Italian-American · Soups & Salads
Simple Gorgonzola Salad with Pine Nuts
Serves 4 · Prep: 15 minutes · Cook: 5 minutes · Rest: 15 minutes · Total: 35 minutes
I’m fairly generous with the Gorgonzola here. I want to taste it in the dressing, especially against the sharp pickled onion. The toasted pine nuts are small, but you’d miss them: a little warm, nutty crunch among all those soft leaves and creamy cheese. This is very much my kind of salad.
Put the onion in its quick pickle first. It can sit while you toast the nuts and whisk the dressing, with the greens waiting until you’re ready to eat.
Ingredients
Quick-pickled red onion
- ½ small red onion, very thinly sliced
- ⅓ cup red wine vinegar
- ⅓ cup warm water
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
Gorgonzola herb vinaigrette
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
- 1 ounce gorgonzola, finely crumbled
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped chives or parsley
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- Black pepper, to taste
Salad
- 8 cups mixed greens, preferably romaine, spring mix, and radicchio
- 1 cup heirloom cherry tomatoes, halved
- 3 ounces gorgonzola, crumbled
- ⅓ cup pine nuts
- Kosher salt, to taste
Instructions
- 1
Pickle the onion
Put the red onion in a small bowl. Stir together the red wine vinegar, warm water, sugar, and salt, then pour it over the onion. Let it sit for at least 15 minutes while you make the rest of the salad.
- 2
Toast the pine nuts
Add the pine nuts to a dry skillet over medium-low heat. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes, shaking the pan often, until they smell nutty and have browned in spots. Move them to a plate immediately so they do not keep cooking in the hot pan.
- 3
Make the vinaigrette
Whisk the olive oil, white wine vinegar, gorgonzola, Dijon, honey, herbs, salt, and black pepper. Press some of the cheese against the side of the bowl as you whisk. The dressing should be creamy but still have a few small pieces of gorgonzola in it.
- 4
Toss the salad
Drain the pickled onion. Put the greens, tomatoes, onion, gorgonzola, and most of the pine nuts in a large bowl. Add about two-thirds of the dressing and toss. Add more only if the leaves need it, then finish with the remaining pine nuts and a small pinch of salt.
Recipe Notes
Dry the greens well. Water left on the leaves thins the dressing and makes it slide to the bottom of the bowl.
The onion and vinaigrette can be made a day ahead. Keep them refrigerated and let the dressing sit at room temperature for 10 minutes before whisking it again.
Walnuts work if you do not have pine nuts. Toast them first and chop them into small pieces.
Frequently Asked Questions
What lettuce works best in a gorgonzola salad?
Use a mix with some sturdy leaves and a little bitterness. Romaine keeps its crunch, spring greens soften the edges, and radicchio stands up to the cheese.
Can I make the salad ahead?
Prepare the onion, dressing, cheese, and pine nuts ahead, but keep them separate from the greens. Toss the salad shortly before serving.
Can I use blue cheese instead of gorgonzola?
Yes. Choose a creamy blue cheese rather than a very dry, sharp one. You want some of it to blend into the vinaigrette.
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