The Best Garden Salad Recipes for Every Budget:
Let me introduce you to my classic Garden Salad! Yes, the one that I can make whenever I want because I never run out of these vegetables in the house. When I really want to impress people, I’ll even top it off with a dash of chopped parsley.
When it comes to creating a Garden Salad, there are in fact no set guidelines. You can use whatever leafy greens and vegetables you like, as long as you top the salad with a traditional and uncomplicated dressing. Make it your own in some way!
My Salad from the Garden
When I share a recipe with others, I always begin by writing an introduction about it. On the other hand, I can’t seem to think of anything clever to say or any sort of history to share about Garden Salad.
I wish I could say that this salad was made with crisp vegetables that had been harvested directly from my garden. I want to be able to tell you that when I was growing up, this was the only type of salad that my hard-working mother knew how to make, and as a result, it holds a very special place in my heart.
I want to at least be able to tell you that this version of the garden salad is the definitive, classic, original, and genuine garden salad. I want to be able to say that.
But I do not possess anything. There is no reputable source on this topic, nor is there any emotional history associated with it. This is just my standard, run-of-the-mill salad that I make “all the time.” There is no particular reason for this, other than the fact that it is assembled with the most unremarkable vegetables that I seem to inexplicably acquire at the grocery store week after week.
There is no question that the majority of homes across the country prepare a salad very much like the one you do. Garden salad: the dish that brings everyone to the same level!
What should I put in my house salad?
After all of that has been said and done, the following is a rundown of the standard ingredients that go into my Garden Salad.
I’m not going to lie, though. Iceberg lettuce is one of those things that doesn’t always make it into my shopping cart these days because it just seems so, well, eighties! In spite of the fact that it is about as fashionable as a giant perm with hairspray, it is consumed quite frequently when it is in season due to the fact that it is crispy, sweet, and frankly pretty damned delicious. If it’s not iceberg lettuce, I always have some kind of leafy greens in the fridge, even if it’s not iceberg lettuce.
Dressing for a Garden Salad
My salad dressing consists of one part vinegar to three parts olive oil, thickened with Dijon mustard so that it emulsifies and clings to the salad better, and simply seasoned with salt and pepper. I use this ratio: 1 part vinegar to 3 parts olive oil.
If you want to take your Garden Salad to the next level of deliciousness, you have a wide variety of additional seasoning options at your disposal, such as garlic, lemon zest, dried or fresh herbs. In addition, the recipe notes contain a few pointers that you might find helpful.
However, at its heart, this is the fundamental salad dressing that I employ “always and everywhere.”