How to make the best Garden Salad (2024)

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This easy garden salad is a blend of crispy greens and fresh vegetables. It is excellent as a side salad that goes with almost anything! Make it a main dish, by adding protein!

Step-by-step photos and instructions are below!

Sometimes the simplest things just taste the best! A classic garden salad (also known as a house salad in many restaurants) on the side of almost any meal.

It sure makes me feel better about eating a huge bowl of pasta if I eat something green on the side!

Garden Salad Recipe

You really can’t go wrong with fresh garden veggies, can you? Crisp green leaf lettuce or other leafy greens, crunchy cucumbers, carrots, tomatoes and a little red onion. You can’t get any simpler!

Pick your favorite veggies (or whatever you can find in the fridge), and add them to a bowl with some dressing, crunchy croutons and a sprinkle of parmesan cheese, or some cheddar cheese cubes.

Change it up however you like! In my family, we absolutely love “salad bar night”. I wash and chop all the veggies, grab a bowl of greens and put it on the table for everyone to mix and match their own.

I raid the fridge door, and let them pick their favorite dressing, too! It’s a great way to clean out the fridge, too!

What do you put in your salad?

What you'll find in this post: hide

1 Garden Salad Recipe

2 Why you’ll love this recipe:

3 Frequently Asked Questions

4 What should I serve a salad with?

5 Salad Dressing ideas:

6 Kylee’s Notes

7 Garden Salad Ingredients

8 How to make a Garden Salad

9 Some of our favorite salad recipes:

10 The Best Garden Salad

Why you’ll love this recipe:

Easy to make. Just wash your veggies, dice them up and toss together with a homemade dressing. Serve your salad with optional toppings (see the notes)
Easy to customize. This is a very basic recipe that is supposed to be a base. Add or remove veggies you do or don’t enjoy!
Fresh ingredients. You can’t go wrong with good fresh food from the refrigerator.

Frequently Asked Questions

How to make a green salad a main course

Add a protein! Some hard boiled eggs, cheese cubes, grilled chicken breast, grilled salmon or steak work. Boost the nutrition by adding quinoa, chickpeas or canned beans.

What are the main ingredients of a garden salad?

Greens and any vegetables you have on hand, but typically lettuce or salad green, carrots, cucumbers, sometimes onions and/or radishes. Sometimes croutons and cheese cubes.

What are the best greens?

The ones you have on hand! Be it mixed salad greens, a few romaine hearts, or an iceberg lettuce, they all work.

How do I make this ahead?

Assemble the salad, but leave off the dressing and croutons (if using). Wait until the last minute before you add the dressing. Toss right before serving. Add croutons then too.

How to wash and prepare the lettuce for a garden salad

When washing lettuce for a garden salad, it’s really important to remove any dirt or grit that may still be there from the garden. It does not taste good.

Start by rinsing the leaves gently under cold water. Use a salad spinner to dry the lettuce thoroughly, or use paper towels. Tear the leaves into bite-sized pieces before adding them to the salad.

What should I serve a salad with?

You can make this a side salad, or make it the main dish by adding proteins like chicken breast, boiled eggs, salmon or steak for a more complete meal.

Choose a dressing you love, and enjoy!

Salad Dressing ideas:

Basic Mustard Vinaigrette
Lemon Vinaigrette
Jalapeno Ranch Dressing
Homemade Ranch Dressing (and dip)
Avocado Cilantro Dressing
Chipotle Ranch Dressing

I have included step-by-step photos and instructions, as well as tips and tricks in the post. If you’d rather skip all that, scoot right on down to the full recipe card located at the bottom of the post.

Kylee’s Notes

Grab a bottled dressing, or make your own at home. Add 3 parts extra virgin olive oil to 1 part fresh lemon juice or apple cider vinegar. A little Dijon mustard, plus salt and pepper. Shake or whisk until fully emulsified.

Use a sharp knife for clean cuts. Slice veggies thinly for easy eating and better distribution of flavors. For softer vegetables like tomatoes, a serrated knife works best to prevent squashing.

Topping ideas

Add black olives and pepperoncini and an Italian dressing to make a copycat olive garden salad!

Slice some fresh avocado into your salad.

Cheeses: add some blue cheese, feta cheese, goat cheese or cubed cheddar.

Fresh herbs: add sliced green onions, torn cilantro or basil for a fresh pop of flavor.

What to do with leftovers

This is best eaten on the day you make it, especially if you added dressing. If you are able to, store the dressing and salad separately.

Keep leftover salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Ensure your greens are super dry, as they’ll make your salad wilt otherwise.

Garden Salad Ingredients

The full list of ingredients and quantities is found in the printable recipe card below.

Greens. Choose fresh leafy greens like mixed greens you buy in a tub from the grocery store, romaine hearts, or iceberg lettuce, they all work.
Vegetables. Red onion, bell peppers, cucumber carrot and cherry tomatoes.
Croutons. Totally optional, but add a yummy crunch. Use slivered almonds, or other nuts if you wish.

How to make your own croutons for a garden salad

Homemade croutons are a delicious addition to a garden salad. To make your own, simply dice stale bread into cubes, toss them with olive oil, garlic powder, salt, and pepper, and bake them in the oven until they are golden and crispy. Allow them to cool before adding them to the salad.

How to make a Garden Salad

Scroll for Recipe

The full list of ingredients, quantities and instructions can be found in the printable recipe card below.

Wash and cut veggies

Wash the fresh veggies, cut the tomatoes in half, slice the cucumber into half moons (sliced then cut in half), peel and grate the carrot, slice the onion thinly, cut the bell pepper into strips.

Wash the greens, dry with a paper towel or use a salad spinner.

Assemble

Add the greens to a large bowl and add the remaining vegetables over the top.

Drizzle a small amount of dressing over the top, and toss the ingredients together gently using tongs, or two large spoons.

Add more dressing if needed. sprinkle croutons over the top.

Devour.

Some of our favorite salad recipes:

Summery White Bean Salad. Served chilled or at room temperature, this SummeryWhite Bean Saladis great to make ahead, or to grab and go! A short prep time means you can have it on the table fast!
Arugula Salad (with Lemon Vinaigrette). This is the one you’ve been looking for! Peppery arugula mixed with bright tomatoes, parmesan, and dressed with freshlemon vinaigrette. Perfection!
Kale Salad (with Honey Dijon Vinaigrette). Simple ingredients and simple instructions (including how to massage kale) make this Kale Salad Recipe an absolute keeper!
Easy Coleslaw (Homemade Coleslaw Dressing Recipe). Basic ingredients make thisHomemade ColeslawRecipea cinch to make! With aCreamy Coleslaw Dressing, this side will be a welcome addition to any table.

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The Best Garden Salad

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This easy garden salad, a blend of fresh vegetables commonly found in gardens, serves as an excellent side dish for various meals. It offers a delightful crunch, refreshing taste, and delicious flavors!

Author: Kylee Ayotte

Print Pin Rate

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Total Time: 15 minutes minutes

Yield: 4 as a side

Ingredients

4 cups mixed greens
1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes
1/2 English cucumber
1 medium carrot
1/4 red onion
½ yellow bell pepper
1/4 cup salad dressing (up to ½ cup depending on how well dressed you like your salad)
½ cup croutons

Directions

Get prepped

Wash the vegetables, dry the greens in a salad spinner or pat dry with a paper towel.

Cut the vegetables

Cut the tomatoes in half, slice the cucumber into half moons (sliced then cut in half), peel and grate the carrot, slice the onion thinly, cut the bell pepper into strips.

Assemble

Add the greens to the bowl and add the remaining vegetables over the top.
Pour a small amount of dressing over the top, and toss gently using tongs, or two large spoons.
Add more dressing if needed.
Sprinkle croutons over the top.

Serve

Serve immediately.
To serve later, assemble the salad, but don’t add the dressing or croutons until ready to serve.

Tried this recipe? Tag me!Mention @kyleecooks or tag #kyleecooks!

Notes

This salad will serve 4 as a side, or 2 as main.

Add some protein like cooked chicken breast, boiled eggs, salmon or steak.

Nutrition info does not include proteins, croutons or dressing

Nutrition Facts

Disclaimer

Nutritional information is an estimate and provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.

About Kylee Ayotte

I am a born and raised New Zealander (a Kiwi), now living in Phoenix, Arizona. I’m happily married to the love of my life – a hot American boy I met while traveling the world. I’m a mama to 2 awesome little boys and love red things, rugby, cheesecake, and bacon. Mmmmm. Bacon. Read More

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