HowSweetEats House Salad.
I’m almost embarrassed to share this super easy thing with you.
Back in June when my brother got married, my sister-in-law’s aunt made the simplest but BEST (seriously, best best best) greens salad I ever did have. It just tasted so fantastic (along with the pizza we were eating…) and wasn’t full of wacky ingredients – just normal, everyday add-ins.
From that moment, I decided that every single side salad I made, or every single big salad that accompanied a meal, but wasn’t THEEE meal, would have to be an “aunt Ellen” salad. And I’ve done it!
When we were on vacation I mentioned that we had made a killer salad one night for dinner? This was it.
This isn’t one of the crazy, more-of-a-meal salads that I share every now and then. This is pretty much the base, super easy, serve-as-a-side salad in our house. Not taco or steak or lime flavors.
Some sunflower seeds because I find them to be the most neutral and the are the one seed/nut that Eddie doesn’t (this he) hate(s). eg: walnuts, almonds, pistachios.
It’s basic, in a good way. It doesn’t have dried cherries or goat cheese, it doesn’t have arugula and bacon. I obviously love all four of those things, but this is one of those salads that works well with pretty much all meals. It doesn’t steal the show from your lasagna, you know?
My must haves, at least for the last three or four months:
Spring greens or butter lettuce. It’s all I want!
Chopped bell peppers. The size of the chopping depends on my mood. Like how much do I really want to chew?
Diced red onion. Or chopped. Because Eddie is one of those (rare) people that can eat an onion like an apple and he likes big pieces. Gah-ross. I know.
Tomatoes! Little, sweet grape ones.
Banana pepper rings. It wasn’t until this past summer that I was interested in these on a salad at all. They have to come from the jar, and you KNOW it’s because of my ridiculous adoration for all things pickled. I like mild, sometimes Eddie likes the hot ones.
A sprinkle of cheese of course, but not overwhelming. I did freshly grated parmesan here.
And what I need basically all the time: garlic sourdough torn croutons. These are a must in our house every single week. So much better homemade.
I only left one thing out that we really enjoy, but I left it out of this salad because we don’t have it every day. It’s more of a weekend add in, and that’s: mini pepperoni or torn pepperoni!
GUYS. You know I really didn’t even enjoy pepperoni until recently. This is half the reason why. Little pieces of pepperoni in this salad are so fabulous.
For dressing, I’ve been making an apple cider vinaigrette. This is what I use – practically daily. It’s a similar recipe to the one from my greek salad and we love it oh so much.
So easy, but major flavor with all these players. And that’s ME talking. About vegetables!
Our Favorite House Salad
Ingredients
- 10 ounces fresh spring greens, baby lettuce or your greens of choice
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
- 1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
- 1/2 orange bell pepper, chopped
- 1/2 red onion, diced
- 1/3 cup mild banana peppers
- 1/3 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
- 1/4 cup sunflower seeds
- if you’re feeling it: torn pepperoni pieces
garlic sourdough croutons
- 2 cups torn sourdough bread pieces/cubes
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
dressing
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 2 garlic cloves, finely minced or pressed
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1 pinch crushed red pepper flakes
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Add your greens to a large bowl and season them liberally with salt and pepper. Add the rest of your ingredients, your croutons and dress!
garlic sourdough croutons
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Spread the bread pieces on a baking sheet and cover with olive oil, tossing well. Sprinkle with garlic powder and salt, tossing again. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until golden and crisp.
dressing
- In a bowl, whisk together the vinegar, honey, garlic, salt, pepper and red pepper. Continue to whisk while streaming in the olive oil. This dressing stays great in the fridge in a sealed container for a week or so, so feel free to make a double batch if desired!
Did you make this recipe?
Be sure to follow @howsweeteats on instagram and tag #howsweeteats. You can also post a photo of your recipe to our facebook page.
I appreciate you so much!
and that is that. DELISH.
80 Comments on “HowSweetEats House Salad.”
I barely even like salads and you’re making my mouth water! Jessica, you never fail to make me want to eat the food right on my screen. I love this!!
I live for simple salads like this. So easy to put together and they have so much character! Love!
Salads are the best! x
http://jessicawoods.fr
Perfect go-to lunch! Light and healthy
This looks awesome! I always go overboard and add too many ingredients, but the toppings and dressing look simple and the flavors sound great together. Definitely giving it a try!
FYI: I’m totally with Eddie on the onion thing. He and I are onion soulmates.
This looks like perfect salad to have with my grilled salmon this week. Thank you!
I’m a huge fan of salads and it doesn’t even matter if it’s simple or fancy. But I do love most about my salads is the variety of color. This is so totally up my alley!
Sometimes the simplest recipes are the best!
Kari
http://www.sweetteasweetie.com
I love salads with thick croutons! I am seriously going to have to make this for a dinner party tht I am having soon. Thanks for sharing!
This salad is so vibrant- perfect for adding some much needed colour into my winter diet!
Oh man this salad looks amazing. Plus it is one the hubby would eat. I have a serious problem with eating salads in the winter but this one I could definitely do.
So simple but amazing!
This salad looks so great and right up my alley! I don’t like when salads get too complicated. And I’m totally going to try that dressing. I do not like when my grandma makes a salad especially when we are having a potluck and she signs up for salad. She puts so many odd items in her salads that just don’t belong. It is as though she opens her fridge and grabs anything fresh or pickled that is a vegetable and throws it in with a little bit of lettuce. I spend more time trying to figure out exactly what is in there. Gah, yuck!
I’m so glad you posted this! We have friends who have a “house” salad too and it’s one of my favorites. I love that it’s normal ingredients since my salad-making energy is typically low and sometimes I just skip making one altogether and end up throwing away slimy lettuce. Can’t wait to try this!
Winning!! I started to make a salad but I wasn’t very excited about it. Procrastinated by checking my email and there was your recipe. I had almost every single ingredient right here in the kitchen and made that sucker up and and eating the heck out of it while I type this! I’m a good multitasker.
Pingback: Monday Coffee + Links - The Old Fashioned Girl
Harika paylaşımlarınızı ilgi ile takip ediyorum. Başarılarınızın devamını dilerim.
It may be winter, but now I am craving this salad. Yum. Saving this, for SOON!
Salads are one of the best things I love to eat. Yours looks so scrumptious and appetizing I love all the colours and tectures :-)
I have nominated your for the One Lovely Blog Award.
http://lynnesrecipetrails.com/2016/01/27/one-lovely-blog-award/
Pingback: Elegant Cakes – The Weekend Dish: 1/30/2016
I have never been able to master homemade salad dressings until now! This one is amazing! Even my garlic hating husband loves this dressing. No more store bought ones for us. Thanks so much!
Pingback: Mini Taco Cups & My Super Bowl Menu - Lil Celebrations
Hi Jessica, I have been following your website for about a year now and just wanted to let you know that I tried this salad yesterday for a Super Bowl shin dig that I was hosting and it was a big hit..I loved it too! Thank you for sharing! Lauren
Pingback: Roasted Red Potatoes with Garlic and Tarragon | Brown Sugar
I made this with dinner tonight and my husband has reported that no other salad will be allowed at our house. The croutons and the banana peppers totally made it!
Pingback: Lobster Corn Fritters with Truffle Herb Mayo | How Sweet It Is
Pingback: Friday Favorites | Molly Hofker
Pingback: Weekly Meal Plan - Mrs Tea and Mr Coffee
I’ve been making this salad all week and it is fantastic! So fresh and goes well with many meals. Thanks!
Pingback: Corn, Avocado and Tomato Salad with Roasted Red Bell Pepper Vinaigrette - Kitchen Concoctions
This is the best salad ever! It’s so simple and delicious. After eating what I had put on my plate I may have gone back and eaten what was left in the bowl …
Just tried this salad tonight and soooooooo good! Thank you for posting it :) I will definitely be making this again for sure.
Pingback: May Favorites: Lifestyle. | How Sweet It Is
Pingback: May Favorites: Lifestyle. – Fruitide
Pingback: The Top Foods for Hydration and the Best Recipes Utilizing Them – Hackronym
How long would the croutons stay good for if made in advance?
Pingback: Summer Fridays, Vol. 8. - How Sweet Eats
Love, love, love salads. Love, love,love pepperoni. I buy the turkey pepperoni (very flavorful and 25% lower fat!!!), my manchild now prefers it cuz it’s more flavorful. I cut it in half and throw it in the oven and crisp it up before tossing it in a salad. Love the salty, crunchy flavorful kick it gives!
Pingback: The Best Tomato Panzanella Salad - Panzanella Salad Recipe
Pingback: 7 Simple Side Salads That Go With Everything - Manlly HQ
Pingback: Our Plant Based Journey – Week 1 – A Little Bit Crunchy
Pingback: Fall Kale Salad - September Kale Salad with Apple and Pancetta
Pingback: Spaghetti Squash Parmesan - Roasted Spaghetti Squash with Marinara - Kitchenpedia.co
Pingback: Christo House Salad - Heather Christo
Pingback: Summer Fridays, Vol. 8. - How Sweet Eats
Pingback: Summer Fridays, Vol. 8. – Chow Hub
Pingback: breadsticks (my favorite carb to have with salads lately) – Yeah…Immaeatthat
Perfection! I made this tonight and serve it with a tomato and parmesan focaccia on the side- YUM! I left out the seeds and used Trader Joe’s croutons, and it was still amazing!
Pingback: French Onion Chicken Lasagna Roll Ups. – yumism.site