An easy, tossed garden salad is the tastiest way to include lots of greens and nutritious veggies in your diet. Plus, it's the best simple side dish to pair with almost any main course meal. Whip up this tasty recipe in just 20 minutes and add all of your favorite mix-ins to create interest and variety!
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Making a healthy salad full of fresh ingredients is a great way to reduce food waste. Easily use up extra produce before it goes bad, just chop it up and throw it in!
This recipe is extremely flexible, so you can utilize almost any vegetable you've already got on hand (including your fresh garden veggies). And, if you're anything like me, you have several bottles of dressing in the refrigerator that need to be used up. This is your chance! Or you can mix up a delicious, homemade vinaigrette.
A classic garden salad can really be dressed with almost anything, and I've got plenty of inspiration for you below.
Can't get enough salad? Try these!
- Fresh Burrata Caprese Salad
- Autumn Harvest Salad With Cinnamon Vinaigrette
- Roasted Beet & Goat Cheese Salad
- Cucumber And Onion Salad
- Fruit Salad With Whipped Cream
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Salad Ingredients & Substitutions
- Lettuce: pick your favorite or mix and match! Romaine, butter and iceberg lettuce are all tasty options. You can also buy a bagged mixture of salad greens (I prefer to chop mine by hand as they tend to stay fresh longer).
- Veggies: red onion, green onion, cucumber, cherry tomatoes, radishes and carrots! Feel free to get creative and use up the vegetables you've got on hand.
- Basic salad dressing: olive oil, white wine vinegar (red also works), lemon juice, Dijon mustard, salt, black pepper & Italian seasoning.
- Optional mix-ins & toppings: nuts, lentil sprouts, garlic peanuts, seeds, fresh herbs, black olives, parmesan cheese, sharp cheddar, blue cheese, feta cheese, crunchy croutons, red cabbage, chopped spinach or diced bell peppers.
How To Make A Garden Salad
Keep scrolling down for the full recipe card and measurements. We'll start here with a quick overview!
- Chop lettuce into small, bite sized pieces. Transfer to a colander or salad spinner, rinse and dry.
- Rinse carrots, cucumber, green onion and cherry tomatoes. Pat dry.
- Cut carrots and cucumber into thin half moons and chop green onion.
- Dice red onion into very small pieces and halve tomatoes.
- Place lettuce, vegetables and tomatoes in a large bowl.
- Measure dressing ingredients into a small bowl or glass jar and whisk well.
- Drizzle dressing on top of the salad and toss (or serve dressing on the side).
- Plate and enjoy!
Step By Step Photos
Expert Tip
Look for whole, fresh produce at the grocery store. I avoid buying bagged/pre-chopped veggies or lettuce because they don't keep nearly as long. If you take a little extra time to chop things up by hand (especially your lettuce), you'll be able to store leftovers much longer.
Plus, it's more affordable to shop this way! Your wallet will thank you.
Add A Protein
Salad can make a delicious meal all on it's own, especially when you add protein for extra substance! Try it with grilled chicken, mini meatballs, or these tasty Italian chicken cutlets. Salmon, steak, pulled pork, shredded beef, shrimp, tuna or tofu are other fantastic options.
Salad Dressing Inspo
Make your own, simple vinaigrette (ingredients listed in recipe card below), or use bottled. Pretty much any dressing will pair with this simple salad so you can customize to personal preferences!
- Poppy seed dressing
- Spicy Skhug Sauce
- Blueberry vinaigrette
- Greek yogurt balsamic dressing
- Keto ranch dressing
- Creamy baja sauce
- Roasted poblano pepper sauce
- Raspberry vinaigrette
- Blue cheese dressing
- Olive oil and apple cider vinegar
- Olive oil and balsamic vinegar
- French or Italian dressing
Frequently Asked Questions
It's right there in the name! A basic garden salad is made with fresh lettuce, tomatoes and veggies. Pick them right out of your backyard garden (if you've got one). Of course, you can also get your ingredients from the store.
It will depend on the exact recipe you are following. This particular recipe contains approximately 138 calories and 4.2 net carbs, making it very keto friendly!
Essentially any dressing will work on a garden salad. Use your favorite!
Storage Instructions
Fold a paper towel and put it on the bottom of an airtight container. Fill the container with salad and refrigerate for 3-5 days. I recommend storing the salad without dressing tossed in (if possible). Low moisture helps ingredients to stay fresh longer!
Serve Your Salad With:
Soup
Other
- Easy Tortilla Pizzas
- Beef Enchiladas
- Chicken Enchiladas
- Taco Stuffed Peppers
- Sausage Stuffed Peppers
- Blue Cheese Stuffed Chicken Breasts
- Baked Feta Pasta
- Zucchini Alfredo & Shrimp
- Creamy One Skillet Chicken Thighs
- Chicken And Dumplings
- Porcupine Meatballs
- Turkey Swedish Meatballs
- Pumpkin Chicken Curry
- Cauliflower Chickpea Curry
- Garlic Butter Chicken Pasta
- Almond Crusted Chicken
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Simple Garden Salad Recipe
Equipment
- Large bowl
- Salad Spinner
Ingredients
Salad Ingredients
- 4 cups lettuce *see note below
- ⅓ small red onion *diced into very small pieces
- 1 large cucumber *cut into thin half moons
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes *halved *see note below
- ¼ cup radishes *cut into slices
- 3 medium carrots *cut into thin half moons
- 3 tablespoons chopped green onion
Dressing Ingredients
- ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ⅓ cup white wine vinegar *red wine vinegar will also work
- Juice from one large lemon
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasonings
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
Optional Mix-ins & Toppings
- Nuts, seeds, fresh herbs, black olives, parmesan cheese, sharp cheddar, blue cheese, feta crumbles, crunchy croutons, red cabbage, chopped spinach or diced bell peppers.
Recipe notes:
Lettuce: romaine, butter, and ice berg lettuce are all good options! Choose your favorite or mix and match. Tomatoes: Roma or grape tomatoes will also work fine.Instructions
- Chop lettuce into small, bite sized pieces. Transfer to a colander or salad spinner, rinse and dry.
- Rinse carrots, cucumber, green onion and cherry tomatoes. Pat dry.
- Cut carrots and cucumber into thin half moons and chop green onion.
- Dice red onion into very small pieces and halve tomatoes.
- Place lettuce, vegetables and tomatoes in a large bowl.
- Measure dressing ingredients (olive oil, vinegar, lemon juice, Italian seasonings, salt, pepper and Dijon mustard) into a small bowl or glass jar and whisk well.
- Drizzle dressing on top of the salad and toss (or serve dressing on the side).
- Plate and enjoy!
Video
Nutrition
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