Similar to panzanella, Gluten Free Luxembourg Salad is a very flavorful salad. It’s made with bacon, blue cheese, and chunks of gluten free bread.
Have you ever had panzanella? Back in your gluten eating days? This gluten free Luxembourg salad is a type of panzanella that’s one of my absolute favorites because it’s loaded with bacon and blue cheese!
What is Gluten Free Luxembourg Salad?
My sister made this salad for the family years ago and ever since, I was hooked on it. We had it for several of our pool parties and functions over the years, but then it fell off my radar. Probably has to do with the fact that it has BREAD in it and, therefore, I couldn’t eat it. Or I didn’t want to eat it with the bread that was available to me at the time. But now that I’m making my own gluten free bread that’s JUST LIKE real bread, I’m definitely bringing this salad back!
Luxembourg salad is similar to panzanella only in the fact that it has bread cubes in it. While traditional panzanella usually has tomatoes and no lettuce, Luxembourg salad has no tomatoes but plenty of lettuce/greens. I couldn’t find much in terms of where Luxembourg salad originated (maybe the Silver Palate?). I have yet to ask my sister where she got the recipe. Regardless, it’s an amazing salad that’s perfect for serving to a crowd and now that we have wonderful gluten free bread, there’s no reason why any of you can’t make it!
The List of Ingredients
This list might look somewhat long, but most of the ingredients are for the vinaigrette and come together quickly:
The Salad Components
- Bacon–I knew I’d get your attention with this one word. As far as I’m concerned, any salad with bacon is a winner in my book!
- Gluten Free Bread–the best bread to use for this salad is something that’s not too sweet, such as my artisan bread, sourdough bread, or Italian bread. For these pics and video, I used my Italian bread and it was perfect. And no need to go through the trouble of making a fresh loaf. Day old bread is actually better!
- Lettuce–the original recipe calls for Romaine lettuce, but a combination of any lettuce would be great in this. I like to add baby arugula because I love the bite arugula offers (it’s often described as “peppery”).
- Blue cheese–this is one of my favorite cheeses, but if you’re not a blue cheese fan, try goat cheese or even feta for a slightly difference flavor.
The Dressing/Vinaigrette
- Garlic–lots of it!
- Balsamic vinegar
- Lemon juice
- Dijon mustard
- Mixed salad herbs–this is what the original recipe calls for. What in the world are mixed salad herbs? I chose to use what is currently growing in my herb garden: basil, dill, parsley, and tarragon.
- Olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
Gluten Free Luxembourg Salad FAQs
Can I Fry the Bacon on the Stovetop?
Yes, you definitely can cook your bacon any way you’d like to. However, if you haven’t tried oven baking it yet, I urge you to give this a try because once you try it, you’ll never go back. No splatter of grease all over your stove and so much easier. Simply line the bacon up on a parchment-lined baking sheet (no rack required). Bake the bacon in the oven until crisp. So easy and it comes out perfect every time! But, if you decide to fry it, make sure to save that grease for the bread cubes.
How Do I Prepare the Salad In Advance?
It’s very easy to get everything for Luxembourg salad prepped in advance, so at party time all you have to do is throw it all together. Make the dressing, place it in a lidded container or jar, and refrigerate it. Bake or fry the bacon and crumble. Brown the bread cubes and keep at room temperature, uncovered. Use already crumbled blue cheese to make it even easier. When ready to serve, simply toss everything together!
It’s that simple. Gluten free Luxembourg salad could become one of your new favorite salads. It’s definitely one of mine!
Gluten Free Luxembourg Salad
Ingredients
- 12 thick slices bacon
- 4 thick slices day old bread, cut into 1-inch cubes, such as
- Gluten Free Artisan Bread ,
- Gluten Free Sourdough Artisan Bread , or
- Gluten Free Italian Bread
- 2 bags Romaine lettuce, mixed lettuce, or chopped kale or
- 1 bag each chopped Romaine lettuce and baby arugula
- 1 4 oz (113 g) container crumbled blue cheese
Dressing/Vinaigrette
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- â…“ cup (80 ml) balsamic vinegar
- 2 tbsp lemon juice (from one medium lemon)
- 1½ tbsp Dijon mustard
- 1½ tbsp fresh mixed salad herbs (I used basil, dill, tarragon, and parsley–use what you have)
- 1 cup (240 ml) extra virgin olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425° F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Lay bacon in a single layer onto prepared baking sheet and bake for 15-20 minutes, or until crisp. Reduce heat to 400° F.
- Remove bacon from baking sheet and place on paper towels to drain. Add bread cubes to bacon grease on baking sheet and bake for 15-20 minutes, stirring halfway through, until crispy and golden brown.
- In a large bowl, whisk together garlic, balsamic vinegar, lemon juice, and Dijon mustard. Slowly stream in olive oil while whisking constantly. Add salt and pepper to taste, as well as fresh chopped herbs of choice.
- Toss bread cubes, blue cheese, lettuce, and bacon into vinaigrette and serve immediately.
- To make ahead, make vinaigrette, cook bacon, and toast bread cubes in bacon grease. Toss everything together right before serving.