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.
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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.
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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