This luxurious apple and radicchio salad features tart green apples, crisp greens, quick-candied walnuts, and creamy Gorgonzola cheese. It's got the perfect balance of tangy, sweet, and salty flavors and comes together relatively quickly.
The name of this salad is a mouthful, and for that, I apologize. But how else can I convey all of the delicious components? Now, in my household, we affectionately call her the snack salad.
My favorite mid-day snack includes some cut-up fruit (usually apples), a bit of cheese (any and all varieties), and a handful of nuts. Put it together, and you've got the makings of something special: sweet, tangy, salty, and delightful; it's downright addicting. Add some crisp greens, and voila, you've got yourself a salad. Hence, the snack salad was born.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
This is a great seasonal salad in the fall or winter. Here's why you'll love it:
It's addicting. I truly find myself craving this salad regularly - it never gets old!
It's easy. The walnuts are "quickly" candied on the stove, so they cool while you prep the rest of the salad. All in all, everything comes together in just about 25 minutes.
It's approachable. I truly think these flavors are very accessible, even for those wary of blue cheese or radicchio. The sharp mustardy dressing cuts through the slight bitterness of the radicchio.
My husband is not a blue cheese fan, but it's perfectly balanced by all the other flavors in the salad, so it doesn't feel overpowering. In fact, after tasting it with and without the blue cheese, he now LOVES the blue cheese variation!
Ingredient Notes
Greens: Hearty, sturdy greens like radicchio stand up nicely to the bold flavors in the salad. Butter lettuce softens any lingering bitterness from the radicchio. Frisee or thinly sliced fennel would be great mixed in, too!
Gorgonzola: This is a recipe where you'll want to buy a good-quality block of cheese. While I prefer Gorgonzola, I recommend starting with a more generic mild blue cheese variety if you are wary of blue cheese. For a moderate flavor, go for a mild Gorgonzola or Gorgonzola dolce. And for something stronger, I like Gorgonzola piccante.
For a full list of ingredients and their quantities, please refer to the recipe card.
Substitutions
- Radicchio: Endive, escarole
- Butter lettuce: Bibb lettuce or little gem lettuce
- Gorgonzola: Humboldt Fog goat cheese, one of my favorite snacking cheeses!
How to Wash and Keep Lettuce Crisp
After following Via Carota's green salad recipe, I finally learned how to wash greens properly.
- Don't rinse until the last minute: Rinse the greens just before serving to keep them fresh. And don't dress the salad until ready to serve!
- Rinse and spin: Wash the greens under cool water to remove debris. Give the greens another rinse in very cold water to help maintain their structure, then run them through a salad spinner until all excess moisture has been removed.
- Dry: Lay the greens in a single layer on a clean tea towel (or two), and loosely roll them into a log. Store them in the fridge for 10 – 15 minutes before serving. This step helps absorb any residual moisture while maintaining some level of airflow.
If you don't have a salad spinner, rinse the greens in a colander, then shake the colander to remove excess water. Gently dab the leaves with the tea towel before rolling them up to finish drying.
For longer-term storing up to 1 day ahead: Place the wrapped greens inside a resealable bag or container with a loose-fitting lid.
Serving Suggestions
For an easy dinner, dress up the salad with this favorite roast chicken (Samin Nosrat's roast chicken) or crispy white beans.
Or, pair it with my Calabrian chili pasta, 72 hour pizza dough, or mussels in cream sauce.
And for dessert? I'd be remiss not to suggest my chocolate mousse or French hot chocolate.
Step-by-Step Instructions & Photos
Step 1 - Candy the nuts: Set a medium skillet over medium heat and add the nuts. Toast until *just* fragrant, then stir in the butter, chili flakes, maple syrup, and salt.
Keep cooking until the syrup almost fully reduces and clings to the nuts.
Step 2 - Cool: Immediately transfer the nuts to a parchment-lined baking sheet and spread out in a somewhat even layer. It doesn't have to be perfect!
Sprinkle with another good pinch of salt. Cool completely in the fridge, about 10 minutes.
Step 3 - Make the dressing: In a small jar, add the olive oil, lemon juice, mustard, salt, and pepper. Shake vigorously to emulsify.
Step 4 - Assemble: Combine the lettuce, radicchio, cooled nuts, cheese, and sliced apples in a bowl. Toss with the salad dressing, and serve immediately. Enjoy!
Expert Tip
Taste your dressing before adding it to the salad. I recommend taking a leaf of radicchio, and topping it with a piece of cheese, a nut, and a slice of apple. Drizzle with a little dressing, and taste.
The dressing should be well-seasoned and sufficiently tangy and sharp, but not overpowering. If needed, make any adjustments, and shake again to incorporate.
Recipe FAQs
To make this salad ahead, prep each component separately: wash and dry the greens, make the walnuts (store airtight at room temp), and whisk the dressing (store in the fridge) up to 1 day in advance. Slice the apples before serving or toss them with lemon juice to prevent browning. Assemble everything just before serving to keep the greens crisp and the flavors fresh.
I do think this recipe is a really accessible way of enjoying a milder blue cheese! So I would encourage you to try it! That said, Humboldt Fog is a very nice, creamy goat cheese that could be used in place of blue cheese.
Absolutely - the salad scales up quite easily! The walnuts purposely make 4 servings (they're too delicious not to!) while the salad serves 2. If you wanted to double the recipe, you can just double the salad and use all of the walnuts.
Other recipes you might like:
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Apple, Radicchio, Walnut, and Gorgonzola Salad
Ingredients
For the spiced maple walnuts (makes double):
- 1 cup unsalted walnut halves, roughly chopped
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 3 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon Aleppo pepper, or ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- ¼ teaspoon Diamond-Crystal Kosher Salt, or ⅛ teaspoon Morton Kosher Salt or Sea Salt | plus more for garnish
For the salad:
- 3 ounces butter lettuce
- 4 ounces radicchio, from about ½ medium head*
- 1 Granny Smith apple, cored and thinly sliced
- ¼ cup hand-crumbled Gorgonzola cheese
- ½ cup spiced maple walnuts, recipe above
- 1 teaspoon stone-ground mustard, or Dijon mustard
- ½ lemon, juiced
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- Salt and black pepper, to taste
Instructions
For the spiced maple walnuts (makes double):
- Line a small baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.Set a small skillet over medium heat. Add 1 cup unsalted walnut halves, and toast just until fragrant, about 2 - 3 minutes. Stir in 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, 3 tablespoons maple syrup, 1 teaspoon Aleppo pepper, and ¼ teaspoon Diamond-Crystal Kosher Salt. Cook, stirring, until the syrup is bubbly, reduced, and coats the nuts, 2 - 3 minutes.Spread the nuts evenly on the parchment-lined baking sheet. Season with another pinch of salt, and refrigerate for 10 minutes to cool completely. If there are any clumps, make sure to break the nuts into bite-sized pieces.
For the salad:
- Prepare the greens: Tear 3 ounces butter lettuce and 4 ounces radicchio into bite-sized pieces, leaving any smaller leaves intact. This yielded about 5 cups packed greens. Transfer to a large serving bowl and season with a pinch of salt. Add 1 Granny Smith apple, cored and thinly sliced, ¼ cup hand-crumbled Gorgonzola cheese, and ½ cup spiced maple walnuts. Set aside while you prepare the dressing.Note: Leftover walnuts can be snacked on or stored in an airtight container for up to 1 week at room temperature.
- Make the dressing: In a small sealable jar, combine 1 teaspoon stone-ground mustard, the juice of ½ lemon, a pinch of salt and black pepper, and 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil. Shake vigorously until the dressing is nicely emulsified; it should look pale yellow and slightly creamy. Tip: Before serving, make sure the dressing is seasoned appropriately. To do so, dip a piece of radicchio in the dressing. Taste, and adjust seasonings as desired. Too acidic? At some more oil. Too bland? Add a bit more lemon juice, mustard, or salt.
- Serve: Toss the salad with the dressing, and serve immediately. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Owner's Rating: I think about this salad often, and if I could, I'd eat it every day. Don't skip the walnuts, they are SO good!
I’m loving this salad! I don’t usually like blue cheese, but the creaminess pairs perfectly with the sweet, salty, acid and spice elements of this salad. 🥗 Consider me hooked!