Mushroom & Avocado Salad with Crispy Bacon

Name: Mushroom & Avocado Salad with Crispy Bacon
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 25 min
Cuisine: European
Ingredients: bacon strips — 8 pcs; button mushrooms — 200 g; avocado, large — 1 pcs; cherry tomatoes — 200 g; lettuce — 200 g; extra virgin olive oil — 4 tbsp; white wine vinegar — 2 tbsp; honey mustard — 1 tbsp; salt and ground black pepper by taste

25 minutes

Medium

The beauty of this salad lies in its versatility — it can easily be transformed into a vegetarian dish simply by skipping the bacon. If you're in the mood for something different, feel free to swap the avocado for goat cheese or blue cheese; both variations are absolutely delicious. And if you’re looking to boost the protein, try adding some roasted chicken breast or seared shrimp.

If you’d rather not turn on the oven to crisp up the bacon, a dry skillet works just as well. However, the oven has one major advantage: you don’t have to stand over the pan and flip each slice!

Salads European cuisine

22 seconds ago

Ingredients for 4 servings:

Base

Dressing

Recipe:

Ingredient Notes:

Mushrooms. Button mushrooms (white or cremini) are a perfect, versatile choice. Look for firm, young mushrooms—they have a richer, slightly sweet flavor and hold their texture better when sautéed. Cremini (baby bella) mushrooms will offer a bit more depth of flavor.
- Alternative: Oyster mushrooms also work beautifully in this salad.
Avocado. Choose a ripe avocado of any variety. It should be not too soft to the touch, without any dents or dark spots on the skin.
Bacon. This recipe calls for uncooked smoked bacon (streaky bacon). Pre-sliced packs are the most convenient. Pro tip: if you have a whole slab, pop it in the freezer for a bit before slicing—it makes it much easier to get those perfect, paper-thin strips.
Tomatoes. Cherry tomatoes are your best bet as they are almost always sweet and ripe. During peak season, feel free to use large heirloom tomatoes cut into chunks or wedges. The key is that they must be ripe and flavorful.
Salad greens. I used a mix of Romaine, Radicchio, Frisée, and Arugula. If you prefer a milder taste without the bitter notes, go for plain Romaine or other neutral greens like Iceberg or Lollo Bionda.
Oil. I used extra virgin olive oil for its characteristic earthy notes. If you prefer a more neutral dressing, feel free to use any refined oil.
Vinegar. White wine, apple cider, sherry, or rice vinegar all work well for the dressing.
Mustard. If you don’t have honey mustard on hand, simply mix 2 tsp of Dijon mustard with 1 tsp of honey.
- Note: If you’re not a fan of honey, you can easily omit it and make a savory dressing instead.

Let’s start cooking!

Arrange the bacon slices on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

Bake in a preheated oven at 200 °C (400 °F) until crispy, which takes 5–10 minutes (depending on your oven).

Slice the mushrooms into 3–4 mm thick slices.

Sauté them over high heat in vegetable oil until they are cooked through. Transfer to a paper towel to absorb the excess oil.

Cut the avocado in half, remove the pit, and peel it. Dice.

Cut the tomatoes into 2–4 pieces, depending on their size.

Prepare the dressing. Whisk all the ingredients together with a fork or whisk until emulsified.

Pour one-third of the dressing into a separate bowl. Add the lettuce to the remaining dressing and toss to coat.

Place the lettuce on a plate and top with mushrooms, avocado, tomatoes, and finely chopped crispy bacon.

Drizzle with the remaining dressing and serve.

Enjoy!

This Mushroom & Avocado Salad with Crispy Bacon recipe was checked, prepared and approved by Chef Tatyana Nazaruk - author of FlavorIt.com.
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