Take-out Tuesday, Holiday Salad with Bacon Wrapped Asparagus Croutons

the Painted Apron

5 years ago

This sweet and savory salad is truly a holiday celebration in a bowl!

Fresh strawberries, juicy oranges, buttery almonds

on a bed of fresh spinach and romaine lettuce

all topped with bacon wrapped asparagus “croutons”

The fresh greens and red berries make this salad

perfect for Christmas or any festive celebration

I used seasonal blood oranges,

heavenly flavor and once peeled

they are more of a cranberry color than orange

A big batch of buttery almonds can be made in 5 minutes

and stored in a jar for more salad and vegetable toppings

The sweet and salty buttery almonds

are the perfect contrast to the sweet fruit in the salad

To make this salad sing “special occasion,”

wrap fresh asparagus spears with bacon

About 30 minutes in the oven

and these spears are ready for snacking or topping your salad

I snipped them into 1 inch pieces with kitchen scissors

and added them to the salad bowl

I recommend using a light vinaigrette dressing,

like this simple homemade Maple Mustard

or Panera’s Fuji Apple {available at Publix and many grocery stores]

This salad is a great side dish with grilled meats or BBQ

We enjoyed it with BBQ Ribs and

Triple Cheese Slow Cooker Scalloped Potatoes

Holiday Salad with Bacon Wrapped Asparagus Croutons

Bright colors and festive flavors for a beautiful special occasion salad

Course Main Course, Salad, Side Dish

Cuisine American

Keyword asparagus, bacon wrapped asparagus croutons, buttery almonds, Christmas salad, holiday salad, salad with fruit, spinach salad, sweet and savory salad

Prep Time 10

roasting time 30

Servings 2

Ingredients

3 cups baby spinach leaves
3 cups chopped romaine leaves
1 blood orange, or navel orange or clementine peeled and diced
5 large fresh strawberries, diced
1/2 cup buttery almonds* or more to taste reserve the rest of almonds for another use
light vinaigrette dressing to taste

Bacon Wrapped Asparagus Croutons or Appetizer

8 fresh asparagus spears
4 thick slices applewood smoked bacon or other hearty bacon cut in 1/2

Buttery Almonds

2 cups sliced almonds
2 Tbsp unsalted butter
1/2 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 Tbsp kosher salt

Optional Ingredients

diced cooked chicken or turkey
bleu cheese crumbles

Instructions

Tear spinach and put it in a large salad bowl with romaine.
Add strawberries, oranges and almonds
Refrigerate until serving time and make asparagus croutons

Bacon Wrapped Asparagus Croutons or Appetizer

Break off tough ends of asparagus spears
wrap each asparagus spear with 1/2 slice bacon, stretching bacon to fit
Place spears on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake at 400 degrees for 20-30 minutes until bacon is crisp
Drain on paper towels. Cut asparagus into 1 inch pieces with kitchen scissors for croutons or serve whole as an appetizer
Add asparagus croutons to salad, drizzle with vinaigrette to taste and toss right before serving

Buttery Almonds

Melt butter in skillet with olive oil over medium heat
Add almonds and sprinkle with brown sugar and salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, 4-5 minutes until nuts just begin to caramelize, watching carefully so they don't burn.
Cool on a piece of parchment paper or on a plate. Store in a covered jar