Simple Green Salad

This green salad recipe is simple, but it's still packed with delicious textures and flavors. It's a perfect side dish - you can serve it with almost anything!

How to Prepare a Simple Green Salad

Great green salad recipes start with great greens. Though I love a good kale salad or mixed greens salad as much as the next person, when I’m making a simple, refreshing side salad, I like to use lettuce as the base.

Look for lettuces that have soft leaves and crisp stems with no discoloration. I especially like the flavor and texture of Butter lettuces like Boston and Bibb, but tender leaf or romaine lettuce would work well here too. Use whatever looks best. The more varieties, the merrier!

When you’re ready to make the salad, pull the lettuce leaves apart, and wash and dry them well. To avoid bruising or tearing the leaves, I recommend using a salad spinner for this step (I have this one). With it, you’ll be able to get the leaves almost perfectly dry in no time!

If you don’t have a salad spinner, spread the washed lettuce on a kitchen towel to dry while you prepare the other salad components.

Green Salad Serving Suggestions

Because you’re working with tender lettuces and avocado, which has a tendency to brown, this salad is best if you assemble it right before you eat. If you want to get ahead, you can wash and dry the lettuce a day in advance and store it, well-wrapped, in the fridge. You can also roast the nuts ahead of time and store them, loosely covered, at room temperature. The dressing is make ahead-friendly, too! Store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Serve this green salad as a side dish with almost any meal - a weeknight dinner, a special occasion dinner, a festive brunch, or a summer cookout. It pairs well with just about anything. I love to make it for dinner when I’m serving pasta, pizza, or cookout fare like veggie burgers, black beans burgers, or BBQ jackfruit sandwiches.

If you’re serving it for brunch, try pairing it with any of these savory recipes:

• Vegetable Frittata (5 ways!)
• Healthy Breakfast Casserole
• Best Shakshuka
• Mini Frittata Muffins
• Homemade Bagels with Vegan Carrot Lox

Round out the meal with something sweet, like Chocolate Chip Muffins, Blueberry Scones, Cinnamon Rolls, or a stack of pancakes or French toast. For more brunch recipes, check out this post! (Oh, and don’t forget the mimosas to drink…)

More Green Salad Recipes

If you love this simple green salad, try one of these green salad recipes next:

• Bright Spring Salad
• Italian Chopped Salad
• Homemade Caesar Salad
• Pear Salad with Balsamic and Walnuts
• Sweet Potato Salad
• Healthy Taco Salad
• Kale Salad with Carrot-Ginger Dressing

For even more salad recipes, check out this post!