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Bacon and avocado salad with Parmesan croutons recipe

Bacon and avocado salad with Parmesan croutons recipe

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Bacon and avocado are one of the best double acts in food and they're combined beautifully in this salad. Parmesan croutons add crunch (an excellent way of using up ciabatta bread, too) and are so much easier to make than you might think. See method

  • Serves 4
  • 5 mins to prepare and 15 mins to cook
  • 687 calories / serving

Ingredients

For the Parmesan croutons

  • 100g (3½oz) ciabatta, cut into 1.5cm (½in) cubes
  • 2tbsp olive oil
  • 2tbsp Parmesan, grated
  • ½ lemon, zested

For the dressing

  • 2tsp Dijon mustard
  • 2tsp runny honey
  • ½ lemon, juiced
  • 4 tbsp olive oil
  • small handful fresh basil leaves, chopped

For the salad

  • 2 little gem lettuces, leaves separated
  • 50g (2oz) watercress
  • 2 small avocados, stone removed, chopped
  • 3tbsp pumpkin seeds

For the salad

  • 1 x 300g pack unsmoked back bacon
  • ½ tbsp olive oil

Each serving contains

  • Energy

    2850kj
    687kcal     34%

  • Fat

    57g 80%

  • Saturates

    14g 70%

  • Sugars

    5g 5%

  • Salt

    3.5g 58%

of the reference intake
Carbohydrate 19.4g Protein 21.6g Fibre 5.6g

Method

Bacon and avocado are one of the best double acts in food and they're combined beautifully in this salad. Parmesan croutons add crunch (an excellent way of using up ciabatta bread, too) and are so much easier to make than you might think.

  1. Preheat the oven to gas 6, 200°C, fan 180°C.
  2. To make the Parmesan croutons, put the chopped ciabatta cubes into a large bowl and toss with the olive oil, grated Parmesan, lemon zest and a little freshly ground black pepper.
  3. Put on a baking sheet and put in the oven on the middle shelf to cook for 8-10 minutes, or until the croutons are nicely golden brown. Remove the tray from the oven and set aside.
  4. For the dressing, whisk all the ingredients except the basil leaves. Once well combined, stir in the chopped basil.
  5. To assemble the salad, put the little gem lettuce leaves into a large wide serving bowl, add the watercress, then top with the chopped avocado and pumpkin seeds.
  6. Chop the bacon into small pieces then fry in the olive oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat, until golden and crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon and scatter over the salad.
  7. Drizzle with the dressing, lightly toss and serve.

See more bacon recipes

For top tips on protecting you and your family when preparing raw meat and poultry, visit Food Safety in the Home.

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