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green salad in a white serving bowl

Maggiano's House Salad

5 from 1 vote
A handful of simple and delicious ingredients makes this great side salad, good to pair with just about anything.
Prep Time 20 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Servings10 side salad servings
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Ingredients

For the Dressing

  • ⅓ cup red wine vinegar
  • 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
  • 1 tablespoon white sugar
  • 1½ teaspoons minced garlic
  • 1¼ teaspoons kosher or coarse-grained salt
  • freshly ground pepper a few cracks, to taste
  • 1 cup olive or vegetable oil depending on your preference
  • ½ teaspoon dried oregano

For the Salad

  • 5-6 cups chopped romaine lettuce
  • 5-6 cups chopped iceberg lettuce
  • 3 ounces Gorgonzola cheese
  • 4-6 ounces prosciutto or 4-6 ounces bacon, cooked and crumbled
  • 1 small red onion thinly sliced
  • about 1/2 cup vegetable oil for cooking the prosciutto

Instructions

  • To prepare the dressing, combine all the ingredients except for the oil in the jar of a blender. Blend until smooth, then, with the blender running on low speed, add the oil in a steady stream. Set aside at room temperature.
  • If using prosciutto, heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When hot, add the prosciutto and cook until brown and crispy. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on a paper towel. Set aside. If using bacon, cook and crumble using your favorite method (see notes for preferred method).
  • In a large bowl, toss the lettuce, cheese, onions, and crispy prosciutto. Drizzle desired amount of dressing on the salad and toss until combined. Serve immediately with additional dressing on the side, refrigerating any dressing leftovers.

Notes

  • My favorite way to cook bacon is in the oven. Line a baking sheet with foil and lay bacon strips in a single layer.  Bake at 400 for about 20 minutes (longer for thicker bacon) until desired doneness is achieved. Pull off and place on some folded paper towels to drain. 
  • As you can probably guess, once dressed, this salad needs to be eaten pretty quickly or it will wilt. If you need to plan ahead, you can make your dressing ahead of time and cook your prosciutto or bacon, just keep them stored in an airtight container in the fridge until ready to use. Slice your onion fresh, assemble your salad, and toss with the dressing right before serving.
  • The salad dressing in this recipe has been altered slightly from when it was originally posted. I’ve made some changes which I feel have improved the overall dressing. But if you were in love with the original dressing, here are the quantities from the previous version:
    • 1/3 cup red wine vinegar
    • 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
    • 1 tablespoon white sugar
    • 1/2 cup water
    • 2 teaspoons minced garlic
    • 2 1/2 teaspoons kosher or course-grained salt
    • freshly ground pepper to taste
    • 1 cup olive or vegetable oil
    • 1 generous pinch dried oregano

Nutrition

Serving: 1cup, Calories: 185kcal, Carbohydrates: 3g, Protein: 3g, Fat: 18g, Saturated Fat: 5g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g, Monounsaturated Fat: 11g, Trans Fat: 0.01g, Cholesterol: 14mg, Sodium: 185mg, Potassium: 67mg, Fiber: 0.2g, Sugar: 2g, Vitamin A: 70IU, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 50mg, Iron: 0.2mg
Course: Salads
Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: Maggiano's House Salad
Calories: 185kcal
Cost: $12
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