Tossed Salad delivers a sensational, feel-good crunch in every bite. Drizzle it with your favorite salad dressing or any of my simple, no-added-preservative salad dressing recipes. Making and enjoying this salad is as easy as 1-2-3!
I love summer because lettuce is fresher, and cold food tastes better. (I prefer a good vegetable-heavy soup when it’s cold out.) And this fantastic tossed salad recipe just might be your gateway to a healthier lifestyle. Plus, if you’re into gardening, you can grow almost all the ingredients for the freshest salad on the block.
And this awesome recipe involves more fun than you could ever hope for in a salad. You’ll love how much easier making a nutritious salad is than cooking. Okay… those were my husband’s words because we both know how much I love to cook. Nevertheless, sharing salad ideas with you guys for when it’s too hot to turn on the oven is refreshing.
Content…Recipe Ingredients |
Tossed Salad Ingredients
- Romaine lettuce has to be my fave for salad. Its crunchiness even holds up well when you have leftover salad. However, baby salad greens, iceberg lettuce, baby spinach, and other cool lettuce types are a welcome addition.
- Grape Tomatoes add a splash of vibrant red and delightful acidity.
- Cucumbers are another essential salad ingredient for a refreshing crunch. You can also put a slice on your eyelids to relax and reduce puffiness if you have extra.
- Red onions have more flavor and add another gorgeous splash of color to a salad. I love slicing them and letting them set in a little red wine vinegar before adding them.
- Other Add-Ins – Carrots, radish, bacon, and avocado are absolutely delish.
How to Toss a Salad
- In a large salad bowl, layer romaine lettuce, followed by tomatoes, cucumber, onion, carrots, radish, and optional ingredients.
- Drizzle the desired dressing on the salad and toss to combine. Serve immediately.
What Else You Can Add
While the tossed salad recipe includes the basics, your creativity can shine. Here are some ideas:
- Bell peppers
- Olives
- Berries
- Diced pineapple
- Toasted nuts and seeds (almonds, walnuts, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, etc.)
- Cheese – Goat, feta, parmesan, or whatever you like on a salad
- Homemade croutons or tortilla strips
Recipe Tips
- A salad spinner is such a life-saver. Some people call it a salad tosser, but either way, you can wash, dry, and store your lettuce in the same container.
- Store clean lettuce wrapped in a damp kitchen or paper towel in a ziplock bag. Squeeze out excess air or use an airtight container that you can squeeze air out of. I love my Tupperware for that.
Make-Ahead, Serving & Storage Instructions
Salad is hard to make ahead of time because lettuce tends to wilt. But you can certainly prep all the ingredients and store them correctly in the fridge. Just assemble and dress your salad when ready to serve.
Dressing Up a Tossed Salad
The sky’s the limit! An oil and vinegar dressing with a dash of salt and pepper would do the trick. But why settle when you’ve got honey mustard, Caesar, Thousand Island dressing, blue cheese, poppy seed, and homemade ranch dressings?
More Easy, Refreshing Salad Recipes
This blog post was originally published in June 2020 and has been updated with additional tips and gorgeous images
Tossed Salad
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Ingredients
- 2 romaine lettuce hearts, washed, dried, and chopped
- 1 cup (150g) or more grape tomatoes, cut in half lengthwise
- 2 cups (300g) cucumbers, seeded and diced
- ½ red onion, sliced
- 1 carrot, peeled and shredded
- ½ cup (58g) radishes, sliced (optional)
- ¼ cup (28g) bacon bits (optional)
- 1 avocado, pitted and diced (optional)
- salad dressing (see notes)
Instructions
- In a large salad bowl, layer romaine lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber, onion, carrots, radish, and optional ingredients.
- Drizzle the desired dressing on the salad and toss to combine. Serve immediately.
Tips & Notes:
- Nutritional data per serving is without dressing.
- My choice of dressings includes honey mustard, blue cheese, ranch, and Thousand Island.
- A salad spinner is such a life-saver. Some people call it a salad tosser, but either way, you can wash, dry, and store your lettuce in the same container.
- Store clean lettuce wrapped in a damp kitchen or paper towel in a ziplock bag. Squeeze out excess air or use an airtight container that you can squeeze air out of. I love my Tupperware for that.
- Please remember that the nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary significantly based on the products used in the recipe.
Jack says
Imma, I think your great! Please continue with the wonderful recipes.
imma africanbites says
Thank you so much, Jack. I appreciate it! <3