Yesterday I was asked if I used salad dressing on my salads. Well yes, yes I do! What do you think I am? Crazy? So today I thought I would share my recipe for bacon dijon salad dressing.
It’s my go to salad dressing not only because it’s delicious, but because it’s a clever way to use up one of the best smelling things on earth. Leftover bacon. Or rather bacon grease. Which according to my husband is one of God’s greatest gifts. Husbands, they’re funny that way.
I don’t know about you, but I always save my leftover bacon grease. Oddly enough, I’ve been using this bacon dijon salad dressing on my salads for so long now, I somehow forgot to dedicate an entire post to it. Or maybe I was hiding it from you. 😉
Well, lucky you, now I’m sharing it.
And just because I know someone is going to ask… YES, I really do use that much sugar in my salad dressing. You can certainly cut the sugar in half if you’d like, but here is the recipe as I make it.
It’s crazy good! Give it a try. I know you’ll love it as much as I do.
~Mavis
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Bacon Dijon Salad Dressing
Ingredients
2 tablespoons bacon grease
Half of a small onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup white vinegar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1/4 cup water
Instructions
Carefully heat bacon grease in a skillet or small saucepan. Sauté the chopped onion for about three to five minutes, or until tender.
Add the white vinegar into the pan and stir. Add the sugar, mustard and water. Stir the mixture until well combined.
Remove from heat. Cool slightly and then pour over salad and serve.
Extra dressing can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Simple warm up salad dressing before using.
Jean says
How do you usually store your leftover bacon grease?
Rosemary says
We store our bacon grease in a jar in the refrigerator. We add it when we cook collard greens, cabbage & kielbasa, rub it on a pork roast before roasting, to name a few. I never thought about making salad dressing with it . . . hmmmmm. My grandmother always saved the bacon grease, and I just followed her example.
Laura Z says
Here in the South, all the memaws kept strained bacon grease in a washed out coffee can. You can also use a ball jar. The old ladies kept it on the stove, but I’d recommend the fridge! Not great for cholesterol, but delicious in greens, green beans, and cornbread, etc. if you are still eating bacon.
Lindsey says
Not just in the south: I am the child of Eastern European immigrants who settled in Connecticut. Everyone I knew had a coffee can of bacon grease sitting on the top of the stove. Never refrigerated and I would bet that the bacon grease at the bottom of the can was years old. I save bacon grease but in a canning jar in the fridge.
Mavis Butterfield says
I keep mine in a glass jar in the fridge.
Mrs. C. says
My Polish grandma would make this dressing and pour it hot over romaine lettuce. We called the salad, Wilted Lettuce. Delicious!
Nancy says
Yum!!
Lana says
My Mom made a dressing like this for coleslaw. Yummy
Linda Sand says
My favorite homemade dressing is 1/2 light olive oil, 1/2 lemon juice with a dash of oregano. I call it Greek salad dressing.
Lynda says
Here’s my tried and true dressing:
2 tbs olive oil
2 tbs cider vinegar (or any type of vinegar)
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp dijon or dry mustard
salt and pepper to taste
couple drops of hot sauce
a hit of garlic powder or a 1/4 tsp jarred garlic
Bonnie in GA says
Thank you Mavis! It sounds delicious!
tc says
I save bacon grease to, it is amazing to make fried bread which the English love with the good British breakfast, I grew up on it.
People are shocked that I save and use the grease but I would love some other ideas to use it.
In the snowy places it is good to mix with bird seed and put out of the birds but anyone else use it for other recipees or??
Lauralli says
Saute veggies in bacon grease. Use half EVOO & half bacon grease for half the guilt but all of the deliciousness! Add bacon grease to pan you are going to bake cornbread in. While the oven is preheating and you are mixing up the cornbread, add the pan to the oven to get hot and melt the grease. Pour mixture in very hot pan and bake. The best cornbread crust ever! You can fry eggs in bacon grease. Also, add just a smidge to grits for flavor.
tc says
Thanks, sounds yummy, my HH has a cockatoo that he had before we met and it loves grits and bacon fat so I might try putting some in his grits. It might be good for using to heat the pan when I make yorkshire puddings. With veggies I would have no guilt using all bacon grease
Tiffany F says
Oh my; my mama made this! It was a special occasion dressing in our family. It is SOOOO good!
JulieP says
Bacon grease was used just on bread when I was a kid. I still occasionally have the bacon just not the grease since I left home 40+ years ago. I use an immunity/cholesterol busting dressing of Evoo, cider vinegar with the ‘mother’, turmeric, Dijon mustard, lemon zest, lemon juice and a teaspoon of honey. It’s delish and sometimes I add in avocado too. All the good stuff. My darling husband on the other hand likes salad cream, on everything (eurgh!)
Joan says
This dressing sounds delicious and I can not wait to make bacon and try! thank you
Kathy Wolfe says
Bacon grease seasons cooked cabbage…delish. I also put it in my baked beans.