Learn how to make a proper salad! This guide goes over all the components of a great salad and offers recipes for you to try yourself!
Season For Salad
In my opinion, a salad isn’t a seasonal dish. It evolves with the changing weather, ingredient availability, and flavor cravings that each season brings. It can be cool and crisp, warm and indulgent, or satisfying and so scrumptious.
That’s right: salads are for all seasons. Every month brings new flavors, fresh ingredients, and different preparations to explore. This guide provides a breakdown of the components to include in a killer salad, along with a number of amazing recipes for you to try. Read on to learn more!
How To Make A Salad: The Greens
When it comes to any great dish, the key is selecting the freshest ingredients. For salads, selecting the right type of greens can make or break it. There are so many delicious options to choose from, such as:
- Romaine: A classic option in traditional salads such as Caesar, Romaine lettuce is crunchy and crisp, offering the perfect base for a number of tasty salads. Fun fact: Romaine has more vitamins and nutrients cup for cup compared to kale and other nutrient dense greens!
- Mixed Greens : Another popular option for salad, mixed greens combine a variety of curly leaf and other crisp varietals of lettuce. They are primarily tender, which makes them great options for dishes you plan to eat the same day as you purchased them. Keep an eye on them though: they tend to wilt easily in the refrigerator!
- Spinach: A nutrient powerhouse, spinach delivers magnesium, vitamin E, and even protein in its richly green leaves! A versatile option for any recipe, spinach is delicious either chopped or with the leaves kept whole in a large beautiful salad.
- Curly Leaf Lettuce: Providing wonderful texture, curly leaf lettuces feature “ruffled“ edges. This makes them distinct when you’re shopping in the grocery store: keep an eye out for both green and red varietals.
- Kale: Although it can be very stiff, kale makes a wonderful addition to salads! I particularly love marinating it, which tenderizes the leaves.
- Arugula: Slightly spicy and delicate, arugula can at times be a polarizing lettuce. I love it in all forms, whether it’s the star of a salad, or lightly dressed atop a pizza.
How To Make A Salad: The Vegetables
The sky is the limit when it comes to adding different vegetables to your salads! I love mixing and matching different types based on the flavor profile I’m going for, what’s in season, or simply what sounds delicious!
In my article, “Your Guide To Seasonal Vegetables“, I outline the various vegetables that are in season throughout the year. Whether you eat them raw, roast them, or blanch them, they make wonderful nutritious additions to your salads!
A few of my favorite combinations include:
- Cucumber, cherry tomato, and green onion
- Carrot, red pepper, and red onion
- Shredded Zucchini, shallot, and corn
- Roasted broccoli and cauliflower
- Chopped Brussels sprouts and roasted sweet potatoes
How To Make A Salad: Protein
If you’re looking to make your salad a main course, the best thing to do is add some form of protein! Here are a few of my favorite additions to add to a salad to make them a rounded out meal:
- Grilled Steak
- Grilled Chicken
- Beans : garbanzo, black, and cannelini are my favorite!
- Lentils
- Quinoa
- Tofu
- Ground turkey, chicken, or beef
How To Make A Salad: Crunchy Components
The best salads are the ones that include varying textures: particularly those with crunch! There are a number of different delicious ways to add extra bite to your salads. You can choose to add one or multiple options from the list below – it’s your bowl!
- Nuts. Sunflower nuts, almonds, walnuts, pistachios, hazelnuts, pecans, and cashews are just some of my favorites that I frequently reach for!
- Seeds. Pumpkin seeds, hemp seeds, sesame seeds, and even chia seeds can be great nutrient-dense toppings for salads.
- Croutons. Arguably the most common crunchy topping, croutons provide major crispiness to each bite. Making your own is so simple and makes the most out of those crusty ends of the loaf that you may be currently tossing!
How To Make A Salad: Creamy Components
Adding something creamy to your salads offers a different depth of flavor which can double as a cooling component, too! Whether it’s cheese, avocado, hummus, or some other spread, I don’t think a salad is complete without them!
Here are a few ideas for you to choose from:
- Cheese. Whether it’s shredded, shaved, or crumbled, cheese adds major flavor to salads. Goat cheese, Parmigianno Regianno, Pecorino, cheddar, feta, Ricotta Salata, are all delicious options!
- Avocado. A scoop of avocado is a mainstay in my mealtime salads. It offers healthy fat and creamy coolness that gives salads “that something” that it’s missing.
- Hummus. One of my favorite hacks to add protein and fiber to my salads is a big scoop of hummus. I always have some in my refrigerator love how it coats the ingredients in my bowl and offers so much flavor.
How To Make A Salad: Dressing A Salad
No salad would be complete without a tangy and perfectly balanced vinaigrette or dressing. While there are so many options out there that you can purchase premade, I always encourage people to make their own. Chances are high you already have the ingredients needed to make your own, and it couldn’t be easier!
The basic recipe for a vinaigrette is:
1 part acid + 2-3 parts oil
However, these are just the building blocks of a great vinaigrette. You can (and should!) add additional seasonings and ingredients to build flavor. Dijon mustard and salt and pepper are common additions in my homemade vinaigrettes, with some type of sweetener (such as maple syrup or honey) often standing in as well. Other additions that can add depth include:
- Aminos or soy sauce
- Hot sauce
- Garlic
- Onion
- Fresh Herbs
- Dried Spices and Herbs
- Fish Sauce
- Tahini
- Greek Yogurt or sour cream
How this translates into an actual recipe depends on your taste! For example, below is my go-to vinaigrette recipe that I make on a weekly basis. Depending on what I’m craving, I’ll switch up the additions, but this is always my base! All the ingredients go into a small mason jar and are shaken until emulsified. I’ll taste for seasoning and adjust: if it’s too sharp, I’ll add more olive oil or a little drizzle of sweetener (about 1 teaspoon).
Basic Lemon Vinaigrette
1 lemon, juiced (about 2 tablespoons of juice)
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
1/3-1/2 cup olive oil
1 clove of garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
Few grinds of cracked black pepper
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