This light butter lettuce salad with grapes and gorgonzola is covered with toasted walnuts and a sweet and spicy balsamic vinaigrette. It’s special enough for a holiday menu but quick and easy enough to prepare any evening of the week!
I like to include a fresh and crunchy salad to balance my holiday menus, and this light butter lettuce salad with grapes and gorgonzola is a great choice. It’s much more than just a salad for special occasions; It goes with one of my all time favorite side salads. The ingredients have bold and contrasting flavors that complement each other in a seriously tasty way.
Why would you love this recipe
- It’s super quick and easy to make.
- The small list of ingredients is bursting with irresistible flavors.
- It has a variety of textures that make it so satisfying.
- Can be prepared in advance and does not require space in the oven.
This easy recipe for a butter lettuce salad was on our Thanksgiving menu this year, but we enjoy it all year long. It works just as well with a simple pasta dinner as with turkey roasted herbs or roasted beef almonds.
The first time I experienced this combination of flavors was at a cute little sandwich shop that Paul and I would go to for lunch years and years ago. The talented lady who ran the place used only the freshest raw materials and everything she prepared was far above the bar. We absolutely loved the little butter lettuce salad she served with the sandwiches.
I had a sinking feeling that the place would not be around for long because I just knew it would move to bigger and better things. I was right. But, her salad stuck with me and thankfully, it’s super easy to make at home.
Ingredient notes
For a lettuce salad butter
- Lettuce butter Look for “live lettuce” heads in the produce section. See the FAQ section below for more details.
- Seedless red grapes
- Gorgonzola cheese – You can buy a portion of gorgonzola and crumble it with a fork or buy a crumbled gorgonzola container from your store’s deli.
- Walnuts
For the balsamic vinaigrette
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Balsamic vinegar
- Dijon Mustard
- Sugar
- Freshly ground black pepper
You can use a store-bought vinaigrette, but it only takes a few minutes to shake yourself. It is made from zero balsamic vinaigrette and is spicy, slightly sweet and completely delicious combined with the ingredients in this salad.
How to make a butter lettuce salad with grapes and gorgonzola
- Lightly roast the walnuts on baking paper in an oven at 350 degrees Celsius for about 5 minutes.
- Add the balsamic vinaigrette ingredients to the mason jar or other sealed container and shake vigorously until simmering.
- Tear the butter lettuce leaves into smaller pieces and layer them with the grapes and gorgonzola in a large, shallow bowl or large tray. Place a few larger leaves of butter lettuce around the edges for a nice presentation, if desired. Sprinkle over the roasted walnuts and drizzle with the vinaigrette just before serving.
Tips for preparing ahead
Roast the walnuts up to a day in advance and store them in an airtight container at room temperature until use. The balsamic vinaigrette can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for several days. Just shake it before putting on the salad. Due to the delicate nature of the butter lettuce, I do not recommend tearing it up until a moment before serving.
Frequently Asked Questions and Tips by Valerie
Butter lettuce is a delicate and sweet lettuce with a buttery texture that can be found in both green and red varieties. It is easy to find green leaf varieties including lettuce bib or Boston. Butter lettuce leaves are loose and slightly twisted which results in a soft round head. The large cup-shaped outer leaves make them perfect for lettuce wrappers. Delicious butter lettuce also in salads or stuffed sandwiches.
Many stores carry hydroponic-sized “live lettuce” that is sold in plastic cardboard with complete root systems. Store live butter lettuce in its original container in the refrigerator and it will stay fresh and tasty for a week or more.
Turn the butter lettuce head over and use a sharp knife to trim the root tip and core. Remove the leaves and place them in a colander. Rinse well with cool water and dry them with water Spinner salad Or dry them with absorbent paper.
Due to the delicate nature of lettuce leaves and butter, tearing them is best. Cutting them with a knife will bind the leaves and cause them to wither faster.
Gorgonzola cheese is a blue cheese with blue veins that is ceramic and milder than most other blue cheese. Used in large quantities, I prefer gorgonzola over stronger varieties of blue cheese because it emphasizes the other flavors in the recipe without overpowering them.
More salad recipes on the side
Sign up for my free newsletter for all the latest recipes and join me Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest Lots of inspiration for cooking!
Butter lettuce salad with grapes and gorgonzola
Delicate butter lettuce, sweet grapes and crumbled gorgonzola cheese topped with roasted walnuts and fresh balsamic vinaigrette. This light butter lettuce salad with grapes and gorgonzola is special enough for a holiday menu but light enough to prepare any evening of the week!
Component
Butter salad
- 1 head Lettuce butter, Cleaned and dried (see notes)
- ½ Goblet Walnut halves, Coarsely chopped
- 1 Goblet Halved red grapes without seeds
- 4 Ounces Crumbled gorgonzola cheese
Balsamic vinegar
- ¼ Goblet Extra virgin olive oil
- 3 Spoons Balsamic vinegar
- ½ teaspoon Dijon Mustard
- ¼ to ½ teaspoon Sugar, according to need
- Freshly ground black pepper, taste
Instructions
-
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Celsius. Place the nuts on a baking sheet or on a small baking sheet and bake for 3 to 4 minutes, or until lightly toasted. Remove from the oven and allow to cool while assembling the salad.
-
Tear the butter lettuce leaves into smaller pieces and layer them with the grapes and gorgonzola in a large bowl or shallow tray. Place a few larger leaves of butter lettuce around the edges for a nice presentation, if desired. Sprinkle over the roasted nuts and drizzle with as much of the vinaigrette as you want.
For the balsamic vinaigrette
-
Add the ingredients, using only a teaspoon of sugar to a mason jar or other sealed container. Close the lid tightly and shake tightly until certified. Taste and add more sugar, if desired.
Remarks
Turn the butter lettuce head over and use a sharp knife to trim the root tip and core. Remove the leaves and place them in a colander. Rinse well with cool water and dry them around a salad or dry them with absorbent paper.
Get tips ahead
Roast the walnuts up to a day in advance and store them in an airtight container at room temperature until use. The balsamic vinaigrette can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for several days. Just shake it before putting on the salad. Due to the delicate nature of the butter lettuce, I do not recommend tearing it up until a moment before serving.
diet
Calories: 358 JNF · Carbohydrates: 13 P · protein: 9 P · Oil: 31 P · Saturated fat: 8 P · Polyunsaturated fat: 9 P · Unsaturated fat: 13 P · Cholesterol: 21 Mg · sodium: 409 Mg · potassium: 321 Mg · fiber: 2 P · Sugar: 9 P · vitamin: 1594 IU · Vitamin C: 3 Mg · calcium: 186 Mg · iron: 1 Mg
Nutritional information is automatically calculated using generic components, and is an estimate not a guarantee. For more accurate results, please refer to the labels on your ingredients at home.
This post was originally published on April 19, 2016. It has been updated with new text and images.
