Missy's Candied Walnut Gorgonzola Salad
A yummy, easy salad with candied walnuts, cranberries, Gorgonzola cheese, mixed greens, and a raspberry vinaigrette. Its always a big hit and is requested by my friends and family constantly Even my picky fiance
Missy's Candied Walnut Gorgonzola Salad Ingredients
cup walnut halves
cup sugar
3 cups mixed greens
cup dried cranberries
cup crumbled Gorgonzola cheese
1 tablespoon raspberry vinaigrette
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1 tablespoon olive oil
How to Make Missy's Candied Walnut Gorgonzola Salad
Place walnuts and sugar in a skillet over medium heat, stirring constantly until the sugar dissolves into a light brown liquid and coats the walnuts. Remove walnuts from skillet, and spread them out on a sheet of aluminum foil to cool.
Place in a large salad bowl the mixed greens, cranberries, cheese, vinaigrette, vinegar, and olive oil. Toss gently; add candied walnuts, and toss again.
Missy's Candied Walnut Gorgonzola Salad Nutritions
Calories: 307.7 calories
Carbohydrate: 29.4 g
Cholesterol: 22.5 mg
Fat: 19.2 g
Fiber: 2.3 g
Protein: 7.4 g
SaturatedFat: 5.1 g
ServingSize:
Sodium: 273.4 mg
Sugar: 24.2 g
TransFat:
UnsaturatedFat:
Missy's Candied Walnut Gorgonzola Salad Reviews
This i a great little salad that looks really impressive when you take it to potlucks or make it for house guests, even though its completely easy to make I have played around with different cheeses in this salad, and montchevre goat cheese is my favorite so far--its crumbly, yet creamy and smooth. I also like to add julienned apples or pears, and fresh blueberries to the mix, for added color and flavor. I have also found that I should make extra candied nuts, because I tend to snack on them before I put them on top of the salad. :)
Ive made this a bunch of ways but prefer candied pecans instead of walnuts and have successfully subbed blue cheese instead of gorgonzola. Plan to serve for a Christmas dinner party.
I make this all the time...its a great salad...very refreshing. Ive also added slided bosc pears to the salad which gives it a nice taste. Sometimes I switch out gorgonzola for feta to change it up...very good salad
Fabulous Few tweaks - used plain rasp vinagrette, spring mix for the greens, and I used pecans and didnt let the sugar turn completely into syrup - instead removed them from heat after clumps of crystallized sugar formed on the pecans - more texture. Sooo good
Awesome salad. I tried to make my own rasp vinagrette dressing, but dont waste your time - use store bought raspberry vinagrette (I used Ole Cape Cod version). The walnuts were an awesome addition. (be careful they get super hot in the pan) I did however add very thinly sliced red onion to the salad to cut back on the sweetness.
Very tasty. I have made this salad twice now.It is good with spinach as well.Re: the gorgonzola, I would recommend using domestic rather than imported as imported tends to be creamier and less clumpy and therefore does not incorporate as evenly into the salad.Also, I found the candied walnuts to be a bit sweet and would probably in the future make it using 1/2 cup walnuts and a little less than 1/4 cup sugar.Overall, an excellent, elegant salad.
This was a great recipe. I had never candied walnuts before and they were easy and delicious I simplified htis by just using a Kraft pre-made raspberry vinaigrette and skipped the oil and vinegar. Otherwise I kept all the other ingredients the same. Love it
We all loved this salad. Its so simple to make--and can be kept exactly the same or changed to fit your personal preference, current grocery supply, or whatever. I used dried cherries instead of cranberries and it was delicious
I found the secret to getting my boyfriend to eat AND love salads: CANDIED WALNUTS. Mmmmm... this was a great salad Will make it many more times. Wouldnt change a thing about it
I found that it was better to add the walnuts when the sugar begins to melt to a syrup rather than right away - that way there was no crystallization and the walnuts didnt burn.
I have had this salad at an upscale resturant. It was so good I had to go home and recreate. I use dried cherries instead of cranberries and use Poppyseed dressing as a quick substitute for the vinaigrette.
This was a good change from a regular salad. Word of warning, be careful when doing the walnuts...if you cook them too long they will give off a slightly burned aroma and they will end up tasting like popcorn or cracker jacks.
My husband and I both loved this We made it using spinach and made our own salad dressing from seedless rasberry jam, Balsamic vinegar and olive oil.
Yum I subbed goat cheese crumbles instead of gorgonzola (personal pref). I wasnt sure about the walnuts but I resisted the temptation to add a bit if water. Be patient the sugar will melt. Dont let it get it too brown. As soon as it melts toss to coat and pour them out
This salad is great but I made a few changes. I added 1 Granny Smith Apple (Cut into semi-thin slices) and 1 medium Avocado (cut into chunks). I also used Newmans Light Raspberry & Walnut Dressing rather than making my own and omitted the White Vinegar and Olive Oil. Yummm :-
Thank you Missy I was a little annoyed with the extra effort I had to go through to find Gorgonzola cheese (small city) but it was worth it in the end. I dont think a thing about this recipe needs to be changed. It is absolutely delicious, I will make it again and again. P.S. The candied walnuts are amazing and make an awesome sweet treat. Make extra
Excellent salad Followed the recipe exactly. We have had it 3 times this week Make extra nuts because you WILL be snacking on them
You cant go wrong with this salad. If you want to make it a little bit less sweet/healthier/faster prep I suggest using regular walnuts. Ive made it both ways and both times I LOVED It
If you add a little Old Bay or Tony Sacchares Cajun seasoning to the sugar mix, it adds a little bite to the nuts and is delicious. Thanks.
I made a few adjustments replaced the lettuce with spinach the gorgonzola with bleu cheese and made a dressing of milk sugar and apple cider vinegar since didnt have raspberry dressing on hand. Delicious
Other than chicken or egg, what would be a good lean protein to add to this yummy salad?
I never had gorgonzola cheese before and Im not a huge fan. I brought this to Thanksgiving dinner tonight (Canadian) and never received one compliment. Im giving it 4 stars though because I dont think I enjoyed it because of my own taste preferences. The candied walnuts were sooooo good..although next time I will try a syrup on them and then roast them in the oven to prevent the sugar clumping together. I also agree that you dont need nearly the amount of sugar called for. Thanx for introducing me to candies walnuts these will be amazing on all my salads.
This salad is so easy to make and take and I always receive lots of compliments. Ive just used a big bag of spinach instead of mixed greens and it tastes fabulous. I also slice up a ripe pear and add to the salad. To make it easier I use the Kraft Raspberry vinegrette dressing. Even my mother-in-law liked it. Ive actually made the salad 4 times in the last 2 weeks and will be making it again this Saturday for another event. Its been great for the holidays
LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this Since finding this recipe I have made it 3 times in the past month: for Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve and for my office dinner party. It is a hit with everyone (even my kids and my picky sister who normally says mixed greens look like weeds) I cannot say enough about this salad. Wonderful as is
Great salad and easy to make. I love it and I will be preparing it often.
Simple, and delicious. Made the recipe just as directed. Yum I think the next time I will make it with candied pecans
Fabulous I made this for Bunko night and it disappeared with requests for the recipe. I used a homemade poppy seed dressing instead of the vinaigrette...it created such a perfect combination together Will make this regularly.
Who would have thought that just a few odd ingredients could have so much pizzazz. This recipe is going in my "companys coming" file.
Great The dressing is great ... ill use it on other salads as well.
This salad was delicious. I spent hours making baked spaghetti from scratch so I cheated on this recipe to save time. I bought the walnuts already candied and used a pomegranite vinagrette from Whole Foods and addd sliced pears. Still came out great
Very good
So easy and quick. I bought candied pecans and used instead of walnuts. Your friends will be impressed at your next dinner party or potluck. Really, really good.
I did not change this recipe one bit and it was fabulous. The walnuts are an excellent addition to any salad
I used red wine vinegar because I didnt have the raspberry one but it came out good. I was worried if it would be too sour for my taste without adding any sugar in the dressing but the candied nuts and the amount of cranberries definitely helped. But I needed more dresssing so I tripled it. For those who are not used to make those candied nuts, like me, be careful not to over cook them or they will taste like burnt... Also I tried both with or without water to caramerize the nuts and I say no water Like other reviewer said, they became like white sugar coated nuts and didnt taste good at all.
This was delicious I used fontinella cheese just because I dont like gorgonzola very well. I used more walnuts and less sugar too. I used my own salad dressing, homemade shallot vinegrette and it was just fantastic.
Really enjoyed the candied nuts, but the cheese was way too bold for this light salad. I think maybe a feta cheese would have been nicer.
Amazing salad Gets rave reviews every time I just doubled the dressing and have used both pecans and walnuts: definitely prefer the pecans. This would be a great holiday salad. Thank you
This salad if so refreshing. The goragonzola cheese adds such a wonderful tangy zip Mixed with the sweet walnuts --- all I can say is YUM
My favorite salad now
OMG this was amazing Did not change a thing, the proportions were perfect. As suggested by some reviewers, used Ole Cape Cod Raspberry Vinaigrette and Craisins for the dried cranberries. Note that the candied walnuts do take about five minutes to get going Excellent, will definitely make this again
Always a hit any time i make it.
WHOA This was sooo good and simple to make. Addicting in fact, will make again and again. Thanks for the recipe
Wanting to try this, but I cant find the vinagrette. Where do I get it and what exactly is it? Alls I could find is the raspberry vinagrette dressing already bottled.
Awesome salad I brought this to a dinner party, and everyone raved about it. Gorgonzola was too expensive, so I just bought crumbled blue cheese and it turned out great.
This salad is great. I prefer a sweeter and crunchier nut topping, so I add 2Tbs of honey to the nuts and sugar mixture, after the sugar melted. I also tried goat cheese if I dont have Gorgonzola.
Absolutely delicious I had a similar dish at a five-star restaurant and was looking to recreate it... and this recipe did it. We even added it to our Thanksgiving menu this year.
My family loves this salad. Ive used walnuts and pecans, our preference being pecans. The first time I made the vinagrette as listed. Now I use the dressing from Jamies Cranberry Spinach salad from this site.
Loved this salad I did add a chopped pear, and the flavors of the candied walnuts, the Gorgonzola, the pear and the cranberries were a combination made in heaven The salad dressing added a light, bright touch and complemented well. This will definitely be a repeat
Sugar crystallized when I tried to candy the walnuts creating rock hard teeth breaker bits. I stirred constantly as directed... but that cant be right. good, but wont make again.
This is one amazing salad The sweetness of the candied walnuts, the tang of the cranberries and vinaigrette and the bite of the blue cheese are contrasts that all worked beautifully together. These delicious flavors just pop in your mouth with every wonderful bite. Thank you
This salad was very good, but I only gave it 4 stars because some of the walnuts were so hard after coating with sugar and heating. Will try a different technique next time I make this. Constant stirring of nuts in sugar???
The candied walnuts are better as roasted walnuts in my opinion. :)
Super tasty salad and a huge hit during Christmas dinner. When cooking the walnuts, I used double the sugar and2 tblsp butter and they were sooooo delsih
Great I didnt know it was so easy to candy walnuts.
This is an incredibly easy and yummy salad. I made it a bit easier though using store bought candied walnuts. Big crowd pleaser
Wow, the candied walnuts are so amazing, Im suprised any of them made it into the salad, I was so busy snacking on them This salad is a great combo of ingredients and one that I will definitely make again.
This salad is good, however, its the walnuts that are DELICIOUS They were so yummy that I made a huge batch of them, bagged them, and gave them out as gifts. Everyone loved them. Much , much cheaper than the ones in the grocery stores. They taste great sprinkled on ice cream, yogurt or to just snack on. Four stars for the salad, but 5 stars for the walnuts
This salad is perfect. I was looking for something springy last year and came across this. Absolutely delicious The only thing I do different is add salt and pepper to the greens and use less sugar on the nuts. Sometimes I add chicken to the salad to make a complete meal.
Loved the walnuts They took under 15 minutes to make. Here are the things I did differently . . . 1. I used a 6 oz bag of walnut pieces and 1/4 + 1/8 c sugar. 2. Used Pomegranate dried cranberries (made by OceanSpray). 3. Didnt have the cheese so I just added some shredded cheese. 4. Just used the raspberry vinaigrette but am going to try adding the vinegar/oil to cut back on the sweetness of the dressing.
A perfectly balanced, elegant salad you will be proud to serve to family and friends. I suggest to try the recipe as is before making any adjustments.
Made this for a dinner party and everyone loved it The candied walnuts are easy to do and sooo tasty. I definitely recommend this one
I used the recipe for Sugar Coated Pecans by Carolyn (posted here on allrecipes) These are easy and taste amazing. With that exception, I made the salad exactly as the recipe stated. It was fabulous
I didnt have mixed greens, so I used romaine & it worked fine. Otherwise, I prepared the recipe as written. My hubby & I both really enjoyed it--the flavors compliment each other well.
I crave a restaurants Spinach and Gorgonzola Salad but didnt want to pay so much for it...found this recipe and it totally hits the spot YUM YUM YUM
This salad is absolutely SCRUMPTIOUS If youre looking for a light, summer-y salad, this is the one PLUS its SO easy
Outstanding I used Cape Cod Fat Free Raspberry Vinagrette to make it easier. This is so good, it is great for a weekday meal or a special occasion. My kids loved it too
EVERYONE loved this salad. The biggest rec I can make is to melt your sugar by itself and add the walnut/pecans after the sugar has melted. I used pecans and they over cooked while in with the sugar. All and all a FABULOUS salad I skipped the white vinegar and it was great...not a bite left at our dinner party. While I was doing the dishes and wanting to clean the bowl, my friends were still putting their forks in to finish the salad off. RAVE reviews.
Could probably cut back a little on the sugar. also, might consider 2 T raspberry vinaigrette, 1 T olive oil, and no vinegar. i used blue cheese b/c it was all i could find. seemed like an okay substitute. im sure gorgonzola would be delicious. Second time: tried with goat cheese and romaine and it was super good.
Great salad. I made it yesterday for our family dinner party. The only change I made was I used feta cheese, personal preference.
So easy, and sooo delicious I had read previous reviews about this salad and decided that candying the walnuts on my own might not have turned out so good, so i just purchased some pre-candied walnuts from the produce department. It turned out awesome, and was even easier to prepare
I make this salad constantly, its always a hit. Thanks for the great recipe
One of my favorite salads now. also tried with butter toffee cashews and it was fabulous
Good salad, except for the candied nuts Next time I will make this with pecans or slivered almonds. The sweetness of the sugared walnuts, along with the cranberries was overwhelming.
Absolutely easy, absolutely quick and absolutely impressive the cranberries and raspberry vinaigrette made the day Im sure going to have it again.Ty for sharing
I love this recipe Its simple & the candied nuts are AMAZING They make your kitchen smell delicious However, gorgonzola may have too strong of a flavor for this recipe.
I made this for Easter, it was everyones favorite The only thing I did differently was use a basalmic vinaigrette instead of rasberry
I basically make this salad for every party I attend.
Made this for a potluck in a huge bowl, equivalent to 30 servings. Only 22 people showed and the salad still got eaten. I probably ate 3 servings myself
If I could give this a 10 I would VERY VERY delicous
This salad was great We used dried blueberries in place of the dried cranberries and threw a little bit of chilled chicken on top to make into an entree. Yum
This is a very good and simple salad I took it to a brunch and everyone was asking for the recipe. I had never made candied walnuts before. They were so simple and a definite must You definitely do not need all that sugar to candy the walnuts. I cut the sugar back a bit and they were perfect. Thanks for the recipe
I used feta cheese on my salad and shredded cheddar cheese for my husbands salad. I will make this salad again.
This is a great recipe. My husband and I cant eat ebough. I buy Kraft Raspberry Vingerette it is the best and makes this salad taste great.
DONT LET THE SIMPLICITY OF THIS RECIPE FOOL YOU.....IT IS DELICIOUS I DOUBLED THE DRESSING AS IT WAS SIMPLY THE BEST PART OF THE SALAD.
This was a big hit for my Christmas dinner I did use blue cheese, only because I couldnt find gorgonzola, but Im sure it would work just great either way. Candied walnuts really added to the flavour.
This is THE most delicious salad I have ever eaten. The candied walnuts are AMAAAAAZING I used Craisins, fat-free raspberry vinaigrette, and chopped walnuts instead of walnut halves, because I prefer smaller chunks of walnuts. I just had to break it off into little pieces once it cooled (it clumped together into one large piece) - took 10 seconds and it worked wonderfully And of course, Gorgonzola cheese is my favorite. I wouldnt ever want to substitute it for anything else
This salad was amazing. I used goat cheese because I couldnt find gorgonzola at the two different stores I went to. I also topped it with grilled salmon Yummmy. My 4 yr old and 2 yr old both ate their whole bowls full.
Very good, walnuts are very well done,and add alot to the salad
This is a hit every time I make it for people I follow the recipe exactly and always get rave reviews.
AMAZING and so easy to make.
This is my go to special salad. I had this many years ago at a friends house and it never fails to impress. I double and triple the recipe and there are never any leftovers.
This salad is awesome. I made it yesterday exactly as written, though I did triple the recipe as it was for a large dinner party. Everyone raved about the candied walnuts...they are definitely the star of this salad. There were no leftovers
One of my favorite, favorite salads I also like using orange vinaigrettes or adding thinly sliced apples. A foolproof combination
This spring has been very kind to our lettuces and strawberries. Now that were in the midst of our berry season, I couldnt resist adding strawberries and used an assortment of the lettuces in our garden. Oh my, life is good Thank you for expanding our salad horizons Great recipe.
This salad was delish
OMG I love this salad The Walnuts really make it great
The best salad.But Next time:Use half the amount of sugarAdd bacon
I brought this to a luncheon and it was a hit. I used "tangy poppyseed dressing" and feta as others suggested.
Delicious My first time making candied nuts, next time Ill start melting the sugar and then toss the nuts in, instead of adding them at the same time. I had problems with clumps of sugar sticking to the nuts and not melting. And this salad doesnt keep well, so you should put it all together within an hour of serving and be prepared to toss it after a few hours out.
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