Garden Salad Recipe

Ingredients

For the salad:
1 head of romaine, cut or ripped into bite-sized pieces
2 handfuls baby spinach
½ bag store-bought raw coleslaw
1 carrot, peeled and julienned
1 parsnip, peeled and julienned
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered
1 handful radishes, halved and sliced
1 zucchini, quartered lengthwise and sliced
¼ red onion, thinly sliced
2 green onions, chopped
2 celery ribs, sliced
handful fresh herbs - dill, parsley, tarragon, basil, mint, chives, etc.
Dressing:
Preferred quantity of dressing such as Green Goddess, Asian Salad Dressing or Japanese Salad Dressing.

Takes 15 Minutes, serves 8.

Instructions

Rinse lettuce and baby spinach then spin dry. Rinse vegetables under cool water shaking off excess moisture. Cut, chop, slice and julienne vegetables.
Assemble: Place lettuce, spinach and slaw into a large salad bowl. Sprinkle remaining vegetables and herbs into bowl. Toss gently.
Serve: Transfer the desired amount for the number of guests you’re serving into a salad bowl. Add a drizzle of your favourite dressing. Toss gently and serve. Store undressed salad in an airtight container in the fridge.

It’s our make-it-on-Sunday, enjoy-it-all-week GARDEN SALAD RECIPE.

This simple, homemade salad recipe became all the rage a few weeks back after we posted a picture of it on our socials. Friends, family and followers alike all wanted in on it, asking if we’d be good enough to share the recipe. Well, we’re happy to oblige. This 100% vegetarian GARDEN SALAD RECIPE is so good we make it virtually every week. Better still, you can enjoy it as a meal, side dish or starter course for a dinner party.

Before listing this salad’s amazing attributes, here’s an invitation to check out some of our other most popular salad creations. You’ll find them HERE in this SALAD COLLECTION that has something for everyone. Need a simple salad to go with burgers, hot dogs and sandwiches? Try this CREAMY COLESLAW, our famous CAESAR SALAD or this BLT SALAD. Hosting a dinner party and need a starter course? Try our CRISPY MUSHROOM SALAD or this ROASTED BEET SALAD. Lastly, how about when you want a salad that’s also a meal? This CLASSIC COBB SALAD, our SALAD NIÇOISE or this TEX-MEX TACO SALAD is all you’ll need.

For now, though, let’s stick with this GARDEN SALAD RECIPE. Here are some tips on making it.

VEGETABLES

This salad is made with an assortment of fresh veggies. For the most part, all of the vegetables used are readily available in the fresh produce section of your supermarket. We used cherry tomatoes, celery, carrot, parsnips, green onions, fresh dill, red onion and zucchini, but other vegetables will work too, more about that down below. We also know many of our readers grow their own vegetables; home-grown vegetables or those sourced from a local farm or farmer’s market are perfect choices. We suggest using organic veggies whenever possible though, finding they just taste better.

A head of romaine lettuce plus a bowl of coleslaw and handfuls of baby spinach.

LETTUCE, BABY SPINACH AND SLAW

Assorted greens act like a base for this salad, giving it volume and, lots of important vitamins and minerals. We selected Romaine lettuce for its crunchiness and high level of vitamin K and folate. Baby spinach gets top marks for its nutritional properties: vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin K, iron, folate, and potassium, plus every 100 g of spinach contains nearly 2.9 g of protein. Lastly, the coleslaw mix is made with lots of cabbage. Cabbage is rich in iron, vitamin C, vitamin D, calcium, vitamin B6 and magnesium. Other greens to consider include butter lettuce, iceberg lettuce and spring salad mix.

The canister of a food processor filled with julienned carrots and parsnip.

CARROTS AND PARSNIPS

Don’t get us wrong, all vegetables are good for us, but adding julienned carrot and parsnip to this salad also gives it lots of flavour and adds little pops of colour throughout. Both of these root vegetables contain vitamin C, vitamin E and vitamin K along with many more health benefits. Instructions for this recipe have us julienning the carrot and parsnip. Although you can use a box grater for this task, we found a food processor made the process way easier.

LARGE SALAD BOWL

Having a large bowl at the ready for this GARDEN SALAD RECIPE is important. Not only does it allow for the gentle toss of all the salad fixings, but it also provides inspiration for future attempts at this very healthy salad recipe. Looking at everything in the big bowl, we’re instantly inspired to think of more favourite veggies to use next time. Did someone say cucumber, avocado, red peppers, corn, kale, kohlrabi, mushrooms, beets, asparagus, beans and peas? Any and all vegetables work with this idea.

Three containers filled with: Asian Dressing, Green Goddess Dressing and Japanese Dressing.

SALAD DRESSINGS

We know this is a tough one to answer but… what’s the best salad dressing for a GARDEN SALAD RECIPE? We’re glad you asked. First and foremost, this salad will taste absolutely amazing with nothing more than a drizzle of vegetable, walnut or olive oil and a splash of apple cider vinegar. If you’re looking for something a bit more fancy, replace the ACV a white wine vinegar, aged balsamic or red wine vinegar instead. You can also dress this salad with a BUTTERMILK DRESSING, this MUSTARD VINAIGRETTE or a classic ITALIAN DRESSING made with Italian seasoning. Because this salad is on permanent rotation, we’ve also found these three dressings are actually really, really tasty with this vegetable mix.

JAPANESE SALAD DRESSING – A classic salad dressing flavoured with ginger, soy, onion, rice vinegar, celery and tomato, zipped up with an immersion blender.

GREEN GODDESS DRESSING – A rich, creamy salad dressing blended with fresh herbs, mayo, Dijon and a beautiful hit of blue cheese.

ASIAN SALAD DRESSING – Chopped garlic whisked together with soy, chili flakes, toasted sesame oil and rice wine vinegar.

We’ve added those video links in so you can see how simple they all are to prepare. It always helps to keep your adventures in salad-making easy.

The salad and dressing stored in an airtight container until served.

SALAD STORAGE

So, perhaps we saved the best part for last: this GARDEN SALAD keeps well! We really mean it when we say make it on a Sunday and enjoy it throughout the week. Best way to store it is in an airtight container. Then when it’s time to eat, simply portion out the quantity you’d like, dress and enjoy. This salad is also fab for when you’re on the go. Since it travels well, you can enjoy it at work or school too.

A plate with the Garden Salad Recipe topped with a favourite salad dressing.

SERVE

Serving this salad can happen two ways. If serving it family-style, we suggest adding some to a smaller bowl, and then finishing with your salad dressing of choice. Then simply toss and serve straight from the bowl. To serve this salad on individual plates, add a drizzle of dressing and maybe a quick sprinkle of kosher salt and black pepper. Of course, you can also dress up a garden salad by adding toppings like croutons and chopped nuts like walnuts, pecans or almonds. This salad also loves being served topped with grilled chicken, steak, shrimp or a favourite cheese like feta cheese or goat cheese. Just add any of these and enjoy!

This wonderful salad idea is so tasty, we suggest you PIN it to a favourite salad or side dish idea board on PINTEREST or BOOKMARK this tab for easy access. SHARE it with friends so they can make it too. We’d also appreciate seeing pics of all the delicious dishes you’re making these days. Use #weekendatthecottage when you post those pics on Facebook and Instagram. Thanks!

Ready to try? Grab your salad bowl and enjoy this fantastic GARDEN SALAD RECIPE!

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