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Simple Tossed Salad

Simple Tossed Salad – an easy and healthy side dish with fresh vegetables, your favorite greens, and a homemade vinaigrette dressing.

Figuring out a side dish is something that I find difficult on a regular basis. With a house full of picky eaters, It can be hard to just make a bunch of Air Fryer Asparagus and have everyone dig in.

But one thing we can all agree on is an simple side salad. It is pretty much a staple and we have it a few times a week.



 

The best thing about making a tossed salad is how you can really mix it up to make what your family likes. You can prepare a big bowl that everyone serves them self from. Or if you are like my family we just fill our own bowls and top how we like.

What To Add To A Tossed Salad

The possibilities are pretty much endless if you want to get fancy, but I like to keep it simple on busy weeknights.

Start with your favorite greens. I like to use a base of romaine, but my husband’s favorite is spring mix; so really anything works! Fresh baby spinach, arugula, iceberg….pick what your favorite is or use whatever you have.

side salad ingredients

Then you start adding the veggies! So many options and combinations you can come up with.

  • Cucumbers
  • Red Onions
  • Grape Tomatoes
  • Black Olives
  • Peas
  • Radish
  • Shredded Carrots
  • Edamame
  • Bell Peppers
green salad with the veggies on top

And of course you can add in the fun crunchy stuff at the end!

  • Croutons
  • Fried Onions
  • Dried Fruit
  • Bacon Bits
  • Toasted Nuts and/or Seeds
  • Cheese

A salad is often over looked and thought of as boring, but there are so many ways to mix it up and make it something that you enjoy. For this recipe I went simple with shredded carrots, cucumber, tomatoes, and red onion. But you don’t have to keep it simple.

pouring dijon vinaigrette over a salad

What Kind Of Dressing Goes On Tossed Salad

In my mind the thing that makes a salad worth while is the dressing. You can easily use your favorite bottle of dressing with this, but I have a homemade Dijon vinaigrette dressing that is so easy and I think pairs perfectly with it.

To make a vinaigrette dressing just add all the ingredients to a mason jar, put on the lid and shake well. Super simple, and so much better than a bottle!

Other Dressings To Try

green salad mixed together in serving bowl

How To Make Tossed Salad

The best thing about making a side salad like this is there is no real recipe to follow, you just assemble! So fill a bowl with your favorite greens, top with the veggies you want and then pour on your dressing. Mix it all together, sprinkle on a few of your favorite crunchy toppings and dig in!

The one thing about making is a salad is you do not want to make it ahead of time. You can cut all the veggies and have everything ready, but as soon as you add dressing it will start to get soggy. So wait to mix it all together until right before serving.

tossed salad collage for pinterest

More Great Salad Recipes

Yield: 4

Simple Tossed Salad

close up of side salad

Simple Tossed Salad - an easy and healthy side dish with fresh vegetables, your favorite greens, and a homemade vinaigrette dressing.

Prep Time 10 minutes
Total Time 10 minutes

Ingredients

  • 4 -5 cups chopped romaine lettuce (or favorite greens)
  • 1/4 cup chopped red onion
  • 1/2 English cucumber sliced
  • 1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
  • 1 cup shredded carrots

Dijon Vinaigrette

  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 2 Tbsp red wine vinaigrette
  • 2 Tbsp Dijon mustard
  • 1 clove garlic, grated
  • 1 Tbsp honey
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper

Instructions

  1. To make the dressing add all of the ingredients to a mason jar, cover and tighten the lid. Shake well until everything is combined. Set aside.
  2. In a large bowl, or 4 smaller bowls arrange lettuce in the bottom.
  3. Top with the vegetables.
  4. Pour 1/4 of the dressing over the lettuce and mix to coat everything. Serve additional dressing on the side as needed.

Notes

This is enough dressing to make 2 large salads (enough for 8 people). Store covered in the fridge for about a week, let it come to room temperature and shake before serving.

Nutrition Information

Yield

8

Serving Size

1

Amount Per Serving Calories 114Total Fat 8gSaturated Fat 1gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 7gCholesterol 0mgSodium 304mgCarbohydrates 10gFiber 3gSugar 6gProtein 2g

Nutrition Disclaimer: All information presented on this site is intended for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and any nutritional information shared on dinnersdishesanddesserts.com should only be used as a general guideline.

Did you make this recipe?

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Beth

Monday 26th of April 2021

This salad was perfect yesterday for lunch! My hubby and I enjoyed this recipe so much! Can't wait to make this again!

Allyson Reed Zea

Monday 26th of April 2021

This is super easy to throw together with dinner! Thanks for the step-by-step directions

Catalina

Sunday 25th of April 2021

I love salads as side dishes. So I am always looking for new recipes!|

Tisha

Saturday 24th of April 2021

Love this for a light lunch or dinner. Makes for a great starter for dinner also!

Kimberly

Friday 23rd of April 2021

This was perfect! My 9 and 11 year olds have been wanting to cook more independently and this recipe was easy for them to follow and they were thrilled with their creation! :)

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