I love pears and blue cheese. And if I have smoked blue cheese on hand - which I did recently - little brings me more joy than tossing them with spinach, some crumbled bacon, and a few spicy sweet pecans from Trader Joe's that I've grown very fond of using in salads. The result is a salad with a lot of flavor that comes together in minutes - provided you cooked a few extra slices of bacon in the last few days.
I actually almost always cook a few more slices of bacon than I need when I'm already frying them. After all, the number of things that are tastier with a little bacon are numerous, but frying up 2-3 slices of bacon just for a single recipe rarely feels worth it. So I consolidate my efforts and make a bunch when I'm making breakfast or the like. Do I always know what I'll be using them for? No. Have I ever had bacon go bad? Also, no.
This is an excellent salad to toss together to accompany chicken or pork. In fact, sometimes I'll slice leftover chicken or pork and turn this salad into a main dish. What's not to love when dinner comes together in less than ten minutes and it tastes amazing? Pour a cold hard cider or glass of white wine and congratulate yourself for being clever. Then, dig in!
Bacon, Pear & Spinach Salad
- 8 oz. fresh baby spinach, torn
- ½ ripe Green Anjou Pear, cored and coarsely chopped
- 3 slices thick cut bacon, cooked and crumbled
- 1 oz. crumbled blue cheese - I used smoked blue cheese
- Small handful of spicy sweet pecans - or any nut of your choice
Combine all of the ingredients in a large serving bowl. Toss to combine and serve immediately to avoid discoloration of the pear.
- Yields: 2-3 servings
- Preparation Time: 5 minutes