I am a huge sucker for Buca di Beppo. Have you been to that restaurant? I just love everything about it, from the kooky decorations to the casual, totally-cool-to-bring-your-kids atmosphere. I love that the meals are served family style.
I’m always that person reaching my fork over onto Eric’s plate anyway, so family serving was basically made for me. There are always way too many interesting things to try on restaurant menus! (Do you guys remember that part on Drop Dead Diva when Jane gets super irritated that Greyson’s new love interest keeps eating off his plate, and it’s a sign that they are hitting it off? Am I the only one who watches Drop Dead Diva?? Well whatever, the point is that clearly Eric and I were made for each other because we’re pretty good at sharing food. :)
How to Make Apple Gorgonzola Salad
Obviously the BEST part about Buca’s is the food, specifically this Apple Gorgonzola Salad. It is by far my favorite thing on the menu and I order it every time we go. I’ve been looking for a copycat recipe for a long time, and I think I’ve finally found it! Picture this: fresh green romaine lettuce. Crisp Granny Smith Apples, sliced and chopped. Tangy gorgonzola. Sweet dried cranberries.
And don’t forget the candied walnuts. Ooooh, the candied walnuts. I’m kicking myself that I didn’t do an entire post dedicated to these beauties, because I’m absolutely obsessed with them. You will probably have leftover walnuts (you don’t really need 2 whole cups in the salad) but this is not an apology. Snack on these babies all day long. That’s all I’ve been eating the last couple days! My brother Eric has a recipe that I’ve been meaning to blog at Christmas time, it’s similar to this one where you douse the nuts in egg whites and then bake. Except he uses pecans. I will have to share that this fall, they are SO good.
Anyway. Toss it all together, top it with a KILLER homemade vinaigrette, and you have the best homemade apple gorgonzola salad EVER! I have never been a salad person. My favorite salad up until this point was this Green Salad with Feta and Beets, mainly because there is ZERO chopping involved. (Seriously). But this Apple Gorgonzola Salad might be giving it a run for it’s money.
There are lots of shortcuts you can do to make this salad not so time consuming but still delicious. Buy pre chopped and pre-washed bags of romaine lettuce. Buy crumbled gorgonzola. Buy candied walnuts at the store. They will still be super delicious and you will save an hour in the oven. And lastly, although it kills me to say this, you COULD buy an Italian vinaigrette from the store. But I’m begging you to try making it at home at least once! It’s such a great dressing, I’m obsessed! Facebook | Pinterest | Instagram | Twitter One year ago: Canadian Bacon and Havarti Cheese Sliders with Pesto GlazeFive years ago: Roasted Tomato and Goat Cheese SandwichesSix years ago: Cinnamon Caramel Swirl Bars «love these! You will love these other salads! See, I do have a few on the blog!! Green Salad with Feta and Beets (The Fanciest No-Chop Salad Ever) « Really. NO chopping. My favorite kind of salad!
Copycat Cafe Zupa Poppyseed Dressing and Spinach Bleu Cheese Salad « classic!
Pineapple Spinach Salad « with candied pecans! yum!
My Favorite Green Goddess Salad « packed with all things healthy and green!
Other salads from great bloggers you will love! Spinach Apple Salad from Your Homebased MomArulgula, Apple, and Goat Cheese Salad with Cider Vinaigrette from Eats Well with OthersSalad with Apples and Cucumbers from Rachel CooksBlueberry Apple Walnut Salad from Barefeet in the Kitchen
