Try this vibrant radicchio salad, the perfect side dish! Sweet pears, crunchy almonds, tangy goat cheese, and a bright citrus vinaigrette dress up a colorful bed of greens.
Move over kale: there’s a new salad green in town (or, a new purple?). As cookbook authors who’ve made over 60 salad recipes, it’s hard to impress us with something new. But this radicchio salad is a vibrant explosion of flavors and textures that will send your tastebuds into overdrive! Bitter bright purple radicchio leaves are balanced by the sweetness of ripe pears, the satisfying crunch of toasted almonds, the creamy tang of goat cheese, and a zesty citrus vinaigrette that ties it all together. This isn’t your average salad!
What is radicchio?
It’s hard to believe that in a decade of writing recipes, we’ve barely scratched the surface on this leafy green. Radicchio is a bitter green that’s a member of the chicory family, known for its striking purple color and bitter flavor. It forms compact heads with deep red or maroon leaves that have contrasting white veins.
Radicchio’s bitterness comes from a compound called intybin, which mellows when cooking. Much like other bitter vegetables like Brussels sprouts and cauliflower, when it’s grilled, roasted, or braised, radicchio has a sweeter, more nuanced flavor profile. You might find charred radicchio on a restaurant menu, and the vegetable is common in Italian cuisine.
This radicchio salad recipe is…
Vegetarian and gluten-free. For plant-based, dairy-free and vegan, omit the cheese.
Ingredients
For the radicchio salad
- 1 head radicchio, washed, dried and torn into bite-sized pieces
- 1 head butter lettuce, washed, dried and torn into bite-sized pieces or 2 cups baby arugula or baby mizuna
- 1 ripe pear, thinly sliced
- 1 shallot, thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons toasted almonds (or pine nuts)
- ¼ cup goat cheese crumbles (or feta or gorgonzola), optional
- 1 handful fresh mint leaves
For the citrus vinaigrette
- 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon orange zest
- 2 tablespoons honey or maple syrup
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ cup olive oil
Instructions
- Make the dressing: In a medium bowl, whisk together the white wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, orange zest, honey, and kosher salt. Gradually whisk in the olive oil 1 tablespoon at a time until a creamy dressing forms. Store refrigerated; the dressing will solidify when cooled so bring to room temperature before serving.
- Toast the nuts.
- Prepare the radicchio, butter lettuce (if using), pear, shallot as noted above.
- On a large platter or on salad plates, place the radicchio pieces and butter lettuce or baby arugula or mizuna. Add the pear slices, then sprinkle over the sliced shallot, toasted nuts, goat cheese crumbles, and mint leaves. Drizzle with the orange dressing and serve.