Judging by my personal Facebook feed when I posted my candid shot of this sugared walnut grape salad the day I made it, my Ohio friends are in love with this salad. It happens to be a copycat version of my absolute favorite salad at one of my absolute favorite local pizza joints, Dewey’s. That name won’t mean anything to those of you not residing in the Buckeye State, but this salad will sure mean something to your tastebuds no matter where you live.
I’ve often ordered this salad and commented that I should try and recreate it at home so I could eat it more often. The combination of flavors is just perfect, though uncomplicated so it was actually pretty simple to imitate. Candied walnuts, sliced red grapes, crumbled blue cheese, served atop spring mix lettuce and dressed in a citrus vinaigrette. That’s it! Salad perfection.
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For reference, I wanted to show you the vinegar I used for the dressing. It’s one of my favorite Trader Joe’s products (and I have a lot of TJ favorites). It’s seriously so flavorful that I could drink it straight! But if you don’t have access to it, just use a white wine or champagne vinegar and add fresh orange juice (I’ve noted this in the recipe below).
Make a batch of this salad and then stuff your face with goodness!
This recipe is featured on Meal Plan Monday. Meal Plan Monday is proudly hosted by Southern Plate, Southern Bite, A Southern Soul, and Big Bear’s Wife.
- 1/2 c. walnuts
- 1 T. butter
- 2 T. light brown sugar
- 1/4 c. Trader Joe's Muscat Orange Champagne Vinegar (or substitute plain Champagne Vinegar)
- 1 T. honey
- 1 T. lemon juice
- (if using plain champagne vinegar, use 1 T. fresh orange juice and 1 T. fresh lemon juice)
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1/2 t. salt
- 1/4 t. pepper
- 1/2 c. extra virgin olive oil
- 8 c. spring mix lettuce
- 1 1/3 c. red grapes, cut in half
- 1/2 c. blue cheese
- In a non-stick skillet over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the brown sugar and walnuts. Stir occasionally until sugar has melted and nuts have started to lightly toast, about 5 minutes. Transfer nuts to parchment paper and allow to cool completely.
- In a jar, combine the vinegar, honey, citrus, garlic, salt, pepper and oil. Shake to combine.
- Divide the lettuce among four shallow bowls (2 cups each). Top the lettuce evenly with the grapes, sugared walnuts and blue cheese. Dress with the citrus vinaigrette and serve.
Shelley Fulton says
Count me in as an Ohio person who is thrilled to see this salad recipe! I don’t think we have Dewey’s up here, but I can see why this gorgeous salad is legendary and so near to your heart! Especially this time of year, when grapes are so very good, and so inexpensive, this would be a perfect salad to transition into fall! And, I have to confess … I’m pretty much a sucker for anything with blue cheese! Love this!
foodtasticmom says
It’s addicting for sure… which is OK because it’s a salad and filled with some pretty good stuff! Looking forward to meeting you at the Ohio Eggstravaganza tomorrow!!
foodtasticmom says
It’s addicting for sure… which is OK because it’s a salad and filled with some pretty good stuff! Looking forward to meeting you at the Ohio Eggstravaganza tomorrow!!
Emily @ TwoPurpleCouches says
Made this tonight and it was SO good! I think I prefer your citrus dressing to Dewey’s version. It was tangier and I think it balanced out the sweetness of the grapes and sugared walnuts really well! I think we’ll be making this salad a lot this Fall!
foodtasticmom says
Love hearing this Emily! Thanks for commenting… I’m so glad you enjoyed it!