GARDEN SALAD

Everyone needs a quick go-to Garden Salad that will pair with just about anything — and this is that recipe! Toss Romaine lettuce and fresh veggies with a simple vinaigrette that takes mere minutes to whip together.

This post shares how you can customize this salad based on personal preferences or what you’re serving it alongside.

A Garden Salad Recipe Should Be Simple!

A salad is typically my go-to as a side dish for just about anything — from grilled chicken to ground beef stroganoff to a flat iron steak — a big bowl of greens and veggies with a light vinaigrette rounds things out nicely. And it especially rounds out heartier meat-heavy dishes well.

Since a Garden Salad often accompanies the main course or larger meal, we believe that salad should be simple and quick to whip together. This recipe is just that — it’s fast and easy to make with minimal prep time. This light and subtle vinaigrette dressing doesn’t overpower ingredients and pairs well with whatever is being served as the main course.

What’s In Garden Salad?

When throwing together a quick Garden Salad, the list below has my usual go-to options. Of course, you don’t need all of these ingredients and alternatively, you can always add more. The idea of this salad is to be quick and easy so if you’re only throwing in a couple of veggies, that’s great too!

Tomatoes: Nothing beats garden-fresh, but any tomato will work here! If tomatoes aren’t in season, try using cherry tomatoes, which grow well in greenhouses even in the depths of cold weather! Because of their size, they have less water so you’ll have a more concentrated tomato flavor.
Cucumbers: Nothing beats the crispness and flavor of English or Persian (sometimes called “salad cucumbers”) cucumbers.
Carrot: We like to quickly grate a big carrot on the large holes of a cheese grater. Alternatively, you could thinly slice (using a sharp chef’s knife or mandolin) or peel into ribbons using a vegetable peeler. And you can pick up pre-shredded carrots at most grocery stores, as well.
Avocado: A perfectly ripe avocado adds an amazing creaminess to the salad!
Red onion: If you’re sensitive to the flavor of raw red onion, soak the diced onions in salted ice water for 10 minutes. Drain thoroughly before adding to the salad.
Croutons: If you love some crunch, croutons are the way to go! And if you’re feeling super ambitious, try making your own ahead of time — few things beat homemade croutons in my book!

VARIATIONS

Garden Salad Variations

There are practically endless ways to make a Garden Salad; here are ideas for ways to customize your salad:

Add raw veggies: Add fresh, sweet corn cut off the cob, thinly sliced baby Bella mushrooms, sugar snap peas, diced bell peppers, thinly sliced radishes, snow peas, edamame, fully thawed frozen sweet peas.

Or add roasted vegetables: We love adding leftover or freshly roasted (and cooled) veggies to Garden Salads too (it might sound strange, but it’s delicious!) — cubed roasted beets, cubed roasted butternut squash, roasted green beans (give ‘em a coarse chop first), roasted broccoli (again, coarse chop here), roasted sweet potatoes, and roasted carrots.

Add fresh herbs: Adding a handful of fresh herbs adds such a nice dimension of flavor to a simple Garden Salad. Here are some of our favorites: thinly sliced green onions or chives, ribboned basil, fresh mint, fresh dill. A handful of microgreens are also nice for added flavor and texture.

Add protein: Hard-boiled eggs, diced ham, leftover grilled chicken or rotisserie chicken, thinly sliced cooked steak, prosciutto, cooked fish, shrimp can turn a salad into an entree.

Switch up the dressing: This vinaigrette is a very simple, all-purpose, mild dressing. If you want some more pizzazz or are looking for a different option, try one of these recipes: balsamic vinaigrette, citrus vinaigrette, lemon vinaigrette, poppy seed dressing, or honey mustard salad dressing.

Cheese is a nice finishing touch: Small cubes or grated sharp Cheddar, feta cheese, goat cheese, freshly grated Parmesan cheese — whatever you like best with veggies and greens!

Garden Salad FAQs

What is a Garden Salad?

A Garden Salad is a salad served as a side dish. It is typically a type of tossed green salad made with lettuce. As the name would indicate, there are also fresh veggies like tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, and carrots.

Garden Salads also may include croutons and/or cheese.
What are the types of salads?

There are so many different types of salad recipes. Most of these salads can be categorized into three subgroups: tossed, composed, and bound.

Tossed salads are made by tossing ingredients and dressing until everything ends up evenly mixed. These types of salads include Caesar Salad, Greek Salad, or Nicoise salad. Garden Salad is a tossed salad.

Composed salads are typically carefully assembled with a certain structure in mind. Think a Cobb salad or a Wedge salad with the ingredients nicely arranged.

Bound salads are held together with an agent like a thick dressing or mayo — they’re salads you’d find at a picnic or potluck like chicken salad, Watergate salad, or Ambrosia Salad
Is a garden Salad Healthy?

Yes! Salad greens contain vitamins and minerals, plus they are a great choice in a healthful diet because they are naturally low in calories and sodium. The only catch is the optional ingredients. You can really rack up calories and carbs with some of the add-ins if you’re not careful.
How do you spice up a Garden Salad?

You can add all sorts of interesting tastes and textures to a Garden Salad.

Add something crunchy: Think croutons, toasted nuts or seeds, or tortilla strips.
Play with texture: Combine creamy ingredients (like avocado) with crisp ingredients (like bell peppers).
Add in cooked and cooled grains like quinoa, farro, wild rice, etc.

5. What are the three keys to a quality salad?

Keep these qualities in mind for a top-notch salad:

Use fresh ingredients — Good quality, fresh salad components make all the difference in a salad!
Choose ingredients that mesh together nicely — We want different textures and flavors that complement and blend together well — tang from an onion, creaminess from the avocado, crispness from cucumber, juiciness from tomato, and sweetness from carrots. All these ingredients interplay to make a harmonious-tasting salad.
Give it some eye appeal — We eat with our eyes first! Make sure the salad looks appealing with bright, fresh, and vibrant ingredients.

STORAGE

Garden Salad Storage

As with most salads, Garden Salads don’t sit or store well after being dressed. The salad should be eaten soon after being assembled; otherwise, the dressing wilts the greens, and the ingredients soften. You can easily halve this recipe so you don’t have any leftovers.

To make ahead: Prepare everything, but store ingredients separately in the fridge. You can make the dressing up to a week in advance. Simply store in a glass jar and thoroughly whisk (or shake) to recombine before adding to the salad. Assemble and toss everything together right before eating.

Don’t be alarmed if the dressing separates or forms clumps. It’s just the olive oil solidifying, which it does at cold temps. Take the vinaigrette out of the fridge about 20-30 minutes or so before you need it and let it return to temperature. Then shake it up to remix.

More Simple Salad Recipes

Applebee’s Chicken Salad with crispy chicken
Summer Couscous Salad with a white balsamic vinaigrette
Quinoa Salad with a lemon vinaigrette
Caesar Salad with a creamy Caesar salad dressing
Cobb Salad with an herb vinaigrette

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