to the skillet and whisk well to combine. Reduce heat to low and keep warm until ready to serve. (Note: Crumble or chop the reserved bacon and use as a topping with the salad or veggies you’re using the vinaigrette for.)
Notes
Nutrition
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