french bistro brunch salad - Healthy Seasonal Recipes (2024)

This easy salad recipe is a twist on the classic French Bistro salad and it’s perfect for brunch. Because who says you can’t have a salad for brunch? When there’s a poached egg, bacon and broiled cherry tomatoes involved it’ll be hard to resist.

Why We Love This Recipe For French Bistro Salad For Brunch

If you’ve never opted for a loaded salad for brunch, I’m telling you you’re missing out. Because not only is it healthy, but you can also make it so delicious by piling on some of your other favorite brunch foods. Which is basically exactly what I did for this recipe.

Poached eggs, bacon, cherry tomatoes and potatoes make this brunch salad a dream. And honestly, I could eat this for brunch, lunch and dinner most days. Plus, don’t you just love how colorful the plate is with all the different foods?

A classic French bistro salad is known for its use of lots of crisp greens, bacon, poached egg and a light vinaigrette. Add on potatoes and extra seasonal veggies (broiled cherry tomatoes) and you’ve got yourself the perfect brunch salad. Plus, not only is the dressing full of herbs, (it’s a riff on my tarragon vinaigrette recipe) but the cherry tomatoes are also cooked with Herbs de Provence.

Serve this on a lazy weekend, or present it to guests for a totally inspired healthy and satisfying brunch entree!

Key Ingredients to Make This Recipe

Eggs

I love poaching eggs for salads. For the best and freshest flavor, I like using brown organic eggs. You’ll find the highest quality eggs at local farmers’ markets, but any eggs at the store will do. See the steps below for detailed instructions on how to poach the perfect egg!

Cherry tomatoes

Look for firm and plump cherry tomatoes that are bright in color. I used all red for this recipe but you can always use heirloom cherry tomatoes instead.

Fingerling potatoes

Fingerling potatoes are long, stubby, small fingerlike potatoes. For this French bistro salad I used purple fingerling potatoes, but you can use any fingerling potatoes you can find. Look for ones that are even in color with no green, and no extra growths or sproutings.

Bacon

When choosing bacon at the store, go for an uncured option. This means that it hasn’t had any extra sodium nitrates added to it. Some bacon also has more fat and some sweetener added, so look for bacon with less fat, and one that isn’t sweetened.

Additional Ingredients

• ¼ cup plus 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• ½ teaspoons Herbs de Provence
• ¾ teaspoon coarse kosher salt, divided
• ½ teaspoon pepper to taste
• 4 teaspoons white wine vinegar, plus a splash for poaching liquid
• 1 tablespoon minced shallot
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 2 teaspoons honey
• 1 teaspoons chopped tarragon
• 4 cups spinach or green lettuce
• 2 to 4 cup frisee and/or cress

Step by Step Instructions to Make This Brunch Salad

Step 1: Prep & broil tomatoes

Preheat the broiler with an oven rack placed in the upper third. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment or a silicone baking mat. Toss the tomatoes with 2 teaspoons oil, herbs de Provence, ¼ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper in a medium bowl. Spread out on the prepared baking sheet and broil until the tomatoes are soft and starting to blister, 4 to 8 minutes.

Step 2: Steam potatoes & make dressing

Meanwhile, steam the potatoes in a steamer basket in a medium saucepan until fork tender, 10 to 15 minutes. In a sealable jar, combine the remaining ¼ cup tablespoons oil, the remaining ½ teaspoon salt, the remaining ¼ teaspoon pepper, vinegar, shallot, mustard, honey and tarragon. Shake to combine.

Step 3: Cook eggs

Bring several inches of water plus a splash of vinegar to a boil over high heat in a wide sauté pan or deep skillet. Crack eggs one at a time into a small ramekin and then slide into the water. Keep an eye on the boil/simmer of the water. The temperature of the water should drop from the cold eggs. When it comes back up to a simmer, reduce the heat to maintain a very gentle simmer. If the water is boiling, reduce heat. Cook eggs 4 minutes for runny yolks. Remove from the water with a slotted spoon to a plate lined with a clean towel.

Step 4: Assemble brunch salad

Divide the spinach among four large plates. Top with a quarter of the friesee each. Arrange the tomatoes, potatoes and bacon over the greens. Drizzle on the dressing. Top with the poached egg and serve immediately.

FAQs and Expert Tips

Keywords: brunch salad