The perfect side salad recipe doesn’t have to be difficult! This recipe shows you all the secrets to how to get it!
I’m gonna be honest with y’all, salad used to not be my thing. Honestly, green things in general just weren’t my thing. Growing up, my mom would make these cool extravagant salads and I just wasn’t into it.
That was until I tried this salad! This salad has a perfect combo of healthy greens + fun toppings which equals the worlds best side salad!
Side salad my seem like a simple recipe but, there are a few things that set mine apart from the rest.
- The choice of veggies
- Toppings
- And Dressing
Veggie Choice
No salad is complete without a green for the base. Today, we chose plain loose-leaf lettuce. It has a very mellow + and soft taste. Many people use iceberg lettuce, but I would beware of it. If you don’t choose the right head of lettuce, the iceberg can end up being pretty bitter. If you’re serving a company, that lack of reliability can ruin the salad. :/
Best Toppings For Salad
This is really the fun part of the salad! For the veggie toppings, I stick with radishes, tomatoes, cucumbers, and avocado! The avocado is a GAME CHANGER! It blows my mind how big of a difference it makes in the final salad. The avocado is a great healthy fat that makes the salad much more creamy and delicious!
As for the non-veggies toppings, if just use some chopped bacon bits and parmesan cheese. Now, when I say bacon bits, don’t think of those with red bacon bites that you get in a little jar at the grocery store. I mean really bacon pieces being chopped up into smaller bite size pieces. This makes a huge difference! The bacon ends up tasting much more natural and real. The parmesan cheese tastes best when its put through a zester!
These are just my suggestion but feel free to add on! The salad goes wonderfully with some chopped walnuts + cranberries if you really wanna mix it up! 🙂
Best Salad Dressing
You have two options here. (Both of which are wonderful! :))
- If you are in a hurry, stick with plain ranch. It’s reliable, and delicious every single time.
- The second option is if you are willing to be a little bit more creative. I LOVE the combination of Italian vinaigrette with a little bit of ranch. The dairy in the ranch keeps the salad creamy but the vinaigrette adds the perfect tang that really lifts the whole salad.
Fresh Side Salad Recipe
AuthorbasilanddillDifficultyBeginnerFry the bacon in a small skillet on high heat until cooked all the way though.
While the bacon is cooking, wash and chop all the veggies. Put them all into a bowl and top with chopped bacon bits, salad dressing, and parmesan cheese.
Ingredients
Directions
Fry the bacon in a small skillet on high heat until cooked all the way though.
While the bacon is cooking, wash and chop all the veggies. Put them all into a bowl and top with chopped bacon bits, salad dressing, and parmesan cheese.