A yummy, easy salad with candied walnuts, cranberries, Gorgonzola cheese, mixed greens, and a raspberry vinaigrette. It's always a big hit and is requested by my friends and family constantly! Even my picky fiance!

Missy's Candied Walnut Gorgonzola Salad

walnut halves

sugar

greens

cranberries

Gorgonzola cheese

raspberry vinaigrette

white vinegar

olive oil

Place walnuts and sugar in a skillet over medium heat, stirring constantly until the sugar dissolves into a light brown liquid and coats the walnuts. Remove walnuts from skillet, and spread them out on a sheet of aluminum foil to cool.


Place in a large salad bowl the mixed greens, cranberries, cheese, vinaigrette, vinegar, and olive oil. Toss gently; add candied walnuts, and toss again.


This i a great little salad that looks really impressive when you take it to potlucks or make it for house guests, even though it's completely easy to make!  I  have played around with different cheeses in this salad, and montchevre goat cheese is my favorite so far--it's crumbly, yet creamy and smooth.  I also like to add julienned apples or pears, and fresh blueberries to the mix, for added color and flavor.  I have also found that I should make extra candied nuts, because I tend to snack on them before I put them on top of the salad.  :)

I make this all the time...it's a great salad...very refreshing. I've also added slided bosc pears to the salad which gives it a nice taste.  Sometimes I switch out gorgonzola for feta to change it up...very good salad!

I've made this a bunch of ways but prefer candied pecans instead of walnuts and have successfully subbed blue cheese instead of gorgonzola. Plan to serve for a Christmas dinner party.

Fabulous! Few tweaks - used plain rasp vinagrette, spring mix for the greens, and I used pecans and didn't let the sugar turn completely into syrup - instead removed them from heat after clumps of crystallized sugar formed on the pecans - more texture. Sooo good!

Awesome salad.  I tried to make my own rasp vinagrette dressing, but don't waste your time - use store bought raspberry vinagrette (I used Ole Cape Cod version).  The walnuts were an awesome addition. (be careful they get super hot in the pan)
 I did however add very thinly sliced red onion to the salad to cut back on the sweetness.

Very tasty.  I have made this salad twice now.

It is good with spinach as well.

Re: the gorgonzola, I would recommend using domestic rather than imported as imported tends to be creamier and less clumpy and therefore does not incorporate as evenly into the salad.

Also, I found the candied walnuts to be a bit sweet and would probably in the future make it using 1/2 cup walnuts and a little less than 1/4 cup sugar.

Overall, an excellent, elegant salad.

This was a great recipe. I had never candied walnuts before and they were easy and delicious! I simplified htis by just using a Kraft pre-made raspberry vinaigrette and skipped the oil and vinegar. Otherwise I kept all the other ingredients the same. Love it!

We all loved this salad.  It's so simple to make--and can be kept exactly the same or changed to fit your personal preference, current grocery supply, or whatever.  I used dried cherries instead of cranberries and it was delicious!

I found the secret to getting my boyfriend to eat AND love salads: CANDIED WALNUTS. Mmmmm... this was a great salad! Will make it many more times. Wouldn't change a thing about it!

I found that it was better to add the walnuts when the sugar begins to melt to a syrup rather than right away - that way there was no crystallization and the walnuts didn't burn.

I have had this salad at an upscale resturant.  It was so good I had to go home and recreate.  I use dried cherries instead of cranberries and use Poppyseed dressing as a quick substitute for the vinaigrette.

This was a good change from a regular salad. Word of warning, be careful when doing the walnuts...if you cook them too long they will give off a slightly burned aroma and they will end up tasting like popcorn or cracker jacks.

My husband and I both loved this! We made it using spinach and made our own salad dressing from seedless rasberry jam, Balsamic vinegar and olive oil.

Yum! I subbed goat cheese crumbles instead of gorgonzola (personal pref). I wasnt sure about the walnuts but I resisted the temptation to add a bit if water. Be patient the sugar will melt. Dont let it get it too brown. As soon as it melts toss to coat and pour them out!

This salad is great but I made a few changes. I added 1 Granny Smith Apple (Cut into semi-thin slices) and 1 medium Avocado (cut into chunks).  I also used Newman’s Light Raspberry &amp; Walnut Dressing rather than making my own and omitted the White Vinegar and Olive Oil. Yummm!!! :-}

Thank you Missy! I was a little annoyed with the extra effort I had to go through to find Gorgonzola cheese (small city) but it was worth it in the end. I don't think a thing about this recipe needs to be changed. It is absolutely delicious, I will make it again and again. P.S. The candied walnuts are amazing and make an awesome sweet treat. Make extra!

Excellent salad!! Followed the recipe exactly. We have had it 3 times this week! Make extra nuts because you WILL be snacking on them!!!

You can't go wrong with this salad. If you want to make it a little bit less sweet/healthier/faster prep  I suggest using regular walnuts. I've made it both ways and both times I LOVED It!

If you add a little Old Bay or Tony Sacchare's Cajun seasoning to the sugar mix, it adds a little bite to the nuts and is delicious.  Thanks.

I made a few adjustments replaced the lettuce with spinach the gorgonzola with bleu cheese and made a dressing of milk sugar and apple cider vinegar since didnt have raspberry dressing on hand.  Delicious

Other than chicken or egg, what would be a good lean protein to add to this  yummy salad?

I never had gorgonzola cheese before and I'm not a huge fan. I brought this to Thanksgiving dinner tonight (Canadian) and never received one compliment. I'm giving it 4 stars though because I don't think I enjoyed it because of my own taste preferences. The candied walnuts were sooooo good..although next time I will try a syrup on them and then roast them in the oven to prevent the sugar clumping together. I also agree that you don't need nearly the amount of sugar called for. Thanx for introducing me to candies walnuts these will be amazing on all my salads.

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this!!!  Since finding this recipe I have made it 3 times in the past month:  for Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve and for my office dinner party.  It is a hit with everyone (even my kids and my picky sister who normally says mixed greens look like weeds!)  I cannot say enough about this salad.  Wonderful as is!

This salad is so easy to make and take and I always receive lots of compliments. I've just used a big bag of spinach instead of mixed greens and it tastes fabulous. I also slice up a ripe pear and add to the salad. To make it easier I use the Kraft Raspberry vinegrette dressing. Even my mother-in-law liked it. I've actually made the salad 4 times in the last 2 weeks and will be making it again this Saturday for another event. It's been great for the holidays!

Great salad and easy to make.  I love it and I will be preparing it often.

Simple, and delicious.  Made the recipe just as directed.  Yum!  I think the next time I will make it with candied pecans!

Fabulous! I made this for Bunko night and it disappeared with requests for the recipe. I used a homemade poppy seed dressing instead of the vinaigrette...it created such a perfect combination together! Will make this regularly.

Who would have thought that just a few odd ingredients could have so much pizzazz.  This recipe is going in my "company's coming" file.

Great!  The dressing is great ... i'll use it on other salads as well.

This salad was delicious. I spent hours making baked spaghetti from scratch so I cheated on this recipe to save time. I bought the walnuts already candied and used a pomegranite vinagrette from Whole Foods and addd sliced pears. Still came out great!

So easy and quick.  I bought candied pecans and used instead of walnuts.  Your friends will be impressed at your next dinner party or potluck.  Really, really good.

Really enjoyed the candied nuts, but the cheese was way too bold for this light salad. I think maybe a feta cheese would have been nicer.

I did not change this recipe one bit and it was fabulous. The walnuts are an excellent addition to any salad!!

I used red wine vinegar because I didn't have the raspberry one but it came out good.  I was worried if it would be too sour for my taste without adding any sugar in the dressing but the candied nuts and the amount of cranberries definitely helped.  But I needed more dresssing so I tripled it.  For those who are not used to make those candied nuts, like me, be careful not to over cook them or they will taste like burnt...  Also I tried both with or without water to caramerize the nuts and I say no water!  Like other reviewer said, they became like white sugar coated nuts and didn't taste good at all.

This was delicious! I used fontinella cheese just because I don't like gorgonzola very well. I used more walnuts and less sugar too. I used my own salad dressing, homemade shallot vinegrette and it was just fantastic.

Amazing salad! Gets rave reviews every time! I just doubled the dressing and have used both pecans and walnuts: definitely prefer the pecans. This would be a great holiday salad. Thank you!!

This salad if so refreshing. The goragonzola cheese adds such a wonderful tangy zip! Mixed with the sweet walnuts --- all I can say is YUM!

OMG this was amazing!  Did not change a thing, the proportions were perfect.  As suggested by some reviewers, used Ole Cape Cod Raspberry Vinaigrette and Craisins for the dried cranberries.  Note that the candied walnuts do take about five minutes to get going!  Excellent, will definitely make this again!

WHOA!  This was sooo good and simple to make.  Addicting in fact, will make again and again.  Thanks for the recipe!

wanting to try this, but I can't find the vinagrette.  Where do I get it and what exactly is it?  All's I could find is the raspberry vinagrette dressing already bottled.

Awesome salad! I brought this to a dinner party, and everyone raved about it.  Gorgonzola was too expensive, so I just bought crumbled blue cheese and it turned out great.

This salad is great.  I prefer a sweeter and crunchier nut topping, so I add 2Tbs of honey to the nuts and sugar mixture, after the sugar melted.  I also tried goat cheese if I don't have Gorgonzola.

Absolutely delicious!  I had a similar dish at a five-star restaurant and was looking to recreate it... and this recipe did it.  We even added it to our Thanksgiving menu this year.

Loved this salad!  I did add a chopped pear, and the flavors of the candied walnuts, the Gorgonzola, the pear and the cranberries were a combination made in heaven!  The salad dressing added a light, bright touch and complemented well.  This will definitely be a repeat!

sugar crystallized when I tried to candy the walnuts creating rock hard teeth breaker bits.  I stirred constantly as directed... but that can't be right.  good, but won't make again.

This is one amazing salad! The sweetness of the candied walnuts, the tang of the cranberries and vinaigrette and the bite of the blue cheese are contrasts that all worked beautifully together. These delicious flavors just pop in your mouth with every wonderful bite. Thank  you!!

This salad was very good, but I only gave it 4 stars because some of the walnuts were so hard after coating with sugar and heating. Will try a different technique next time I make this. Constant stirring of nuts in sugar???

My family loves this salad. I've used walnuts and pecans, our preference being pecans. The first time I made the vinagrette as listed. Now I use the dressing from Jamie's Cranberry Spinach salad from this site.

super tasty salad and a huge hit during Christmas dinner.  When cooking the walnuts, I used double the sugar and2 tblsp butter and they were sooooo delsih!!

Great!  I didn't know it was so easy to candy walnuts.

Wow, the candied walnuts are so amazing, I'm suprised any of them made it into the salad, I was so busy snacking on them!  This salad is a great combo of ingredients and one that I will definitely make again.

This salad is good, however, it's the walnuts that are DELICIOUS! They were so yummy that I made a huge batch of them, bagged them, and gave them out as gifts. Everyone loved them. Much , much cheaper than the ones in the grocery stores. They taste great sprinkled on ice cream, yogurt or to just snack on. Four stars for the salad, but 5 stars for the walnuts!!

This salad is perfect. I was looking for something springy last year and came across this. Absolutely delicious! The only thing I do different is add salt and pepper to the greens and use less sugar on the nuts. Sometimes I add chicken to the salad to make a complete meal.

Loved the walnuts!!  They took under 15 minutes to make.  Here are the things I did differently . . . 1. I used a 6 oz bag of walnut pieces and 1/4 + 1/8 c sugar.  2. Used Pomegranate dried cranberries (made by OceanSpray).  3. Didn't have the cheese so I just added some shredded cheese.  4. Just used the raspberry vinaigrette but am going to try adding the vinegar/oil to cut back on the sweetness of the dressing.

A perfectly balanced, elegant salad you will be proud to serve to family and friends.  I suggest to try the recipe as is before making any adjustments.

Made this for a dinner party and everyone loved it! The candied walnuts are easy to do and sooo tasty. I definitely recommend this one!

I used the recipe for Sugar Coated Pecans by Carolyn (posted here on allrecipes) These are easy and taste amazing. With that exception, I made the salad exactly as the recipe stated. It was fabulous! 

I didn't have mixed greens, so I used romaine &amp; it worked fine.  Otherwise, I prepared the recipe as written.  My hubby &amp; I both really enjoyed it--the flavors compliment each other well.

I crave a restaurant's Spinach and Gorgonzola Salad but didn't want to pay so much for it...found this recipe and it totally hits the spot!  YUM YUM YUM!

This salad is absolutely SCRUMPTIOUS!  If you're looking for a light, summer-y salad, this is the one PLUS it's SO easy!

Outstanding!  I used Cape Cod Fat Free Raspberry Vinagrette to make it easier.  This is so good, it is great for a weekday meal or a special occasion.  My kids loved it too!!!

EVERYONE loved this salad.  The biggest rec' I can make is to melt your sugar by itself and add the walnut/pecans after the sugar has melted.  I used pecans and they over cooked while in with the sugar.  All and all a FABULOUS salad!  I skipped the white vinegar and it was great...not a bite left at our dinner party.  While I was doing the dishes and wanting to clean the bowl, my friends were still putting their forks in to finish the salad off.  RAVE reviews.

could probably cut back a little on the sugar. also, might consider 2 T raspberry vinaigrette, 1 T olive oil, and no vinegar. i used blue cheese b/c it was all i could find. seemed like an okay substitute. i'm sure gorgonzola would be delicious. Second time: tried with goat cheese and romaine and it was super good.

I make this salad constantly, it's always a hit.  Thanks for the great recipe!

one of my favorite salads now.  also tried with butter toffee cashews and it was fabulous

Good salad, except for the candied nuts!!! Next time I will make this with pecans or slivered almonds. The sweetness of the sugared walnuts, along with the cranberries was overwhelming.

The candied walnuts are better as roasted walnuts in my opinion. :)

So easy, and sooo delicious!! I had read previous reviews about this salad and decided that candying the walnuts on my own might not have turned out so good, so i just purchased some pre-candied walnuts from the produce department. It turned out awesome, and was even easier to prepare!!

absolutely easy, absolutely quick and absolutely impressive! the cranberries and raspberry vinaigrette made the day! I'm sure going to have it again.Ty for sharing!

I love this recipe!  It's simple &amp; the candied nuts are AMAZING!  They make your kitchen smell delicious! However, gorgonzola may have too strong of a flavor for this recipe.

I made this for Easter, it was everyone's favorite! The only thing I did differently was use a basalmic vinaigrette instead of rasberry

I basically make this salad for every party I attend.

Made this for a potluck in a huge bowl, equivalent to 30 servings. Only 22 people showed and the salad still got eaten. I probably ate 3 servings myself!

This is an incredibly easy and yummy salad. I made it a bit easier though using store bought candied walnuts. Big crowd pleaser!

If I could give this a 10 I would VERY VERY delicous!

This salad was great!  We used dried blueberries in place of the dried cranberries and threw a little bit of chilled chicken on top to make into an entree.  Yum!

This is a very good and simple salad!  I took it to a brunch and everyone was asking for the recipe.  I had never made candied walnuts before.  They were so simple and a definite must!  You definitely do not need all that sugar to candy the walnuts.  I cut the sugar back a bit and they were perfect.  Thanks for the recipe!

I used feta cheese on my salad and shredded cheddar cheese for my husband's salad.  I will make this salad again.

This is a great recipe. My husband and I can't eat ebough. I buy Kraft Raspberry Vingerette it is the best and makes this salad taste great.

DON'T LET THE SIMPLICITY OF THIS RECIPE FOOL YOU.....IT IS DELICIOUS!   I DOUBLED THE DRESSING AS IT WAS SIMPLY THE BEST PART OF THE SALAD.

This was a big hit for my Christmas dinner! I did use blue cheese, only because I couldn't find gorgonzola, but I'm sure it would work just great either way. Candied walnuts really added to the flavour.

This is THE most delicious salad I have ever eaten. The candied walnuts are AMAAAAAZING! I used Craisins, fat-free raspberry vinaigrette, and chopped walnuts instead of walnut halves, because I prefer smaller chunks of walnuts. I just had to break it off into little pieces once it cooled (it clumped together into one large piece) - took 10 seconds and it worked wonderfully! And of course, Gorgonzola cheese is my favorite. I wouldn't ever want to substitute it for anything else!

This salad was amazing. I used goat cheese because I couldn't find gorgonzola at the two different stores I went to. I also topped it with grilled salmon! Yummmy. My 4 yr old and 2 yr old both ate their whole bowls full.

very good, walnuts are very well done,and add alot to the salad

This is a hit every time I make it for people!  I follow the recipe exactly and always get rave reviews.

this is my go to special salad.  I had this many years ago at a friends house and it never fails to impress.  I double and triple the recipe and there are never any leftovers.

This salad is awesome. I made it yesterday exactly as written, though I did triple the recipe as it was for a large dinner party. Everyone raved about the candied walnuts...they are definitely the star of this salad.  There were no leftovers! 

One of my favorite, favorite salads!  I also like using orange vinaigrettes or adding thinly sliced apples.  A foolproof combination!

This spring has been very kind to our lettuces and strawberries. Now that we're in the midst of our berry season, I couldn't resist adding strawberries and used an assortment of the lettuces in our garden.  Oh my, life is good!  Thank you for expanding our salad horizons! Great recipe.

OMG I love this salad!! The Walnuts really make it great!!

The best salad.

But Next time:
Use half the amount of sugar
Add bacon

I brought this to a luncheon and it was a hit.  I used "tangy poppyseed dressing" and feta as others suggested.

Delicious! My first time making candied nuts, next time I'll start melting the sugar and then toss the nuts in, instead of adding them at the same time. I had problems with clumps of sugar sticking to the nuts and not melting. And this salad doesn't keep well, so you should put it all together within an hour of serving and be prepared to toss it after a few hours out.

AWESOME! I have found that blue cheese works just as well as gorgonzola cheese, and that I prefer Kraft raspberry vinagrette instead of the one listed here - not saying that it's bad though! The first couple of times that I made this recipe, I followed it to a T, and it was still a give star recipe! Yum yum!

missy's candied walnut gorgonzola salad

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 5 minutes

Total: 10 minutes

Servings: 4

Cost: $11.56 /serving

Author : MissyPorkChop

Ingredients

Instructions

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missy's candied walnut gorgonzola salad

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 5 minutes

Total: 10 minutes

Servings: 4

Cost: $11.56 /serving

Author : MissyPorkChop

Ingredients

Instructions

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