Mixed Green Salad with Goat Cheese, Glazed Pecans & Maple Dijon Vinaigrette
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This elegant mixed green salad is my go-to for company—maple-glazed pecans, creamy goat cheese, and a tangy-sweet vinaigrette make it a hit every time!
If you’ve had dinner at my house, chances are you’ve had this salad. It’s a favorite—the glazed pecans and goat cheese dress it up, and the vinaigrette is one of those salty-sweet-tangy flavor combinations that everyone loves. The original recipe was printed in The Washington Post many years ago, but I had it for the first time at my friend Kelly’s house for a holiday dinner, and I wouldn’t leave without the recipe! I make my version with mixed greens and goat cheese, but Kelly makes hers with romaine and blue cheese, as specified in the original recipe. If that sounds more up your alley, feel free to follow her lead.
What You’ll Need To Make Mixed Green Salad With Maple Dijon Vinaigrette
Step-by-Step Instructions
Prepare the Maple-Glazed Pecans
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Lightly oil or line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. In a small bowl, combine the pecans and maple syrup and toss gently to combine.
Spread the pecans in a single layer on one of the prepared baking sheets.
Roast in the preheated oven, stirring once, until the syrup is bubbling vigorously, about 5 minutes. Immediately scrape the glazed pecans onto the other prepared baking sheet, spreading them in a single layer. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt and set aside to cool.
Make the Vinaigrette
In a jar, combine the garlic, shallots, salt, pepper, maple syrup, mustard, vinegar, and oil.
Shake vigorously to blend.
Assemble the Salad
Place the greens in a large bowl or on a platter, drizzle with about half of the vinaigrette and toss to combine. Add as much of the remaining vinaigrette as desired and toss again.
Divide among individual plates, sprinkle with the cheese and reserved pecans and serve immediately.
The dressing will keep for a few days in the fridge so feel free to make it ahead of time; just toss it with the greens right before serving. You can also make the glazed pecans in advance — they’ll keep at room temperature, in an airtight container, for up to a week.
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Mixed Green Salad with Goat Cheese, Glazed Pecans & Maple Dijon Vinaigrette
This elegant mixed green salad is my go-to for company—maple-glazed pecans, creamy goat cheese, and a tangy-sweet vinaigrette make it a hit every time!
Ingredients
For the Pecans
- 1 cup (4 ounces) pecan halves
- 2 tablespoons real maple syrup
- Pinch salt
For the Vinaigrette
- 1 small garlic clove, minced
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped shallots
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1½ tablespoons real maple syrup
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 6 tablespoons vegetable oil
For the Salad
- 10 cups mixed greens such as green or red leaf, boston, bibb, romaine, or mesclun
- 3 ounces goat cheese (or blue cheese), crumbled
Instructions
For the Pecans
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Lightly oil or line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. In a small bowl, combine the pecans and maple syrup and toss gently to combine. Spread the pecans in a single layer on one of the prepared baking sheets. Roast in the preheated oven, stirring once, until the syrup is bubbling vigorously, about 5 minutes. Immediately scrape the glazed pecans onto the other prepared baking sheet, spreading them in a single layer. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt and set aside to cool.
For the Vinaigrette
- In a small bowl, whisk together the garlic, shallots, salt, pepper, maple syrup, mustard and vinegar. Whisking constantly, slowly add the oil in a steady stream. (Alternatively, add all your ingredients to a jar, cover with lid, and shake vigorously to blend.) Set aside.
For the Salad
- Place the greens in a large bowl, drizzle with about half of the vinaigrette and toss to combine. Add as much of the remaining vinaigrette as desired and toss again. Divide among individual plates, sprinkle with the cheese and reserved pecans and serve immediately.
- Note: Nutritional information assumes that all of the salad dressing is used.
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (6 servings)
- Calories: 335
- Fat: 31 g
- Saturated fat: 4 g
- Carbohydrates: 13 g
- Sugar: 8 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 5 g
- Sodium: 224 mg
- Cholesterol: 7 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
Gluten-Free Adaptable Note
To the best of my knowledge, all of the ingredients used in this recipe are gluten-free or widely available in gluten-free versions. There is hidden gluten in many foods; if you're following a gluten-free diet or cooking for someone with gluten allergies, always read the labels of your ingredients to verify that they are gluten-free.
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Comments
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I would like to make this for lunch for my friends but I would like to maybe add a dish to go with it. Maybe a quiche ?? Do you have any suggestions on what to serve with this ? Thanks ..this looks so delicious!
Hi Char, I think quiche would work perfectly with this! This quiche Lorraine is a new one on the blog. This spinach quiche is also very popular among readers. Hope that helps! 🙂
Our absolute favorite salad. Always a hit whether it is served with a fancy meal for guests or Saturday night burgers. My daughter loves goat cheese, thanks to this salad. Thank you for this wonderful recipe!
There is a commercial out currently where people drink Ranch dressing with a straw or guzzle it down! This is exactly how I feel about this dressing, I have never eaten so much salad, I could eat this all day everyday. I like everything about this salad, the sweetness of the pecans and the saltiness of the goat cheese, everything is just right! Thank you.
how many calories is one serving ?
Hi Miranda, If you toss half the dressing into the salad, each serving would be 186 calories (and obviously if you add more dressing, it will up the calories). Hope that helps!
It is a delicious dressing and salad for sure. Thank you Jenn! What kind of cheese would you recommend for company that aren’t goat cheese fans!
Also I love your cookbook and am working through it as a happy student😋. Thank you again.
(I’ve resent my comment above to try and provide a 5-star rating of the recipe but the rating function isn’t working at my end. Hence this post script)
Hi Laura, Blue cheese would be delicious here, although I’d serve it on the side as many people don’t care for it. You could also try feta. May I ask what type of device you are using to leave a comment here? I’ve been having issues with the star rating not working and I’m trying to get to the bottom of it. Thank you!
Thank you for the suggestion Jenn!
Also, as follow up to your request, the device I use is an iPhone.
Thanks for letting me know! 🙂
I can’t say enough wonderful things about this salad. I made it for Thanksgiving with friends two years ago and it has since become a requested item for any/all occasions. It is easy to prep in advance and the flavors are a refreshing change from the average garden salad. I use pre-glazed pecans found in the bulk foods section of my grocery store (again, easy prep). Always get rave reviews with this one!
This salad is fantastic! The dressing is to die for.. really. Such great flavor. I prefer to blend the dressing in a blender and thin with a little cranberry juice when serving a buffet because the vinagarette tends to separate.
Hi Jenn
Working my way steadily through your new book, haven’t been disappointed yet! My kids keep calling to find out what’s the latest dish I’ve made and then steal the recipes – think I might just need to bite the bullet and buy them their own copies. Having company over after being out all day and want to make everything ahead of time if poss. I am planning to make the chicken salad, it’s awesome. Do you think this salad would work with it? Maybe with some nice fresh crusty bread, or is there something else you would suggest? Love your German potato salad but not sure if it would work.
Hi Kathy, so glad you’re enjoying the cookbook! (And I love that you’re kids are benefitting from it too :).) I do think that this salad would work just fine with the chicken salad, but I may suggest a fruit salad instead to diversify a bit. This one would be nice and in season. And crusty bread is a must! Hope everyone enjoys!
I made this recipe for Thanksgiving, which was a hit. The only change I made was to add pomegranate seeds to the salad (which everyone loved). In fact, I doubled the dressing and was able to use it for our garden salad the next evening. (I also plan on keeping the salad dressing recipe for other salads since it was so popular.)
Hi Jenn Can I use olive oil instead? thanks so much.
Hi Melissa, while technically olive oil will work in the dressing, I like vegetable oil here as it is more mild tasting.
I made this for thanksgiving dinner, and what a hit!!! We all loved it. I can’t wait to make it again! Thanks for the great recipe