After having this savory, sweet and zesty gorgonzola salad with apple at Buca Di Beppo a few times I knew I had to make it at home. It is a perfect blend of flavors and textures. After some recipe testing, I came up with this apple gorgonzola salad recipe which tastes just about as good as the salad at the restaurant.
Why This Recipe Works
It’s all about the flavors! The salad is savory, sweet with just a touch of zestiness from the dijon mustard.
The different textures of the crunchy nuts, apples, and romaine lettuce are the perfect counterpart to the creamy gorgonzola cheese.
It’s easy to make at home so you can enjoy this copycat Buca di Beppo salad anytime you have a craving.
What I love the most, is that this apple gorgonzola salad recipe appears and tastes so amazing but it goes together super quickly. I love to serve it up for dinner with my favorite smoked turkey breast or instant pot bone-in chicken. For groups, it's fun to have a large bowl of it as a side dish along with a delicious broth fondue.
About the Ingredients
There are a few things you need to make this salad:
- Romaine lettuce: Gives the salad a nice crunchy base. Though it won’t be an authentic copycat, it also works with other greens such as spinach, kale, or spring mix.
- Crumbled gorgonzola: A specific type of blue cheese from Italy that is aged between 2 and 6 months. This cow milk cheese has a very distinct strong flavor and a soft, creamy texture.
- Green apples: Green apples, specifically granny smith apples, give this salad a tart flavor and crisp texture that you often can’t find in other apples. Swap them out with fresh pears for a pear gorgonzola salad.
- Red onions: The perfect onion to use for fresh salads, just be sure they’re sliced thin so they don’t overpower the salad.
- Dried cranberries: For color and more tart flavors in the salad.
- Candied Pecans: The finishing touch on this apple and gorgonzola salad that brings all the flavors together and really makes it shine.
Then, of course, the homemade vinaigrette dressing. Making a homemade mustard vinaigrette is key to the freshness of the salad. It is so simple to make, so suppress the urge to buy a store-bought dressing. You throw everything in a blender and you are done in seconds.
All you need is:
- Olive oil: For salads, your best option is extra virgin olive oil.
- Apple cider vinegar: This mild vinegar provides just a touch of acid to the apple walnut gorgonzola salad. You can also use white wine vinegar or red wine vinegar which also tends to have a softer flavor.
- Red onion and Garlic: Aromatics for flavor.
- Dijon mustard: Make sure you use real dijon mustard which has a sharper, slightly zesty flavor that other mustards are missing.
- Oregano, salt, and pepper: Just a few additional seasonings to round out the flavors.
As far as the candied Walnuts? There is a fabulous recipe here on the blog for cinnamon pecans which I used as inspiration in this recipe. I used walnuts but you can also use pecans if you prefer them! You can also opt for store bought glazed walnuts.
How to Make
This salad is so easy to make. There’s a little bit of prep work to get it ready but it goes together quickly.
Step 1: Make the dressing. Place all the ingredients in a blender and blend until it’s smooth. Set it aside while you make the salad.
Step 2: Prep all your ingredients for the salad. Start by cutting the romaine lettuce into bite-sized pieces.
Step 3: Dice up the green apple into small diced cubes.
Step 4: Slice the red onion into rings.
Step 5: Arrange the lettuce, cheese, diced apple, walnuts, and cranberries in a bowl.
Step 6: Drizzle with the desired amount of mustard vinaigrette. Toss to coat.
Expert Tips
Add the dressing right before serving to prevent a soggy salad.
Make sure all the water is drained from washing the romaine lettuce assembling the salad. Excess water will dilute the flavor of the dressing.
Squeeze some lemon juice over the apple to keep it from turning brown if the salad will sit before serving.
Apple Gorgonzola Salad Recipe FAQ
You can make this apple gorgonzola salad recipe up to 24 hours in advance. I’d suggest keeping all the ingredients in separate containers and then assembling the salad within an hour or two or serving. Store all the vegetables and fruit in the refrigerator and the dried cranberries and walnuts on the counter. Be sure to squeeze lemon juice over the apples to keep them from turning brown or wait and cut them at the last minute. Also, be sure that the lettuce is dry after washing it before storing it to prevent it from turning brown or becoming a soggy mess.
Since gorgonzola is a type of blue cheese, you can swap it out with another variety of blue cheese though it may not have the same sharp flavor as the gorgonzola. You can also use goat cheese, feta cheese, or shaved parmesan cheese as well.
More Delicious Salad Recipes
Turn this side salad into a main course by adding slices of grilled chicken or grilled shrimp or serve it up as a side with a bowl of cauliflower cheese soup for a simple lunch combination.
Stay In Touch
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Apple Gorgonzola Salad {Buca Di Beppo Copy-Cat Recipe}
Equipment
- Blender
Ingredients
Salad
- 2 romaine lettuce hearts chopped
- 1 cup crumbled Gorgonzola cheese
- 1 cup dried cranberries
- 1 green apple diced
- 1 green apple sliced
- ½ red onion thinly sliced
- 1 cup candied pecans recipe below
- mustard vinaigrette recipe below
Mustard Vinaigrette
- 1 clove garlic
- ¼ red onion
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- ⅓ cup apple cider vinegar
- ½ cup olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste
Candied Pecans(Can use store bought glazed pecans if desired)
- ¼ cup sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- pinch of ground red pepper
- 2 tablespoon butter
- 1 ½ cups whole pecans
Instructions
Mustard Vinaigrette
- Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.
Salad
- Toss together lettuce, cheese, diced apples, red onion, walnuts, and cranberries. Toss with desired amount of mustard vinaigrette. Garnish with sliced apples and gorgonzola.
Candied Pecans
- Combine all ingredients in a frying pan. Heat over medium heat until sugar is melted and nuts are toasted.
- Transfer to a lightly greased sheet of foil to cool.
- Store in a ziplock bag
Nutrition
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Carol says
I’m confused! Does the red onion go in the dressing, thinly sliced, or in the actual salad, or both?
Kadee says
Hi Carol, there is onion in the dressing, and thinly sliced onions in the salad. So both. :)
Patti says
Always a big hit when I make. Have shared the recipe many times.
klee says
This is so good! Tastes just like the original. A new fav salad around my house
Deborah Yeries says
My son & I made this recipe on Christmas. This year, I’m taking it to our Thanksgiving potluck at work.
Annadi DV says
I truly love this salad from the restaurant. When I found this recipe I was excited to try it at home. The only thing I would change is the salad dressing.I altered the apple Cider vinegar to 1/4 cup and it was perfect.
Liz says
This dressing is one of my favorites and the salad is a staple in my lunch rotation. So fresh and delicious! I don’t always take the time to candy the pecans but it is still delicious with plain
Lisa says
Perfect! I don't bother using a blender for the dressing and it's delicious every time. Such a treat.
Susan says
I bought candied walnuts to save time and used shallots as my husband doesn't care for red onions. This was excellent and easy! Love the flavors together!
Lisa Ruff says
This apple gorgonzola salad is the bomb!!! Everytime there is a function they want me to bring the salad because they know i make really good salads. When i make this gorgonzola salad , everybody raves about this salad!!! And i make different kinds of salad all the time. But this is my favorite!!!
Lisa R.
Kadee says
Thank you so much! This made my day!
Tynan says
I found this very close to what I have had from them. I personally found that 2 tbs of Dijon was a little much and added about 1/2 tsp of honey to round it out. I might have a less sweet apple cider vinegar though. Otherwise, I did not alter the recipe at all and enjoyed it.
ashlynn says
I love this salad from this resturant and love your copycat version. So glad I can make it at home
Alexis says
Great salad. Id cut back on the dijon. Maybe only 1 tbs.
Jeanne C says
As an expert on learned helplessness, i've been in charge of bringing salads To family gatherings. After bringing this, my kin are thinking twice about me bringing a main course!
This is a very easy salad to make and it's guaranteed to impress. I'm not a fan of onions, so the first time I made this, I skimped on them. Trust me - you need the amount of onion called for for all the flavors to blend.
This is an absolutely fantastic salad!
Louise Gates says
Can salad be made ahead, and how long?
How do you keep apples from turning brown.
Harold says
Keep them in water with a little lemon juice.
Michelle R says
This salad is so fresh, one of our favorites for sure!