Green Salads

The "green salad" or "garden salad" is most often composed of leafy vegetables such as lettuce varieties, spinach, or rocket (arugula). Due to their low caloric density, green salads are considered a common diet food. The salad leaves may be cut or torn into bite-sized fragments and tossed together (called a tossed salad), or may be placed in a predetermined arrangement (a composed salad).

Browse through some Green Salad recipes from this section-

Great Green Salad
Green Salad with Cranberry Vinaigrette
Italian Leafy Green Salad
Restaurant-Style House Salad
Tropical Salad with Pineapple Vinaigrette
Mixed Green Salad with Grapefruit and Cranberries
Strawberry Avocado Salad
Steak Salad
Grilled Chicken Salad with Seasonal Fruit
Curried Cashew, Pear, and Grape Salad
Grilled Romaine Salad
Mandarin Orange, Gorgonzola and Almond Delight
Apple, Beet and Avocado Salad
Beet Salad with Goat Cheese
Fresh Spinach Salad
Spinach and Mushroom Salad
Simple Spinach Salad
Taco Salad with Ranch Dressing
Green Pea Salad
Farmer's Salad
Spinach Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing
Warm Salmon and Grape Tomato Salad
Spicy Italian Salad
Green Salad with Dried Mint

Green Salad with Dried Mint

This ultra easy, wholesome salad uses dried mint in an olive oil dressing with avocados, hearts of palm, black olives, cherry tomatoes, and cucumber. Choose iceberg, romaine, or butter lettuce for the greens.

Ingredients:
 1 head romaine lettuce - washed, dried and torn into bite-sized pieces
 1 pint cherry tomatoes, rinsed, stemmed, and halved
 1 (14.25 ounce) can hearts of palm, drained and sliced
 1 (15 ounce) can black olives, drained
 1 ripe avocado, pitted, peeled and cut into 3/4-inch chunks
 1 coarsely chopped cucumber
 garlic salt to taste
 salt and ground black pepper to taste
 2 tablespoons crushed dried mint
 2 tablespoons olive oil

Directions:
Place the lettuce in a bowl, and add the cherry tomatoes, hearts of palm, black olives, avocado, and cucumber. Season to taste with garlic salt, salt, and pepper. Rub the dried mint between the palms of your hands, and sprinkle over the salad. Drizzle with olive oil, and toss. Add additional olive oil if needed to lightly coat all ingredients.

Spicy Italian Salad

Requests for this salad are never ending at any gathering!!!

Ingredients:
 1/2 cup canola oil
 1/3 cup tarragon vinegar
 1 tablespoon white sugar
 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
 2 cloves garlic, minced
 1 (8 ounce) can artichoke hearts, drained and quartered
 5 cups romaine lettuce - rinsed, dried, and chopped
 1 red bell pepper, cut into strips
 1 carrot, grated
 1 red onion, thinly sliced
 1/4 cup black olives
 1/4 cup pitted green olives
 1/2 cucumber, sliced
 2 tablespoons grated Romano cheese
 ground black pepper to taste

Directions:In a medium container with a lid, mix canola oil, tarragon vinegar, sugar, thyme, dry mustard, and garlic. Cover, and shake until well blended. Place artichoke hearts into the mixture, cover, and marinate in the refrigerator 4 hours, or overnight.
In a large bowl, toss together lettuce, red bell pepper, carrot, red onion, black olives, green olives, cucumber, and Romano cheese. Season with pepper. Pour in the artichoke and marinade mixture, and toss to coat.

Warm Salmon and Grape Tomato Salad

Warm salads topped with seared salmon are ever-popular on restaurant menus. Now, with a touch of garlic-enhanced Cream, you can make a sensational salad at home in just minutes.

Ingredients:
 1 tablespoon butter
 4 (4 ounce) fillets skinless salmon
 2 cups grape tomatoes
 3 cloves garlic, minced
 2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
 1 cup 10% or 18% cream
 8 cups coarsely torn romaine lettuce hearts
 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil, chervil or dill
 1 lemon, cut into 8 wedges

Directions:
Heat a large skillet over high heat until hot. Add butter; spread to coat. Place salmon fillets flesh side down in skillet and sear for about 3 min or until browned. Using a slotted spatula, transfer to a plate, seared side up.
Add tomatoes to skillet and saute for 3 min or until browned and starting to pop; using spatula transfer to bowl.
Reduce heat to medium and let pan cool slightly. Add garlic to pan off the heat; saute for 15 sec, until fragrant.
Whisk flour into Cream; pour into skillet, stirring. Return skillet to the heat and bring to simmer, stirring constantly. Return salmon to pan, seared side up. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 2 to 7 min (depending on thickness) or until salmon just flakes easily with a fork. Remove from heat.
Arrange lettuce on plates; top with tomatoes. Place salmon on top. Stir sauce in pan and drizzle over salads. Sprinkle with basil. Serve with lemon wedges to squeeze over top.

Spinach Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing

A colorful mix of baby greens, mandarin oranges, and almonds is topped with a sweet and tangy poppy seed dressing.

Ingredients:
 1/2 cup creamy salad dressing (e.g. Miracle Whip®)
 1/3 cup white vinegar
 1/3 cup white sugar
 1 teaspoon poppy seeds
 4 cups baby spinach
 4 cups mixed salad greens
 1 (10 ounce) can mandarin oranges, drained
 1/3 cup thinly sliced red onion
 1/2 cup slivered almonds

Directions:
Make the poppy seed dressing by whisking together the creamy salad dressing, vinegar, sugar, and poppy seeds; set aside. Arrange the spinach leaves, mixed salad greens, oranges, onion, and almonds onto individual salad plates. Drizzle with poppy seed dressing to serve.

Farmer's Salad

This is a great tasting salad that is easy to prepare. The main ingredients of lettuce, broccoli and bacon are normally on hand.

Ingredients:
 1 head iceberg lettuce, torn into bite-sized pieces
 1 head fresh broccoli florets
 3/4 cup mayonnaise
 3 tablespoons white sugar
 1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar
 1 pound bacon

Directions:
Place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Drain, crumble, measure out 1 cup and set aside.
In a large bowl, combine the lettuce and broccoli.
Prepare the dressing by whisking together the salad dressing, sugar and vinegar.
Pour dressing over lettuce mixture and toss evenly to coat. Sprinkle with bacon and refrigerate until chilled. Serve cold.

Green Pea Salad

This green salad features Romaine lettuce, and is topped with hard boiled eggs, peas, bacon, cheese.

Ingredients:
 8 eggs
 8 slices bacon (optional)
 2 heads romaine lettuce - rinsed, dried, and torn into bite-size pieces
 1 (16 ounce) package frozen green peas
 2 cups mayonnaise
 1/8 cup skim milk
 3 tablespoons white sugar
 3 cups shredded Cheddar cheese

Directions:
Place eggs in a saucepan, and cover completely with cold water. Bring water to a boil for one minute. Cover, remove from heat, and let eggs stand in hot water for 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from hot water, and cool. Peel. Slice egg with an egg slicer, or just crumble.
Place bacon in a large skillet. Cook, turning frequently, over medium high heat until evenly browned.
Spread Romaine lettuce evenly over the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish. Layer crumbled bacon, thawed peas, and eggs over the lettuce.
In a small bowl, mix together mayonnaise, milk, and sugar until smooth. Pour evenly over salad, and top with cheese. Chill in the refrigerator for 2 hours. Serve.

Taco Salad with Ranch Dressing

Juicy chicken breast strips are tossed with lettuce, two cheeses, olives and crushed chips and tossed with a Tex-Mex styled ranch dressing.

Ingredients:
 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast meat
 1 teaspoon chili powder
 1 pound lettuce, chopped
 3/4 (8 ounce) jar medium salsa
 1 (8 ounce) bottle Ranch-style salad dressing
 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
 1/4 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
 1/4 cup chopped black olives
 1 cup crushed tortilla chips

Directions:
Cook the chicken breasts in a medium skillet over medium high heat for 12 to 16 minutes, or until chicken is cooked though and juices run clear. Let cool slightly then slice into strips.
In a large bowl, toss together the chicken, chili powder, lettuce, salsa, dressing, Cheddar, Monterey Jack, olives and tortilla chips until evenly coated. Chill until ready to serve.

Spinach Salad

This is a wonderful salad with a fabulous dressing. A true crowd pleaser!

Ingredients:
 1/4 cup diced red onion
 2/3 cup white sugar
 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
 1/2 teaspoon celery salt
 1 tablespoon mustard powder
 1 cup vegetable oil
 1/3 cup white wine vinegar
 4 eggs
 10 ounces fresh spinach - chopped, washed and dried
 1 head iceberg lettuce - rinsed, dried, and chopped
 1/2 pound bacon - cooked and crumbled
 1 1/2 cups crushed croutons
 1 red onion, sliced in rings

Directions:
Place eggs in a saucepan and cover completely with cold water. Bring water to a boil. Cover, remove from heat, and let eggs stand in hot water for 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from hot water, cool, peel and chop.
In a small saucepan, combine the diced onion, sugar, black pepper, celery salt, mustard, vegetable oil, and vinegar. Whisk over high heat until all ingredients are well mixed and onions are translucent. Remove from heat and refrigerate until cool.
In a large bowl, combine the eggs, spinach, iceberg, bacon, croutons and onion rings. Toss together.
Pour dressing over salad and toss to coat evenly.

Spinach and Mushroom Salad

This salad has a warm and slightly tangy bacon dressing. It's one of my family's favorite ways to enjoy a spinach salad.

Ingredients:
 4 slices bacon
 2 eggs
 2 teaspoons white sugar
 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
 2 tablespoons water
 1/2 teaspoon salt
 1 pound spinach
 1/4 pound fresh mushrooms, sliced

Directions:
Place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Crumble and set aside. Reserve 2 tablespoons bacon fat.
Place eggs in a saucepan and cover completely with cold water. Bring water to a boil. Cover, remove from heat, and let eggs stand in hot water for 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from hot water, cool, peel and cut in wedges.
Return 2 tablespoons bacon fat to skillet, stir in sugar, vinegar, water and salt. Keep warm.
Wash and remove stems from spinach, dry thoroughly and break into pieces in salad bowl. Pour warm dressing over and toss until coated.
Top salad with mushrooms and bacon, garnish with egg.

Fresh Spinach Salad

A wonderful salad with a homemade dressing to pour over at time of serving. Everybody likes this!

Ingredients:
 1/2 cup white sugar
 1/2 cup white vinegar
 1 cup vegetable oil
 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
 1/3 cup ketchup
 1 small onion, chopped
 5 slices bacon
 3 eggs
 1 pound fresh spinach - rinsed, dried and torn into bite size pieces
 1 (4 ounce) can sliced water chestnuts, drained

Directions:
In a blender or food processor, combine sugar, vinegar, oil, Worcestershire sauce, ketchup and onion, and process until smooth. Set aside.
Place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Drain, crumble and set aside.
Place eggs in a saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring water to a boil and immediately remove from heat. Cover and let eggs stand in hot water for 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from hot water, cool, peel and chop.
In a large bowl, toss together the spinach, water chestnuts, bacon and eggs. Serve with the dressing.

Mixed Green Salad with Grapefruit and Cranberries

Grapefruit juice is the base for the tangy vinaigrette on this salad studded with grapefruit segments and dried cranberries. It serves 12 as a starter or about 6 if you'd like a large portion per person.

Ingredients:
2 red grapefruit
1/4 cup(s) extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoon(s) minced scallions
1 tablespoon(s) white-wine vinegar
1/4 teaspoon(s) salt
1/4 teaspoon(s) freshly ground pepper
8 cup(s) torn butter lettuce
6 cup(s) baby spinach
1 can(s) (14-ounce) hearts of palm (see Tips & Techniques), drained and cut into bite-size pieces
1/3 cup(s) dried cranberries
1/3 cup(s) toasted pine nuts (see Tips & Techniques)

Directions:
Remove the skin and white pith from grapefruit with a sharp knife. Working over a bowl, cut the segments from their surrounding membranes. Cut the segments in half on a cutting board and transfer to a large salad bowl. Squeeze the grapefruit peel and membranes over the original bowl to extract 1/4 cup grapefruit juice.
Whisk oil, scallions, vinegar, salt and pepper into the bowl with the grapefruit juice.
Add lettuce, spinach and hearts of palm to the salad bowl with the grapefruit segments. Just before serving, toss the salad with the dressing until well coated. Sprinkle cranberries and pine nuts on top.

Beet Salad with Goat Cheese

This is a delicious and easy salad which takes little time and is a great meatless main course. It uses beets, goat cheese, candied walnuts and baby greens. For a main dish salad, add chicken. Feel free to include more of your favorite vegetables too.

Ingredients:
 4 medium beets - scrubbed, trimmed and cut in half
 1/3 cup chopped walnuts
 3 tablespoons maple syrup
 1 (10 ounce) package mixed baby salad greens
 1/2 cup frozen orange juice concentrate
 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
 2 ounces goat cheese

Directions:
Place beets into a saucepan, and fill with enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, then cook for 20 to 30 minutes, until tender. Drain and cool, then cut in to cubes.
While the beets are cooking, place the walnuts in a skillet over medium-low heat. Heat until warm and starting to toast, then stir in the maple syrup. Cook and stir until evenly coated, then remove from the heat and set aside to cool.
In a small bowl, whisk together the orange juice concentrate, balsamic vinegar and olive oil to make the dressing.
Place a large helping of baby greens onto each of four salad plates, divide candied walnuts equally and sprinkle over the greens. Place equal amounts of beets over the greens, and top with dabs of goat cheese. Drizzle each plate with some of the dressing.

Apple, Beet and Avocado Salad

Winter produce at its best and in holiday colors too. You can also toss the salad instead of arranging it if you prefer.

Ingredients:
 3 medium beets
 4 cups mixed salad greens
 1 onion, sliced into thin rings
 1 apple - peeled, cored and thinly sliced
 1/2 avocado - peeled, pitted and sliced
 1/2 cup toasted chopped walnuts
 3/4 cup apple cider
 2/3 cup cider vinegar
 1/2 cup vegetable oil
 1/2 teaspoon salt
 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
 1 teaspoon prepared mustard
 1/4 teaspoon celery seed

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Wash beets, and place in a baking dish with 1/4 cup water. Cover and bake for 1 hour or until tender. Remove from oven and set aside to cool.
Whisk together the apple cider, vinegar, oil, salt, pepper, mustard and celery seed.
Peel and slice the beets, combine with the vinaigrette and refrigerate at least half an hour.
Divide the greens among four salad plates. Drain beets, and reserve dressing. Decoratively arrange overlapping layers of beet, onion, apple, and avocado on the greens. Drizzle with reserved dressing. Sprinkle on the nuts, and serve at once.

Mandarin Orange, Gorgonzola and Almond Delight

This is an easy and flavorful citrus salad. The cheese makes it great, so use as much as you wish.

Ingredients:
 1/2 cup blanched slivered almonds
 1 (11 ounce) can mandarin oranges, juice reserved
 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
 12 ounces mixed salad greens
 1 cup Gorgonzola cheese

Directions:
Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Add almonds, and cook, stirring frequently, until lightly toasted. Remove from heat, and set aside.
In a small bowl, whisk together 2 tablespoons reserved mandarin orange juice, oil, and vinegar.
In a large salad bowl, toss together the toasted almonds, mandarin oranges, mixed salad greens, and Gorgonzola cheese. Just before serving, pour dressing on salad, and toss to coat.

Grilled Romaine Salad

Romaine hearts are slightly charred on the grill, and served with a fabulous shallot-balsamic dressing. Accompanied with oven dried tomatoes. Whoever eats this will go nuts for it....!!!....

Ingredients:
 1/2 cup olive oil
 3 tablespoons white sugar
 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
 1 teaspoon dried thyme
 1/4 teaspoon salt
 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
 8 Roma (plum) tomatoes, halved lengthwise
 2 shallots, halved lengthwise and peeled
 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
 2 tablespoons brown sugar
 1 3/4 cups olive oil
 4 romaine hearts
 1 tablespoon olive oil
 salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Preheat oven to 225 degrees F (110 degrees C). Mix olive oil, white sugar, rosemary, thyme, salt, and pepper in a large resealable plastic bag. Place tomatoes in the bag, seal, and shake to coat. Arrange coated tomato halves cut side up on a baking sheet. Bake tomatoes 2 1/2 hours in the preheated oven. Remove from heat, and let cool.
In a blender or food processor, finely chop the shallots. Add vinegar and brown sugar, and process until smooth. Slowly add 1 3/4 cups oil, processing frequently, so as to thicken the mixture.
Preheat grill for high heat. Brush romaine hearts with 1 tablespoon olive oil, and season with salt and pepper.
Place romaine hearts on the preheated grill. Cook 5 to 10 minutes, turning frequently, until slightly charred but not heated all the way through. Serve warm on salad plates surrounded by tomato pieces and drizzled with the shallot dressing.

Tropical Salad with Pineapple Vinaigrette

An easy salad to make with a bag of salad greens, pineapple, bacon bits, nuts and toasted coconut. Use fresh pineapple, if you can, and substitute toasted almonds for the macadamia nuts, if desired.

Ingredients:
 6 slices bacon
 1/4 cup pineapple juice
 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
 1/4 cup olive oil
 freshly ground black pepper to taste
 salt to taste
 1 (10 ounce) package chopped romaine lettuce
 1 cup diced fresh pineapple
 1/2 cup chopped and toasted macadamia nuts
 3 green onions, chopped
 1/4 cup flaked coconut, toasted

Directions:
Place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium-high heat until evenly browned, about 10 minutes. Drain, crumble, and set aside.
Combine pineapple juice, red wine vinegar, oil, pepper and salt in a lidded jar or cruet. Cover and shake well.
Toss lettuce, pineapple, macadamia nuts, green onions and bacon together in a large bowl. Pour dressing over salad and toss to coat. Garnish with toasted coconut.

Curried Cashew, Pear, and Grape Salad

Ingredients:
 3/4 cup cashew halves
 4 slices bacon, coarsely chopped
 1 tablespoon melted butter
 1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
 1 teaspoon curry powder
 1 tablespoon brown sugar
 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Dressing:
 3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
 3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
 2 tablespoons honey
 1/2 cup olive oil
 salt and black pepper to taste

Salad:
 1 (10 ounce) package mixed salad greens
 1/2 medium Bosc pear, thinly sliced
 1/2 cup halved seedless red grapes

Directions:
In a large, dry skillet over medium-high heat, toast cashews until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Remove cashews to a dish to cool slightly.
Return skillet to medium-high heat, cook bacon strips until crisp on both sides, about 7 minutes. Remove bacon with a slotted spoon, and soak up grease with a paper towel. Coarsely chop bacon, and set aside.
In a medium bowl, stir together butter, rosemary, curry powder, brown sugar, salt, cayenne pepper, and toasted cashews. Set aside.
In a small bowl, stir together white wine vinegar, mustard, and honey. Slowly whisk in olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.
In a large salad bowl, toss dressing with greens, pear slices, grapes, and bacon, and sprinkle with nut mixture.

Grilled Chicken Salad with Seasonal Fruit

Both beautiful in presentation and taste, this salad uses fresh berries in summer (strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, or blackberries), and orange segments in winter. Anytime of year this composed salad will bring rave reviews.

Ingredients:
 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
 1/2 cup pecans
 1/3 cup red wine vinegar
 1/2 cup white sugar
 1 cup vegetable oil
 1/2 onion, minced
 1 teaspoon ground mustard
 1 teaspoon salt
 1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
 2 heads Bibb lettuce - rinsed, dried and torn
 1 cup sliced fresh strawberries

Directions:
Preheat the grill for high heat.
Lightly oil the grill grate. Grill chicken 8 minutes on each side, or until juices run clear. Remove from heat, cool, and slice.
Meanwhile, place pecans in a dry skillet over medium-high heat. Cook pecans until fragrant, stirring frequently, about 8 minutes. Remove from heat, and set aside.
In a blender, combine the red wine vinegar, sugar, vegetable oil, onion, mustard, salt, and pepper. Process until smooth.
Arrange lettuce on serving plates. Top with grilled chicken slices, strawberries, and pecans. Drizzle with the dressing to serve.

Steak Salad

This is a quick and easy meal for those hot summer evenings.

Ingredients:
 1 3/4 pounds beef sirloin steak
 1/3 cup olive oil
 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
 2 tablespoons lemon juice
 1 clove garlic, minced
 1/2 teaspoon salt
 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
 3/4 cup crumbled blue cheese
 8 cups romaine lettuce - rinsed, dried, and torn into bite-size pieces
 2 tomatoes, sliced
 1 small green bell pepper, sliced
 1 carrot, sliced
 1/2 cup sliced red onion
 1/4 cup sliced pimento-stuffed green olives

Directions:
Preheat grill for high heat.
Lightly oil grate. Place steak on grill and cook for 3 to 5 minutes per side or until desired doneness is reached. Remove from heat and let sit until cool enough to handle. Slice steak into bite size pieces.
In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, lemon juice, garlic, salt, pepper and Worcestershire sauce. Mix in the cheese. Cover and place dressing in refrigerator.
Onto chilled plates arrange the lettuce, tomato, pepper, onion and olives. Top with steak and drizzle with dressing. Serve with crusty grilled French bread. Enjoy!