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    Home » Recipes » Salads

    Wilted Dandelion Greens Salad

    Jun 9, 2016(updated Jun 16, 2020)

    By Michelle Weiner

    No ratings yet
    Prep Time 5 minutes
    Cook Time 10 minutes
    Total Time 15 minutes
    Jump to Recipe Leave a Comment
    Wilted Dandelion Greens Salad with Soft Boiled Egg

    This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Rich sizzling hot pancetta poured over tender dandelion greens and topped with a soft boiled egg...this luscious Wilted Dandelion Greens Salad makes for an easy and filling meal.

    Wilted Dandelion Greens Salad

    Kraft mac and cheese, Bisquick, Spam, and the wilted spinach salad, all invented in the 1930’s. Well…maybe.

    The name brand items absolutely were invented during The Great Depression.[note]"Foodways in Rural America during the Great Depression." Foodways in Rural America during the Great Depression. Accessed June 09, 2016. http://www.livinghistoryfarm.org/farminginthe30s/life_07.html.[/note] The wilted spinach salad…well, the best I can do is to say that a recipe for a salad comprised of wilting lettuce with sizzling bacon fat, bacon, and a hard boiled egg was published in 1933. Dandelion Greens

    There are definitely some similarities between the classic warm spinach salad and the wilted lettuce recipe from The Detroit News Menu Cook Book. The wilted lettuce recipe could be the distant relative of that typical wilted greens, egg, and bacon dish (salads coated in bacon fat are healthy, right?).Wilted Lettuce Recipe from The Detroit News Menu Cook Book

    When I came across the recipe for wilted lettuce I wasn’t interested until I saw the footnote. That seemingly insignificant note to use dandelion greens instead of the lettuce brought a new delicious salad into my life!  I’ve fallen head over heels with this Wilted Dandelion Greens Salad. Wilted Dandelion Greens Salad with Soft Boiled Egg

    The slight bite of the young dandelion greens, saltiness from the pancetta, bright note of the fresh lemon juice, and the richness of that runny yolk…delightfully complex and simple.

    My Wilted Dandelion Greens Salad does have some slight tweaks to the original recipe. I chose to use pancetta instead of bacon and went for the runny soft boiled egg because it creates a nice dressing when it naturally mixes with the lemon juice and rendered fat.Wilted Dandelion Greens Salad with Broken Yolk

    Give this contemporary feeling, yet vintage recipe a go the next time you have a friend over...and serve The Abbey Cocktail along side it. You’ll surely enjoy it. Let me know how it goes in the comments or hashtag your Instagram pic #cupofzest I’d love to see how your version comes out!

    TIPS

    -Never made a soft boiled egg? It’s easy and this video for the best trick to peel a soft boiled egg has you covered!

    -Don’t like a runny yolk and don’t want to use pancetta? Feel free to cook the egg to your liking and use any type of bacon you have on hand.

    -If you haven't used dandelion greens before, look for a bunch that has smaller leaves, a thinner stalks, and do not taste bitter when you take a bite. Seriously…the best way to tell if those greens are not going to be super bitter is to taste it. So ask the vendor at your farmers market for a taste or if you are in the grocery store sneak a leaf from a bunch!

     

    Wilted Dandelion Greens Salad with Soft Boiled Egg
    Wilted Dandelion Greens Salad - This vintage inspired recipe is packed with young dandelion greens, tossed with sizzling pancetta and topped with a soft boiled egg. It's easy and filling. #vintagerecipe
    Wilted Dandelion Greens Salad with Soft Boiled Egg

    Wilted Dandelion Greens Salad

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    Author: Michelle Weiner
    Prep Time: 5 minutes
    Cook Time: 10 minutes
    Total Time: 15 minutes
    Makes: 2 Salads

    Ingredients

    • 1 tablespoon olive oil
    • 6 ounces pancetta roughly chopped
    • 10 oz young small dandelion greens, thoroughly washed
    • 2 soft boiled eggs
    • 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice more to taste
    • Flake salt to taste
    • Freshly ground pepper to taste

    Instructions

    • Bring olive oil to medium-high heat in a skillet. Add pancetta, and cook until brown and crispy, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes.
    • While the pancetta cooks, cut the ends off the greens and tear or cut into bite sized pieces. Place in a large salad bowl.
    • Once the pancetta is crisp, add it and the hot fat from the pan to the greens.
    • Add the lemon juice, a few pinches of salt and pepper and toss to coat.
    • Top with the soft boiled eggs and serve immediately.
    Did you make this recipe?Share a pic and tag @cupofzest and use #cupofzest so I can see it!
    « 4 Ingredient Abbey Cocktail Recipe w/ Gin
    How to Make Coffee Jelly »

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    Comments

    1. thalia @ butter and brioche says

      June 09, 2016 at 11:35 pm

      i've actually never tried dandelion greens before! thanks for the idea!

      Reply
      • Michelle Ferrand says

        June 13, 2016 at 5:12 pm

        No problem Thalia! Their bitterness can definitely be a surprise so finding the perfect flavors to compliment it is a must!

        Reply

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