Houston's Salad With Hot Bacon And Honey Mustard Dressings

Want to make an instant hit? Try this legendary Houston’s salad with hot bacon and honey mustard dressings. Go from "just a salad" to "How did you make this?!" Crispy bacon, fresh greens, and that perfect duo of dressings that tie it all together.

Why You Will Love This Recipe

• A dynamic flavor duo with warm bacon and honey mustard dressings.
• Impressive results from simple ingredients and techniques.
• Say goodbye to store-bought dressings.
• The components can be prepped ahead and stored in the fridge.
• This will become one of your top 5 favorite salads!

The Secrets To Making A Better Salad

• Serve the salad on cold plates or bowls that have been stored in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
• Chop the lettuce and all the ingredients into bite-sized pieces.
• Store tomatoes on the counter, not in the refrigerator, because cold temperatures mute their flavor.
• Refrigerate your chopped lettuce leaves in a bowl for a few hours ahead of time, covered with a damp paper towel and sealed to keep them crunchy.
• Dress your salad right before serving to prevent wilted lettuce.

Ingredients

Here are the ingredients you need to make this copycat Houston's salad that you still think about!

Hot Bacon Dressing

• Bacon Fat: Use the reserved bacon fat from cooking bits of bacon for the oil portion of the dressing.
• Shallot: A chef's favorite onion that grows in the form of a bulb, like garlic.
• White Vinegar: This common vinegar has a clean, strong acidic taste that lacks any sweet undertones. A good substitute is cider vinegar.
• Granulated Sugar: A neutral sweetener that dissolves easily.
• Cornstarch Slurry: Equal parts cornstarch powder and water mixed well to thicken the dressing when heated. Cornstarch is found in the baking aisle.

Honey Mustard

• Apple Cider Vinegar: A tangy vinegar made from crushed apples.
• Dried Minced Onion: Dehydrated chopped onion in the spice aisle.
• Garlic: Real garlic, not the jarred kind.
• Honey: A liquid, natural sweetener with floral notes that enhance the vinaigrette.
• Dijon Mustard: Made from brown mustard seeds and white wine. Yellow mustard will not deliver quite the same flavor.
• Canola Oil: Any neutral-tasting oil will work, such as grapeseed or vegetable.

Salad Ingredients

• Hard-Boiled Eggs: Use my quick and easy boiled egg recipe to make them.
• Mixed Lettuce: Houston's traditional salad contains romaine, red lettuce, grated carrots, and cabbage. Buying bagged salad saves time, but make sure it looks bright and fresh rather than brown and soggy.
• Bacon Bits: Cook your bacon to get the rendered fat for the hot bacon dressing. Don't use pre-cooked bacon bits.
• Cherry Tomatoes: If it's not tomato season, these organic cherry-sized pints are a good choice.
• Kosher salt and freshly cracked pepper for seasoning.

See the recipe card below for ingredient measurements.

Variations

Here are some ideas for modifications or additions to this salad recipe.

• Serve this salad with warm garlic bread to make a meal.
• Use medium or soft-boiled eggs instead of hard-boiled. Simply cut them in half or quarters.
• Try switching up the greens. I recommend this super greens mix or this spring salad mix. Save time with soft green mixes because you don't need to chop them.
• Try using whole-leaf lettuce and cut it up yourself. You may like it better that way.
• Add 1-2 tablespoons of fresh herbs, such as parsley and chives.
• Add other toppings like croutons, shredded cheddar cheese, peeled and diced cucumbers, and avocado.

Equipment

To make the honey mustard dressing, a blender produces the best results by chopping up the dried onion and garlic while completely emulsifying this vinaigrette. If you don't have a blender, a food processor also works.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Make The Honey Mustard (6 minutes)

Step 1: In a blender, add the chopped garlic, dried minced onion, honey, Dijon mustard, and cider vinegar. Blend on medium speed to combine.

Step 2: With the machine running, slowly add the canola oil until mixed and thickened. Store in a jar in the refrigerator up to 2 weeks.

Make The Hot Bacon Dressing (25 minutes)

Step 3: Chop the bacon into ½ inch pieces. Cook in a large skillet until crisp.

Remove the bacon to a towel-lined dish for the salad. Pour the bacon fat into a pyrex cup to see if there is ½ cup. If short, add canola oil to get ½ cup.

Step 4: Peel and chop the shallot.

Heat the oil in a skillet and add the shallots. Cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes until soft.

Step 5: Whisk in the white vinegar, water, and granulated sugar. Cook until the sugar has dissolved.

Step 6: Whisk in the cornstarch slurry and allow the dressing to come to a boil until it thickens. Keep warm until ready to serve or store in a jar in the fridge for up to 4 days.

Assemble The Salad (14 minutes)

Step 7: Chop the bag of salad into smaller bite-sized pieces. Add the lettuce mix to a large salad bowl. Cut the tomatoes in half.

Step 8: Peel and dice the hard-boiled eggs. See the top tip below for a shortcut.

Step 9: Sprinkle the chopped bacon, diced eggs, and tomatoes on top of the salad. Add a pinch of kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to season.

Drizzle warm bacon and honey mustard dressings over the salad to your liking, or pass them around the table so guests can dress their own. You may not need all of the salad dressing. Serve immediately.

Make Ahead Instructions

Having everything prepped beforehand makes this salad a breeze to put together. Here is how I like to do it.

Up to 2 days before serving:

• Make the honey mustard dressing and store it, covered, in the refrigerator. A mason jar is handy for storing and serving salad dressings.
• Cook the bacon and make the hot bacon salad dressing in the skillet. Allow them to come to room temperature. Store separately in covered containers in the refrigerator.
• Cook the hard-boiled eggs and store them in the fridge once chilled.

The day of serving:

• Peel and dice the hard-boiled eggs, then store them covered in the fridge.
• Chop the lettuce into bite-sized pieces and store it in the fridge, covered. If you have room in the fridge, store the lettuce in the salad bowl you plan to use for serving.
• Chill the salad plates or bowls in the refrigerator.

30 minutes before serving:

• Slice the tomatoes in half and store them at room temperature.
• Re-crisp the bacon pieces by microwaving them at 10-second intervals on a paper towel-lined plate.
• Reheat the warm bacon dressing in the microwave for 30-60 seconds, then whisk or shake the jar to combine.

Storage Information

An undressed leftover salad will keep for 1 day covered in the fridge.

The hot bacon dressing can be stored in a mason jar for up to 4 days in the refrigerator, while the honey mustard can be refrigerated for up to 2-3 weeks.

FAQ

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