Wilted Lettuce Recipe
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I’m thrilled to share one of my favorite Southern recipes – the classic Wilted Lettuce. This easy salad dish is a true gem from the heart of Southern cuisine, combining tender lettuce leaves, smoky bacon, and a warm, tangy-sweet dressing that’s simply irresistible.
Whether you’re new to Southern cooking or a seasoned home chef, this recipe will impress your friends and family with its delicious blend of flavors. So, grab your apron, and let’s make a simple leaf lettuce salad with hot bacon dressing that’ll have everyone asking for seconds!
Ingredients for the Best Wilted Lettuce
Leaf lettuce: Leaf lettuce is available year-round in most supermarkets. Butter lettuce would be my second choice since it is also in-store year-round. Any tender lettuce will work as a substitute. A spring mix could be used in a pinch.
Green onions: Provides a mild onion flavor with a touch of crunch. I prefer mine thinly sliced, but they can be chopped into larger pieces. Use as many as you want.
Bacon: You can’t go wrong with bacon in a Southern salad. It’s one of the main components of this recipe; use one that you would serve for Sunday breakfast. The reserved bacon drippings will be used for the dressing. Bacon can be substituted with turkey bacon or omitted. You’ll need to start your dressing with oil.
Vinegar: Plain distilled vinegar works well in this salad. It will add some zing without overpowering the other flavors in the dish.
Sugar: Granulated white sugar is the one I use and it’s best for this recipe. I have not tried any sugar replacements; I know that many of those break down under heat. If using those, I would cook the dressing without them and add it to taste after dressing the salad.
Dry Italian dressing mix: Adding one packet adds the perfect amount of salt and other seasonings to the hot bacon dressing. This ingredient is optional.
How to Make Wilted Lettuce
- First, wash the leaf lettuce and pat it dry with a kitchen towel or a few paper towels.
- Tear or chop it into bite-size pieces and toss it in a large bowl with sliced green onions.
- Now, it’s bacon time! Cut some raw bacon into pieces and fry it in a pan until it’s crispy.
- Remove the bacon from the pan and let it rest on a paper towel, but don’t throw out that bacon fat just yet.
- Add vinegar and water, then add sugar and Italian dressing mix.
- Keep stirring over medium-high heat until it boils, then lower the heat and cook until it’s reduced by 1/3.
- When the dressing is cooked, add the bacon to the bowl with the lettuce and pour half of the dressing over it.
- Give it a good mix, and wait until the lettuce starts to wilt.
Add more dressing if you’d like, and toss everything together before serving. Enjoy your homemade salad!
Pro Tips
- Choose a suitable lettuce: Tender lettuces, such as green or red leaf lettuce, work best for this dish. Their delicate leaves wilt beautifully when exposed to warm dressing. You can also consider substituting other tender lettuces like butter lettuce, spinach, or even spring mix.
- Prep the lettuce first: Thoroughly wash and dry your leaves. Remove damaged or wilted outer leaves and tear the remaining leaves into bite-sized pieces.
- Bacon is key: For an authentic Southern touch, cook some bacon until crispy and set it aside. Reserve the rendered bacon fat, as this will be the base for your warm dressing. The bacon adds a smoky, savory flavor that complements the tender lettuce perfectly.
- Balance the dressing: Taste the dressing and adjust the vinegar and sugar ratio to balance tangy and sweet flavors that suit your taste.
- Timing is crucial: Just before serving, pour the warm dressing over the lettuce, tossing gently to ensure all the leaves are evenly coated. The lettuce will wilt slightly, giving the salad its characteristic feel. Be sure to keep the salad from sitting too long after tossing, as the lettuce may become overly wilted and lose its fresh taste.
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Wilted Lettuce Add-In Suggestions
Boiled Eggs: Chopped hard-boiled eggs add a creamy, wholesome element to the salad.
Toasted Pecans: Give your salad a Southern twist by adding toasted pecans for a rich, nutty crunch. Toast them lightly in a dry pan or oven until fragrant and golden brown.
Grape Tomatoes: Halved grape tomatoes provide a burst of color, sweetness, and juiciness to the salad.
Best Lettuces for a Wilted Salad
Leaf lettuce
Both green and red leaf lettuces are mild, with a slightly sweet taste that goes well with the bold flavors of bacon and warm vinaigrette in a wilted salad. Their subtle flavor profile allows the other ingredients to shine, creating a harmonious balance of tastes. The vibrant colors of green and red leaf lettuces make for an eye-catching presentation in a Wilted Lettuce salad. The contrast between the bright green or deep red leaves and the other colorful ingredients, such as tomatoes and hard-boiled eggs, adds visual appeal to the dish.
There are a few others that will work with this recipe.
When choosing a substitute for green or red leaf lettuce, remember that the most important factors are the tenderness of the leaves and their ability to withstand the warm dressing without becoming too soggy. Any of these lettuce varieties would make a lovely addition to your hot wilted salad, adding a unique touch to this classic Southern side dish.
Butter Lettuce
Also known as Bibb or Boston lettuce, butter lettuce has soft, tender leaves with a slightly sweet flavor. Its pale green color and velvety feel make it a delightful addition to wilted salads.
Spinach
Substituting leaf lettuce with spinach in a hot Wilted Lettuce salad is not only possible, but it can also make for a delicious and nutritious variation. Spinach is tender with an earthy, sweet flavor, which works well with the salad’s warm dressing and other ingredients. Following these tips, you can successfully substitute leaf lettuce with spinach in your hot wilted salad recipe. This version is a wilted spinach salad.
Choose fresh spinach
Opt for fresh, crisp spinach leaves for the best flavor. Baby spinach is incredibly tender and works particularly well in wilted salads.
Wash and dry the spinach.
Rinse the spinach thoroughly to remove dirt or grit, then pat it dry to remove excess moisture.
Adjust the dressing
Spinach can be more delicate than leaf lettuce, so reduce the warm dressing to avoid over-wilting the leaves. Alternatively, let it cool for a minute or two before pouring it over the spinach.
Spring Mix
You can use spring mix in a pinch, but there are a few factors to consider. Since spring mix contains a variety of young, tender greens, the feel and flavor profile of the wilted salad will be different compared to using only leaf lettuce. Here are a few points to keep in mind when using a spring mix in a Wilted Lettuce recipe:
Variety of flavors
The combination of greens in a spring mix may introduce different flavors, such as peppery, slightly bitter, or mild tastes. These factors can add complexity to the wilted salad, which some people may enjoy, while others might prefer the classic taste of leaf lettuce.
Tender greens
When exposed to the hot dressing, many greens in a spring mix are pretty delicate and may wilt more quickly than leaf lettuce. To avoid over-wilting, reduce the temperature of the hot dressing slightly.
Texture
The salad’s quality may differ when using a spring mix, as some greens are more tender than leaf lettuce and may become softer when wilted. If you prefer a slightly crunchier quality, consider using a mix that contains heartier greens like baby romaine or spinach.
Remember, a spring mix in a Wilted Lettuce recipe can work as a substitute but will alter the dish’s flavor profile. If you’re open to experimenting with new flavors and don’t mind a slightly different feel, a spring mix can be an interesting alternative to leaf lettuce in a wilted salad.
More Classic Southern Side Dish Recipes
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Wilted Lettuce
Ingredients
- 2 heads of leaf lettuce
- 10 slices bacon thin
- 4 green onions sliced thinly
- ¼ cup Vinegar
- ¼ cup Sugar
- ½ cup water
- Dry Italian dressing mix optional
Instructions
- Wash and drain the leaf lettuce. Dry it off with a kitchen or paper towel to remove excess moisture.
- Tear or chop the lettuce leaves into smaller pieces and place them into a large bowl.
- Top with the sliced green onions and set aside.
- Cut the raw bacon into 1/2 inch pieces and place into a large skillet.
- In a skillet, fry the bacon over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until crispy.
- Remove the bacon from the pan and place it onto paper towels to drain; leave the bacon fat n the skillet.
- Slowly add the vinegar and water to the baking drippings, be careful, as it may splatter.
- Add the sugar and Italian dressing mix, and stir to combine.
- Continue cooking over medium-high heat until it comes to a boil.
- Reduce heat to a low simmer and cook until reduced by 1/3.
- Remove from the heat and allow it to cool for 5 minutes.
- Add the bacon pieces to the lettuce and green onions. If you didn't chop the bacon before cooking, chop it into smaller pieces before adding.
- Pour half of the dressing over the salad and toss to coat the lettuce.
- Wait about 1 minute; the lettuce will start to wilt.
- Add additional dressing as needed, and toss to combine before serving.
Notes
- Bacon can be substituted with turkey bacon. Or it can be omitted. Start the dressing with 1/4 cup of oil.
- Red or green leaf lettuce can be used.
- Leaf lettuce can be substituted with butter lettuce or fresh spinach. Spring mix can be used in a pinch. When using spinach, allow the dressing to cool for a few extra minutes.
- Taste the dressing before adding it to the lettuce and adjust the vinegar and sugar to your taste preference and cook until the sugar has dissolved.
- Dress the salad right before serving and eating. The longer the salad sits, the more it wilts.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated and may vary based on exact ingredients used. For accuracy, consult a registered dietitian or nutritionist.
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This recipe was written and tested by a human.
Editor: Oliver Baysinger
Elizabeth (Beth) Mueller
Elizabeth (Beth) Mueller is a food journalist, CEO of Pear Tree Kitchen, and co-creator of Food Blogger Help. She also has a bachelor’s degree in philosophy and a registered nurse licensed in the State of Oklahoma. When she has free time between writing, blogging, and cooking, she can be found volunteering as an RN with the Oklahoma Medical Reserve Corps.