Basilmomma

Best Simple Garden Salad Recipes

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Garden salad is simple enough to serve as a side dish, but add some protein to garden salads, and you can serve them as a complete meal. Here are some of my favorite simple garden salad recipes, using fresh fruits and garden vegetables.

Sometimes, the best meals I make are the ones thrown together at the last minute, using what I find in the refrigerator.  I may have a hankering for something fresh and crunchy, or there is extra fruit needing to be used up.

Last night, it took me forever to get dinner on the table. I was making Greek burgers on the grill, and wanted a quick, crisp side dish to serve with them. What I came up with is my new favorite garden salad.  This is by NO means a revolutionary salad recipe, but it’s simple and clean.  My kids love garden salads with fruit, and there were no leftovers, which is how I measure it’s simple greatness!

Hearts of Romaine Garden Salad with Orange Vinaigrette

The citrus flavors are the star of this simple garden salad, and the orange vinaigrette dressing is so good, I could drink it through a straw! ????

 A simple garden salad doesn’t always have to include greens, either. I love to use fresh summer fruits to create a delicious, healthy, light lunch.

One of my favorites is this watermelon, blueberry and feta salad.

If you want to add flavor to your garden salad recipes without adding calories and fat, add a handful of fresh herbs. Dill, basil, and mint are all easy to grow and can be used to create salad dressings and meat marinades, too. Freshly chopped mint is clean and refreshing in grape, mint, and tomato garden salad.

 

Add cheese, beans, and grains to garden salad to provide fiber and protein. I use white beans in a lot of salad recipes because I think they have a lighter taste than some of the darker beans.

Once the Indiana sweet corn is in season, this summer vegetable chopped salad with lemon vinaigrette is a staple dinner salad at our house.

This farro chopped vegetables garden salad is highly customizable.

Use the vegetables that are in season and on hand. Be sure to chop all of the veggies to about the same size.

As mentioned earlier, many of my dinner recipes are created out of necessity. Usually, when I need to clean my refrigerator of leftover odds and ends.

This kale chopped salad was born from a need to completely declutter and clean out my refrigerator.

I was craving a garden salad with kale, and I had just enough of it on hand to make this chopped salad recipe. Chopped salads are my favorite, and my kids are less likely to pick through a chopped salad than a tossed salad. They like to add their own dressing and whatnot.

At the end of the day, the less griping I hear, the better. You  know what I mean? ????