My recipe for Everyday Green Salad is fresh, simple, and quick! It’s made in about 5 minutes with my homemade vinaigrette and goes with just almost everything. What a delicious way to get more greens into your life!
In This Post
I have lost count of the number of times I’ve made this green salad. Years ago, it became a staple on my dinner table. It’s fresh, delicious, and can be made for just me, or me and Mr. SS, or for a bunch of folks crowed around the supper table.
Why It’s Perfect For Everyday
- Customizable: My family never grows tired of this salad because there are endless ways to make it your own!
- Side Dish or Main: Sometimes, I serve this as a side; other times, I top it with Grilled BBQ Chicken Legs or leftover London Broil to serve it as a main meal.
- Healthy: This salad is light and refreshing, with fresh lettuce and nutrient-rich spinach.
Make It Your Own: Delicious Additions
This salad is delicious, but here are all kinds of ways to make it your own!
- Proteins: Grilled chicken, steak, or pork tenderloin are great additions to this salad. I’ve also added tuna and shrimp, turning it into a main meal.
- Cheese: Blue cheese, Parmesan, Mozzarella, goat cheese, and Cheddar are some of my favorite cheeses to add to this salad. Pepper Jack cheese gives the salad a spicy kick, while marinated mozzarella or feta gives it a Mediterranean vibe.
- Vegetables: You can go crazy adding veggies to this simple salad! Toss in peppers, cucumbers, broccoli, celery, or whatever you like.
- More Goodies: Raspberries and strawberries are great additions to the fresh greens and bright dressing. I also love adding nuts like roasted pecans, sunflower seeds, or almonds.
The Ingredients You’ll Need
- Lettuces – Spinach, butter (Bibb), lettuce, spring mix, romaine, and iceberg are all good choices.
- Tomatoes – I like to use Roma or baby tomatoes.
- Red Onion – For a bit of tang and crunch! Green onions work well, too.
- My Favorite Vinaigrette—This versatile dressing takes just 5 minutes to whip up! Of course, you can use a store-bought version or your favorite dressing.
- Kosher Salt and Fresh Cracked Pepper – Always season your salads! People often don’t think to do this but it really helps all the veggies shine.
Step-By-Step Directions
- Prepare the Lettuce: Wash all the lettuce, then dry it with paper towels or use a salad spinner.
- Prepare the Tomatoes: Rinse and dry the tomatoes, then quarter them. Peel and slice the onion.
- Combine: Toss all the ingredients into a salad bowl and sprinkle on salt and pepper to taste.
- Dress: Make the dressing and drizzle it sparingly over the greens. Toss, taste, and add more dressing if you want.
Donya’s Success Tip: Season First!
For the BEST flavor, season all the ingredients with kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper BEFORE drizzling on the dressing.
7 Easy Homemade Salad Dressings
Why settle for store-bought dressing when you can easily whip up your own? This flavorful collection has everything you need in one helpful spot!
What To Serve With Fresh Green Salad
This list of what to serve with this salad could stretch a mile long! It goes with practically everything. Some of my favorites are Crock Pot Chicken Thighs, Air-Fried Salmon, and Slow-Cooked Mexican Shredded Beef. When I serve Easy Homemade Spaghetti Sauce and pasta, Garden Vegetable Soup, or Air-Fried Pork Tenderloin, this salad is always served alongside.
Frequently Asked Questions
First, I like to wash and spin the lettuce ahead of time. Keep all the lettuce leaves whole instead of pre-chopping them. Once the pieces of lettuce are washed and spun, wrap them in a damp paper towel and place them in a plastic bag or container in the fridge. The wet paper towel should allow the lettuce to retain its moisture for longer and stay fresh.
You can store it in the fridge without the dressing in an airtight container for up to 4 days. With the dressing, it will last 2 days but will become rather soggy.
This salad is the perfect backdrop for so many homemade dressings. My favorites are this Greek Salad Dressing, Classic Thousand Island Dressing, Green Goddess Dressing, Easy Blue Cheese Dressing, and Garlic And Herb Tahini Dressing.
More Salad Recipes You’ll Love
If you tried this Easy Everyday Green Salad Recipe or any other recipe, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. Thanks!
Ingredients
- 5-6 ounces mixture of spinach, butter lettuce or spring mix (use any lettuce that you like)
- 1-2 Roma tomatoes, quartered
- ½ red onion, thinly sliced
My Favorite Vinaigrette
- ¼ cup vinegar – I use either champagne or balsamic
- ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 clove garlic, finely minced
- 2 teaspoons honey
- ¾ cup olive oil
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon fresh cracked pepper
Instructions
- Rinse and dry lettuce. Add, along with the tomatoes and onions to a large bowl. Sprinkle with Kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper
My Favorite Vinaigrette
- In a medium bowl, or to a small jar with a lid, add vinegar, salt, mustard, honey and garlic and let sit for 5 minutes. Whisk ingredients together until blended.
- Slowly add the oil in a stream while whisking until an emulsion forms – the color of the vinaigrette will change to a golden yellow. If using a jar, add the oil, place the lid on and shake. Taste and adjust the seasoning, including the oil and vinegar.
- Lightly drizzle the dressing over the salad and toss. Taste and add more dressing if desired.
Nutrition
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Ann
I love love love salads. This one looks great.
I like to wash and spin my lettuce to have it ready when I want to make my salads. But my lettuce goes bad quickly. Do you have any tips to keep your lettuce fresher longer in the fridge?
Donya
Hey there Ann!
Thank you so much for your interest in this recipe, and that is a terrific question! Since you like to wash and spin your lettuce ahead of time, I would recommend keeping all the lettuce leaves whole instead of pre-chopping them. Once the whole pieces of lettuce are washed and spun, you can wrap them in a damp paper towel and place them in a plastic bag or container in the fridge. The damp paper towel should allow the lettuce to retain it’s moisture for longer and stay fresh. I hope this is helpful, let me know how the salad turns out, I’d love to hear what you think!
~Donya
Ann
Hi Donna
Made your salad with your Hobo Dinner. Yummy!
Plus very little clean up afterwards.
Thanks for your tip on keeping lettuce and all your wonderful recipes.
I Look forward to getting your email and seeing what you are cooking!
Donya
Hey there Ann!
It’s so good to hear from you again, I am so glad to hear that you enjoyed these recipes and found that little tip helpful! I completely agree with you that having barely any clean-up after dinner is a huge bonus, but you can also prepare them ahead of time for busy weeknight meals so it’ll cut down on your work even more. If you liked that foil dinner, you should check out my Sausage and Potato Foil Pack meals, they’re just as easy to make and super delicious! Thank you so much for your support, please let me know if you ever have any questions!
~Donya