Grandma's Wilted Lettuce Recipe - Old Fashioned Wilted Lettuce
Grandma's Wilted Lettuce Recipe is the perfect summer side dish to take you back to your childhood. Old Fashioned Wilted Lettuce has a hot bacon dressing made with bacon grease, vinegar and sugar.
Prep Time5 minutes mins
Cook Time5 minutes mins
Total Time10 minutes mins
Course: Salad, Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Keyword: german wilted lettuce, grandma's wilted lettuce, old fashioned wilted lettuce, wilted lettuce with bacon, wilted lettuce with bacon grease
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 67kcal
Author: Barbara
- 4 - 6 slices bacon (see instructions or notes)
- 2 Tablespoons white sugar
- 1/4 cup white vinegar
- 4 - 6 cups leaf lettuce
Chop bacon in small pieces, crisp up in a skillet. Remove bacon onto paper towel-lined plate, leaving bacon grease in pan. (If you want to start with reserved bacon grease, add 4 tablespoons bacon grease to a skillet, and heat).
Add sugar to the hot bacon grease, whisking until dissolved.
Turn off heat; add vinegar and whisk immediately. Be careful of the flume of vinegar steam that arises from the pan.
Pour over leaf lettuce in a bowl, tossing until coated and lightly wilted.
If desired, stir in fried bacon pieces. Season with salt and pepper.
- Fried bacon pieces are optional if you'd rather use reserved bacon grease from breakfast. This is what my Grandma did.
- Start with approximately 4 tablespoons bacon grease.
- Only use as much lettuce as you'll eat in one meal; wilted lettuce does not save. The lettuce gets too wilted and becomes inedible.
- Hard boiled eggs are a great addition to old fashioned wilted lettuce salad. Or, sauté onions in the bacon grease for added flavor.
- Try using leaf lettuce from the farmers' market in the summer. It works perfectly for Grandma's Wilted Lettuce with bacon.
- This recipe is super fast to make. Make it after all your other food is done cooking to ensure it is perfectly wilted, not soggy!
- Love easy side dishes? Try Soy Cucumber Salad.
- The carb counts, calorie counts and nutritional information below is auto-calculated and can vary depending on the products used. These should not be used for specific dietary needs.
Calories: 67kcal | Carbohydrates: 7g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 8mg | Sodium: 142mg | Potassium: 93mg | Fiber: 0.3g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 2101IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 11mg | Iron: 0.4mg