Salad with Candied Pecans

5 from 3 votes

A restaurant-worthy "house salad" with greens, candied pecans, dried cranberries, blue cheese, and mandarin oranges in a creamy homemade dressing.

Course Salad, Side, Side Dish

Cuisine American

Keyword candied pecans for salad, green salad, house salad, salad with candied pecans

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 20

Total Time 35

Servings people

Calories 303kcal

Author Blair Lonergan

Ingredients

FOR THE CANDIED PECANS

½ cup water
½ cup granulated sugar
2 ½ cups coarsely chopped pecans
Kosher salt, to taste

FOR THE DRESSING

1 ½ cups mayonnaise (I use Duke's brand)
2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon lemon juice
½ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon freshly-ground black pepper
¼ teaspoon onion powder
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
3 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
1 teaspoon prepared yellow mustard
3 tablespoons olive oil

FOR THE SALAD

3 cups spring mix lettuce
¾ cup sweetened dried cranberries, such as Craisins
¾ cup crumbled blue cheese
¾ cup mandarin oranges, drained
⅓ cup candied pecans (sub with store-bought candied pecans for a shortcut)

Instructions

MAKE THE CANDIED PECANS

Preheat oven to 375°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a small saucepan on the stovetop, combine sugar and water. Bring to a boil, whisking to dissolve the sugar. Remove from the heat, stir in the pecans; toss to coat.
Use a slotted spoon to spread the nuts on a single layer on the prepared baking sheet (discard any extra sugar-water). Toast in the oven for about 8-10 minutes, or until fragrant and browned, stirring halfway through. Keep a close eye on them so that they don’t burn. While still warm, sprinkle the nuts with a little bit of kosher salt to taste. Set aside to cool completely.
Once cool, you can store the candied pecans in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a month.

MAKE THE DRESSING

In a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, sugar, lemon juice, kosher salt, black pepper, onion powder and garlic powder. Add the vinegar and mustard, whisk to combine. Whisk in the oil, one tablespoon at a time, blending well after each addition. The mixture should be thick, but pourable. If it's too thick, gradually whisk in some water until it reaches the desired consistency. Store in an airtight jar in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

ASSEMBLE THE SALAD

Arrange the lettuce greens on individual salad plates or on a large serving platter. Top with candied pecans, blue cheese, cranberries and oranges. Just before serving, drizzle the dressing over the salad, to taste.

Notes

Serve the salad immediately after dressing so that the lettuce and nuts are crisp and crunchy, not soggy. If you'd like to prep ahead, you can make the salad dressing at least a week in advance. Store leftover dressing in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 1-2 weeks. You can also make the candied pecans in advance and store them in an airtight jar in your pantry for about a month.

Nutrition