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    Home » Recipes » Dairy Free

    July 7, 2022

    Simple Garden Salad Recipe

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    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!

    Tossed garden salad in a wooden serving bowl.
    Tossed Salad

    Disclaimer: This article contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

    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
    Jump to:
    • Salad Ingredients & Substitutions
    • How To Make A Garden Salad
    • Step By Step Photos
    • Expert Tip
    • Add A Protein
    • Salad Dressing Inspo
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • Storage Instructions
    • Serve Your Salad With:
    • Simple Garden Salad Recipe

    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.
    • Ingredients for garden salad with text overlay labels.
    • Ingredients for salad dressing with text overlay labels.

    How To Make A Garden Salad

    Keep scrolling down for the full recipe card and measurements. We'll start here with a quick overview!

    1. Chop lettuce into small, bite sized pieces. Transfer to a colander or salad spinner, rinse and dry.
    2. Rinse carrots, cucumber, green onion and cherry tomatoes. Pat dry.
    3. Cut carrots and cucumber into thin half moons and chop green onion.
    4. Dice red onion into very small pieces and halve tomatoes.
    5. Place lettuce, vegetables and tomatoes in a large bowl.
    6. Measure dressing ingredients into a small bowl or glass jar and whisk well.
    7. Drizzle dressing on top of the salad and toss (or serve dressing on the side).
    8. Plate and enjoy!

    Step By Step Photos

    • Chopping romaine lettuce on a white cutting board.
    • Chopped romaine lettuce in a salad spinner.
    • Prepped/chopped garden salad ingredients.
    • Garden salad ingredients measured into a glass mixing bowl.
    • Salad dressing in a glass jar.
    • Garden salad in a glass mixing bowl.

    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, or these tasty Italian chicken cutlets. Salmon, steak, pulled pork, shredded beef, shrimp, tuna or tofu are other fantastic options.

    Plated garden salad with dressing and grilled chicken.
    Plated Salad With Chicken & Feta

    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

    What is a garden salad? What's it made of?

    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.

    How many calories and carbs are in a garden salad?

    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!

    What dressing goes on garden salad?

    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

    • Butternut Squash Soup
    • Stuffed Pepper Soup
    • Tomato Soup With Basil
    • Chicken Gnocchi Soup
    • Turkey Chili With Butternut Squash
    • White Chicken Chili
    • Crockpot Beef Chili
    • Crockpot Potato Soup
    • Ham & Bean Soup
    • Creamy Taco 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

    Casseroles

    • Butternut Squash Casserole With Rice & Ground Beef
    • Spaghetti Squash Lasagna Casserole
    • Shepherd's Pie
    • Low Carb Taco Casserole
    • Sweet Potato Ground Beef Casserole
    • Broccoli Cauliflower Casserole

    Pin it for later!

    Garden salad in a wooden serving bowl with text overlay for Pinterest.
    Pin it!
    Tossed garden salad in a wooden serving bowl.
    Print Recipe
    4.43 from 7 votes

    Simple Garden Salad Recipe

    Fresh, chopped lettuce and veggies tossed together into a gorgeous, healthy salad. Add nuts, seeds, cheese or croutons if desired and serve with a simple lemon vinaigrette or your favorite salad dressing.
    Prep Time20 mins
    Total Time20 mins
    Course: Side Dish
    Cuisine: American
    Keyword: Easy Side Dish, Gluten Free, Healthy Side, Keto Friendly, Low Carb, Summer Salad
    Servings: 6
    Calories: 138kcal

    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

    Serving: 1/6th of recipe. All values are approximate and will vary widely based on dressing selection. The information provided here includes the dressing from the recipe card! | Sugar: 3.2g | Fiber: 2.1g | Calories: 138kcal | Fat: 12.2g | Protein: 0.9g | Carbohydrates: 6.3g

    Did you make this recipe?!

    Wahoo! Thank you so much for trying it out – would you leave a rating?! Simply click on the stars in the recipe card above.

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    Hi, I'm Stacey! I love developing quick, healthy, real food recipes to share with you and your family. Eating nutritious food doesn't have to mean heaps of time in the kitchen, let me show you!

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