Blue Cheese Salad
A favorite of mine for lunch and even dinner, this blue cheese salad is a cut above for its creamy texture, zesty red wine vinegar dressing, and crunchy, golden croutons!
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This blue cheese salad is something I used to often get for lunch at one of my favorite eateries in New York City, where I lived for many years. This popular dive would have a bunch of ready-made salad bowls (your choice of romaine, spinach, or my favorite, mesclun), and some speedy worker would throw in whatever toppings I wanted in about 60 seconds flat.
This salad, which has cherry tomatoes, asparagus, chickpeas, avocado, croutons, and, of course, blue cheese, was one of two that became my go-to self-made concoction. The other is this salad with smoked turkey.
The creaminess of the avocado, chickpeas, and blue cheese was a strange kind of comfort food that took an ordinary salad to the next level. I love blue cheese, and I think it’s the star player here despite some other solid contenders.
I always ate this salad with an Italian vinaigrette, and I’ve since created my own red wine vinegar dressing with just the right amount of tart vinegar mellowed by fruity olive oil, a bit of honey, and some dried oregano.
Homemade croutons are the finishing touch here. Along with the dressing, it tastes much like the ones I remember from one of my favorite New York haunts. You’ll find the ingredients and instructions for the blue cheese salad, red wine vinegar dressing, and croutons in the recipe card below.
Why You’ll Love This Blue Cheese Salad
- It’s hearty enough as a main meal (for two to three people): Although salads are typically associated with lunch, I’m sure I can’t be the only one who sometimes eats them for dinner. The richness of the chickpeas, avocado, and blue cheese makes it filling and satisfying.
- You can prepare it beforehand: Just wait to add the avocado until you’re ready to eat. If you prefer croutons with a little less crunch, you can also add them ahead of time to soften them a bit.
- It’s nutritious (relatively speaking): Maybe the blue cheese and croutons don’t exactly scream “healthy,” but the tomatoes, asparagus, beans, and avocado help make up for it.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Croutons (recipe below): These add a wonderful crunch and flavor (can also use store-bought).
- Red Wine Vinegar Dressing (recipe below): Gives the salad zing (can also use store-bought).
- Mesclun (a.k.a. spring mix): You can also just use your favorite lettuce.
- Cherry Tomatoes: Grape tomatoes are also fine to use.
- Chickpeas: Along with the avocado, this adds a creamy texture. Butter or navy beans are also suitable.
- Asparagus: The thinner, the better.
- Blue Cheese: Sharp and funky, blue cheese is a must! Any type of blue cheese will work.
- Avocado: For the ultimate creamy ingredient.
See the recipe card below for more information on ingredients and quantities.
How to Make This Blue Cheese Salad
- Make the croutons: Toss the bread cubes with the olive oil, garlic powder, fresh parsley, salt, and pepper. Spread onto a large sheet pan and bake at 375F for 15 minutes or until golden brown, tossing once.
- Prepare the dressing: Mix all the ingredients for the dressing—sans olive oil—and whisk/shake well. Whisk in the olive oil (If using a mason jar, pour in the oil and shake vigorously.) Adjust for seasoning.
- Make the salad: Combine the mesclun, tomatoes, chickpeas, asparagus, blue cheese, and avocado. Add some croutons and as much of the dressing as you’d like.
Pro Tips
Prepare the dressing beforehand: If possible, make it the day before. It tastes even better and thickens more as it sits.
Use a mason jar to blend the dressing ingredients: Although you can whisk the dressing in a bowl, it doesn’t emulsify as well. And although you can combine it in a food processor, it seems wasteful to dirty one just to make dressing. Instead, shake it in a mason jar (The bonus is that you can also store it in that same jar.) If you don’t have one, you can use something similar, as long as it has a secure lid.
Suggestions for Variations and Substitutions
- Use store-bought croutons and ready-made dressing for an even faster salad prep.
- Toss in inexpensive ingredients like red onion, cucumber, and shredded carrots for added bulk and nutrients.
- Replace the chickpeas with similar beans, such as butter or navy.
- If you can’t find mesclun, any salad mix will do. You can also use your favorite lettuce (e.g., romaine).
Recipe FAQs
Mesclun is a blend of different lettuces (e.g., arugula, frisée, chervil, etc.) that is commonly sold in supermarkets in the U.S. under the name “spring mix.”
Gorgonzola, Roquefort, and Stilton are all types of blue cheese you can use for this salad. If you find blue cheese too funky, you can use less than what the recipe calls for or substitute it with something more mild but still sharp (e.g., feta, sharp cheddar). Just note that it will change the flavor profile.
Yes, but leave out the avocado, dressing, and croutons. You can, however, add the croutons if you want them to soften a bit. The moisture from the salad ingredients should help with that.
Storage
Refrigerator
If you don’t think you’ll finish the entire salad in one sitting, add the dressing only to the amount you plan on eating. Store the remaining salad in an airtight container (preferably glass) in the refrigerator for up to 3 days (but 1 to 2 days is best). Store the dressing in a separate airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week. Keep the croutons in another container and keep at room temperature for up to 5 days.
More Salad Recipes
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Blue Cheese Salad
Ingredients
For the Croutons
- 4 cups bread cut into 3/4" cubes (use a sturdy bread like boule)
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon Italian flat-leaf parsley minced
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- Black pepper freshly ground
For the Red Wine Vinegar Dressing
- 4 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon honey
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper freshly ground
- 6 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
For the Salad
- 6 ounces mesclun or any salad mix
- ½ cup cherry tomatoes sliced in half lengthwise (Note 1)
- ½ cup chickpeas drained and rinsed (Note 2)
- ½ cup asparagus raw, chopped into 1/2" pieces (Note 3)
- ¼ cup blue cheese crumbled (Note 4)
- ½ avocado peeled and chopped
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375F. Add the bread cubes to a large sheet pan. Season with the olive oil, garlic, parsley, and some salt and pepper, and toss everything together until the bread is well coated. Spread the bread cubes into an even layer in the pan. Place the pan on the oven's bottom rack, and bake the croutons for about 15 minutes, until golden brown, tossing once halfway through.4 cups bread cubes, ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, 1 tablespoons minced Italian flat-leaf parsley, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper
- Meanwhile, combine the ingredients for the dressing—except the olive oil—in a bowl or jar and whisk or shake well. Add some salt and pepper to taste, then, if using a bowl, pour in the olive oil slowly while whisking quickly to help it emulsify. If using a jar, put a lid on it and shake it vigorously. Taste the dressing to see if it needs more salt. If you find it too tart, you can mellow it with a little more olive oil and/or honey.4 teaspoons Dijon mustard, 1 teaspoon dried oregano, 1 teaspoon dried thyme, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, ½ teaspoon honey, ¼ teaspoon kosher salt, ⅛ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, 6 tablespoons red wine vinegar, ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- Make the salad by adding all the ingredients to a large bowl. Add some croutons and as much or as little dressing as you like, and toss until well coated. Enjoy!6 ounces mesclun, ½ cup sliced cherry tomatoes, ½ drained and rinsed chickpeas, ½ cup chopped asparagus, ¼ cup crumbled blue cheese, ½ peeled and chopped avocado
