If you’ve never made bacon bits before, you’re missing out! Whenever I make this grilled courgette salad, I usually have to make extra, because they’re eaten so quickly. Try them sprinkled on poached eggs or potato wedges.
This salad makes a fantastic dinner party starter. I like to serve it with my light lemon dressing to cut through the saltiness of the bacon.
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Grilled courgette (zucchini) has a slightly sweet caramelised flavour, smoky, slightly charred lines, and tender yet firm texture. Combined with the peppery rocket, creamy stilton, sweet pear, and salty bacon this is a real umami salad.
How to make it
Full recipe with detailed steps in the recipe card at the end of this post.
The Bacon Bits
- Cook the bacon on a wire rack in the oven.
- Once it’s cooked and nice and crispy then you want to let it cool until completely cold.
- Transfer the cooled cooked bacon to a food processor and pulse for a few seconds until the bacon is broken up into crumbs.
The Dressing
The dressing for this salad is super simple. We’re just going to whisk together lemon juice and zest, garlic, olive oil, and a pinch of salt and pepper.
The Griddled Courgette
- Use a peeler to make nice thin ribbons of courgette.
- Place the courgette ribbons in a bowl with a little olive oil, salt and pepper.
- Add the seasoned courgette to a griddle pan and cook for 30 to 60 seconds, or until grill lines appear.
Assemble The Salad
Add the grilled courgette (grilled zucchini) to a dish along with some rocket and top with some thinly sliced pear, some crumbled stilton, some chopped walnuts, those bacon bits and a drizzle of the easy dressing.
👩🍳PRO TIP I use one of these griddle pans (<affiliate link) to get those impressive-looking grill lines on the courgette.
🍽️ What to serve it with
This grilled courgette salad (grilled zucchini salad) is a delicious meal just as it is, but….
You could swap out the dressing in this recipe for my Honey Mustard Dressing or how about a few dollops of homemade salad cream?
If you wanted to turn this into a bigger meal then you could add some garlic bread or sauteed potatoes on the side.
Chris loves to BBQ, so If you’re into BBQ’ing then you could always cook the bacon and courgette on the BBQ for some added smokey BBQ flavour to the salad.
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Grilled Courgette Salad Recipe
If you’ve never made bacon bits before, you’re missing out! I usually have to make extra, because they’re eaten so quickly. Try them sprinkled on poached eggs or potato wedges. This salad makes a fantastic dinner party starter. I like to serve it with a light lemon dressing to cut through the saltiness of the bacon.
INSTRUCTIONS
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Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) – fan.
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Arrange the bacon slices in a single layer on a wire rack, with a baking sheet underneath to catch any drips. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until browned and crisp.
8 strips streaky bacon
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Remove the cooked bacon from the oven and allow the bacon to cool completely on the rack (it should only take a few minutes).
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When the bacon is cool, transfer it to a food processor and pulse for a few seconds until the bacon is broken up into crumbs. Put to one side.
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Next, prepare the dressing: In a small bowl, whisk together all the dressing ingredients. Put to one side.
Zest and juice of 1 lemon, 1 clove garlic, ⅛ tsp salt, ⅛ tsp ground black pepper, 3 tbsp olive oil
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Heat a grill pan over high heat.
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Place the courgette ribbons in a bowl with the olive oil, salt and pepper. Place the courgette ribbons on the pan and cook for 30 to 60 seconds, or until grill lines appear (no need to turn). Remove from the pan.
2 small-to-medium courgettes (zucchini) – about 350g/12.3oz altogether, 2 tbsp olive oil, ⅛ tsp salt, ⅛ tsp ground black pepper
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On 4 plates, arrange the rocket and courgette ribbons. Top with pear slices, crumbled stilton, bacon bits and chopped walnuts.
75 g (3 packed cups) rocket (arugula), 2 pears, 55 g (½ cup) crumbled Stilton cheese, 60 g (approx ½ cup) roughly chopped walnuts
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Serve with the salad dressing.
✎ Notes
Nutritional information is estimated per serving, including the dressing (this recipe serve 4).
Nutrition
Calories: 521kcalCarbohydrates: 20gProtein: 12gFat: 46gSaturated Fat: 11gPolyunsaturated Fat: 12gMonounsaturated Fat: 21gTrans Fat: 0.05gCholesterol: 33mgSodium: 550mgPotassium: 604mgFiber: 5gSugar: 12gVitamin A: 785IUVitamin C: 25mgCalcium: 145mgIron: 2mg
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