My Favorite Simple House Salad

This House Salad is the perfect light, fresh salad! It’s the perfect side salad for any meal, or use it as your base for your favorite protein and toppings!

About This Recipe

Everyone needs a good go-to salad recipe! This House Salad recipe is the perfect recipe when you just need something quick and simple. 

It’s perfect served alongside your favorite protein or meal, or you can use it as the base to add all your other favorite salad toppings to! 

Feel free to follow the recipe exactly or use this as a base recipe to clear out the fridge (I swear, those sometimes make the best salads!!).

Ingredients and Substitutions

• Greens: A fresh mix of crisp romaine for crunch and peppery arugula for a little bite. This combo gives the salad great texture and balanced flavor. However, you can absolutely chop up and use any greens you have on hand.
• Toppings: Cucumber, celery, carrots, avocado, edamame, and green onion are what I used for this salad, but the beauty of this recipe is that it’s the perfect base for any toppings you love!
• Fresh basil: Fresh herbs are one of my favorite ways to really enhance salads without having to add a bunch of dressings and extra calories. I love fresh basil on this salad, but you can also substitute any other fresh herbs you have on hand that you’re needing to use up! 
• White balsamic vinegar: You might notice I’m obsessed with my fruity vinegars from Baker and Olive, especially the peach or lemon. However, I know they’re a specialty item and not everyone will have them! If you don’t, any balsamic vinegar works fine. 

Dietary Adaptations 

GF/DF: Naturally!

How To Make

1. Toss all ingredients together in a large bowl. This is kept really light to be the perfect fresh side salad, OR to be your base, allowing you to add some extra tasty stuff to your bowl. Tossing it all in the sweet vinegar and some salt and pepper means it’s already tasty and won’t be BEGGING for a super high-cal dressing unless you want it!
2. Optional add-ons: For protein, I’m always going to add whatever protein we’ve grilled. Usually some grilled chicken, but sometimes grilled steak, fish, or shrimp. For extra carbs, depending on what I’m making with our dinner, I might add roasted sweet potatoes, rice, smashed potatoes, store-bought crispy fried onions, or toasted nuts. I also LOVE to add whatever fresh fruit I’ve got on hand, like strawberries, peaches, or apples. For fats and/or extra richness, I might add some goat cheese, blue cheese, or Parmesan cheese; or another dressing on my bowl, like a drizzle of any of my homemade sauces, Trader Joe’s Vegan dill dressing, or even just a little drizzle of olive oil. I also love to toss in hummus or tzatziki if you want more of a “dressing” while still keeping it light. 

Protein Pairings

Pair this house salad pairs perfectly with just about any protein! Some of my favorites include:

• Balsamic, Dijon, and Garlic Marinated Chicken Tenders
• Balsamic and Herb Pork Tenderloin
• Rosemary Garlic Pork Tenderloin
• Marinated Flank Steak
• Green Goddess Grilled Chicken
• Herby Mediterranean Grilled Chicken Tenderloins
• Balsamic Grilled Flank Steak
• Balsamic Herb Grilled Chicken

My Favorite Salad Tips

1. Chop small: The chop matters!! No matter what I’m adding to my salads, I like to make sure my greens, veggies, and proteins are always chopped small! The small chop just helps the flavors disperse so that each bite is so much better! For the greens, I will typically just run my knife through them several times on the cutting board, and if I’m adding lots of veggies, I’ll dice them using my favorite vegetable chopper (or chopping by hand is fine too, but I like to take the easy way).
2. Mix of lettuces: Another tip I think really makes the difference in a salad is to use a mix of different greens. I think the difference in taste and textures can really elevate a simple salad. I always try to pair something with a little crunch (like romaine, iceberg, green leaf) with a leafier green that has a little more taste (spring mix, arugula, kale, spinach).
3. Fresh herbs: Next is fresh herbs! I’m telling you, no matter what type of salad you’re making, fresh herbs always take it to the next level! Add fresh basil, mint, cilantro, whatever you have on hand. Oh, and be sure to give those a good chop too 😉 
4. Dressing: You can go one of two ways: a little good quality vinegar or one of my easy homemade macro-friendly dressings. I’m obsessed with the Baker and Olive fruit-infused white balsamic vinegar options like Lemon, Peach, Mango… but any quality vinegar works and keeps these salads so light and refreshing. However, you can never go wrong with homemade dressing. Whichever you choose, just remember quality is key for the dressing!! 

For More Delicious Salad Recipes

• Autumn Delicata Salad
• Mexican Chopped Kale Salad
• Winter Citrus Salad
• Wild Rice and Kale Salad (Cubby’s Copycat)
• Simple Arugula Salad
• Super Green Salad
• Harvest Chopped Kale Salad

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