Easy Garden Salad Recipe – American Special
The Garden Salad is a great summertime meal filled with lots of crunchy veggies and topped with a tasty vinaigrette dressing. This one takes advantage of seasonal produce to make a colorful presentation in less than 10 minutes.
- Prep Time10 min
- Cook Time10 min
- Total Time20 min
Easy Garden Salad dressing Ingredients:
- ¼ cup (60 ml) Oil
- ¼ cup (60 ml) Lemon Juice
- ½ tsp Kosher salt
- ¼ tsp Black pepper
- 1 tbsp Honey
- ½ tsp Dijon Mustard (or mustard paste)
Salad veggies :
- 1 head Iceberg lettuce (roughly chopped)
- 1 large Cucumber (Persian or Lebannes )
- 2 cups Cherry tomatoes (I used combination yellow, red and orange)
- 1 medium Avocado (diced into 1 inch cubes)
- ¼ cup Parsley (rougly chopped)
Optional (see note)
- 2 large Hard-boiled egg (sliced )
- 4 large Strawberries (chopped )
- ¼ cup Pomegranate seeds
- ½ cup Sharp cheddar cheese (diced)
How to Make Easy Garden Salad Recipe:
Vinaigrette – In a small mason jar, combine all the dressing ingredients. Close the jar and give it a good shake. Set aside
Pro tip – You don’t really need a blender or food processor for this dressing. You can also use a small bowl and whisk but make sure to shake the jar or whisk until the lemon and oil emulsify.
Veggies – In a large salad platter or large bowl layer the veggies. Start with the iceberg lettuce at the bottom, followed by the chopped cucumber, tomatoes, and avocado.
Pro tip – Make sure to add the avocado when you are ready to serve as it will start to oxidize.
Optional – Then, add the optional ingredients – I am using sliced boiled egg, strawberries, and pomegranate seeds. I am also adding diced sharp cheddar.
Pro tip – You can add other chopped season fruits such as apricots, peaches, pears, etc.
Dressing – Gently pour the vinaigrette all over the salad. Then, garnish with chopped parsley. Serve immediately.
Pro tip – You can toss the salad mix with the salad dressing. But I like to make sure to gradually pour the dressing all
over so you don’t have to stir the salad and ruin the presentation.
Recipe Notes:
This is an easy salad so don’t think so much. Use veggies that you and your family love to enjoy.
Make sure your veggies are fresh and crisp. For example, buy fresh lettuce that have crisp leaves so they stay fresh longer.
You can layer the veggies for this salad a few hours ahead of time but make sure to add veggies like avocado and the dressing just before serving.
