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Old-Fashioned Wilted Lettuce Salad Recipe with Warm Bacon Dressing

Old-Fashioned Wilted Lettuce Salad

Fresh leaf lettuce is tossed with a hot bacon, onion, sugar, and vinegar dressing for a traditional warm salad with crisp, smoky, tangy flavor. Optional hard-boiled egg makes it even more filling.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 8 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Salad
  • 1 large head, about 8 cups Leaf lettuce, washed, dried, and torn into bite-size pieces
Warm Bacon Dressing
  • 4 slices Bacon, chopped
  • 1/4 cup Finely chopped onion
  • 2 tablespoons Granulated sugar
  • 2 tablespoons Cider vinegar or white vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons Water
  • 1/2 teaspoon Salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon Black pepper
Optional Garnish
  • 1 large egg Hard-boiled egg, sliced or chopped

Method
 

Step-by-Step
  1. Wash the lettuce thoroughly, dry it very well, and tear it into bite-size pieces. Place the lettuce in a large heatproof bowl.
  2. Cook the chopped bacon in a skillet over medium heat for about 5 to 7 minutes, or until crisp. Remove the bacon and reserve about 2 tablespoons of the rendered fat in the skillet.
  3. Add the chopped onion to the bacon fat and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until softened.
  4. Add the sugar, vinegar, water, salt, and black pepper. Stir and bring the dressing just to a simmer so the sugar dissolves.
  5. Immediately pour the hot dressing over the lettuce. Toss gently until the leaves are slightly wilted and coated.
  6. Sprinkle the crisp bacon over the salad and serve at once. Add sliced or chopped hard-boiled egg if desired.

Notes

Dry the lettuce thoroughly so the dressing clings to the leaves instead of becoming diluted. This salad is intended to be warm and lightly wilted, so toss and serve immediately rather than refrigerating it before serving.