Don’t let the name fool you – Wilted Lettuce Salad is a light and refreshing (not soggy!) salad that’s packed with flavor.
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Wilted lettuce is thought to be German or Pennsylvania Dutch in origin and is sometimes called “hot bacon salad.” The lettuce itself is served cold (or room temperature), but it heats up slightly when tossed in a dressing that’s hot in temperature. The lettuce wilts slightly when it meets the hot dressing, hence the name “wilted lettuce.”
But don’t worry – this lettuce is definitely not soggy! 🥬 Whenever I mention this recipe to people, they think it involves sauteeing the lettuce in a hot skillet. Nope, the lettuce goes straight into a bowl and never meets the hot pan.
Why You’ll Love Wilted Lettuce Salad
- It’s tossed in a dressing with a bacon grease base – it doesn’t get much more delicious than that! 🥓
- It’s incredibly easy to make and is ready in mere minutes. In fact, the quicker you get this recipe ready, the better!
- It makes for a simple and tasty low carb side dish.
Ingredients Needed to Make This Wilted Lettuce Recipe
Ingredient quantities for this homemade wilted lettuce salad are located in the recipe card at the end of the post.
- Romaine lettuce
- Thick-sliced bacon
- Apple cider vinegar
- Swerve Confectioners
- Salt and pepper
- Optional: hard-boiled egg
♥ FYI, I absolutely love this pepper! It’s extremely affordable and I love the coarse-ground texture. ♥
How to Make Wilted Lettuce Salad {Quick Overview}
This is just a quick overview of some of the steps involved in making the easy wilted lettuce. For the recipe in detail, including exact measurements used at each step, scroll to the recipe card at the end of the post.
The key to making this salad “work” is to make it as quickly as possible (but be careful around the hot bacon grease!). By moving quickly, you ensure the dressing is hot enough to lightly wilt the lettuce. Make sure you have a salad bowl ready and your lettuce chopped to speed up the process.
(Optionally, if you don’t move quickly enough, you can transfer the dressing to a microwave-safe container and microwave it for a few seconds. But again, be careful with the hot bacon grease!)
Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add bacon and cook until crispy. Once done, use a slotted spoon to transfer the bacon onto a plate.
After the bacon has been removed, quickly add apple cider vinegar, water, Swerve, salt, and pepper to the hot bacon drippings. Combine the ingredients until everything is dissolved.
As soon as the dressing is combined, into a salad bowl, add chopped romaine. Crumble cooked bacon and toss. Then, pour hot dressing on top and gently toss to ensure every lettuce leaf is coated with the dressing. Add salt and pepper to taste and diced hard-boiled egg if desired.
Serve the salad immediately. Enjoy!
More Keto Bacon Recipes
- Is bacon keto? Yes, you can eat bacon on the keto diet! Try our easy air fryer recipe to make one of the most delicious food options ever!
- Make this easy keto chicken casserole with bacon and pork rinds!
- Enjoy these keto bacon wrapped jalapeño poppers for parties and events. Yes, you can eat jalapeños on the keto diet!
- Make this easy keto breakfast quiche for the whole family!
- Learn how to make breakfast casserole on the keto diet for the entire family.
- Make healthy candied bacon for a delicious snack!
Is Romaine Lettuce Keto-Friendly?
Romaine lettuce is good for the keto diet because it is low in net carbs. Romaine lettuce has only 1.44 net carbs per 100 grams. It is a great vegetable to eat and use in recipes for low carb and keto diets.
How Many Carbs are in Romaine Lettuce?
Per 100 grams, romaine lettuce contains 3.24 grams of carbs, with 1.8 grams of fiber. This gives romaine lettuce a total of 1.44 net carbs per 100 grams.
Can I Eat Romaine Lettuce on the Keto Diet?
You can eat romaine lettuce on the keto diet because it is low in net carbs. Romaine lettuce only has 1.44 grams of net carbs per 100 grams. With such a low net carb total romaine lettuce is great for the keto diet and low carb dieters. You can use romaine lettuce in many salads, dinner recipes and as a raw food for snacking. Also, it is also an excellent source of vitamins and minerals.
Nutrition Facts for This Easy Wilted Lettuce Recipe
Per serving (4 total servings):
- 206 calories
- 18g fat
- 7g protein
- 2g net carbs
More Keto Salad Recipes
- Learn how to make healthy taco salad with our easy keto recipe!
- Low carb egg salad is easy to make and great for parties and events. Serves great as a dinner and side dish.
- Cobb salad made keto-friendly is delicious. You will never go back to the old heavy-carb way of doing it.
- Make low carb chicken salad as a delicious meal for the whole family.
- Make chicken strawberry salad for a deliciously refreshing meal!
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Wilted Lettuce Salad with Bacon Grease Dressing
Ingredients
Salad Ingredients
Dressing Ingredients
- Bacon drippings
- 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 2 tbsp water
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 1 tbsp Swerve Confectioners
Instructions
- Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add bacon and cook until crispy. Once done, use a slotted spoon to transfer the bacon onto a plate.
- After the bacon has been removed, quickly add apple cider vinegar, water, Swerve, salt, and pepper to the hot bacon drippings. Combine the ingredients until everything is dissolved.
- As soon as the dressing is combined, into a salad bowl, add chopped romaine. Crumble cooked bacon and toss. Then, pour hot dressing on top and gently toss to ensure every lettuce leaf is coated with the dressing. Add salt and pepper to taste and diced hard-boiled egg if desired.
- Serve the salad immediately. Enjoy!
Nutrition Disclaimer
Nutrition facts are included as a courtesy only. They are accurate to the best of our knowledge based on the ingredients and brands used, but their accuracy is not guaranteed. If applicable, sugar alcohols have already been removed from the total carb count.
More Keto Side Dishes
- You can learn how to make healthy antipasto salad for the whole family!
- You can make cucumber salad keto-friendly by following our easy recipe.
- Enjoy this low carb greek salad as a simple side dish.
- Enjoy healthy roasted vegetables that are both low carb and keto-friendly. This dish is sensational!
- Learn how to make cauliflower mac and cheese keto-friendly with our simple recipe. This is a family friendly recipe!
- You can eat French fries on the keto diet by using this secret vegetable!
On this site, you will find keto, low carb, gluten-free, and healthy recipes that don’t sacrifice flavor. 🍰 Thanks for visiting!
I love this German salad dish. It is so easy to make and has bacon!
Thanks so much, Joseph!
Your recipe is so awesome! This was one I can make over and over.
I really love your bacon salad dressing!
“Excellent!”