The Garden Salad

There really are no rules when it comes to a Garden Salad. Any greens and any vegetables will do, all tied together with a classic and simple salad dressing. Make this your own!

My Garden Salad

Ordinarily I write an introduction about the recipe I’m sharing. But I find myself stuck to come up with something witty or some back story about Garden Salad. I wish I could say this salad is made with crisp organic vegetables fresh from my garden. I want to be able to tell you that this was the only salad my hardworking mother knew how to make when I was growing up and thus has a special place carved in my heart. I want to at least be able tell you that this version is the definitive, the classic, the original, the real-deal garden salad. But I have nothing. No authority on this matter, and no sentimental backstory. This is just my basic everyday salad that I make “all the time”, for no other reason than it’s made with the most pedestrian of veggies that always seem to find their way into my shopping basket, week after week! No doubt you make a similar salad, as does the majority of households in the country. Garden Salad: the great leveller! 😂

What goes in my Garden Salad

So, that said and done, here are the typical things that I put in my Garden Salad. Well, I won’t lie. Iceberg lettuce doesn’t always make my shopping trolley these days because it just seems so, well, eighties! 😂 It is quite regular when in season though because it’s crunchy, sweet and frankly pretty damned delicious even if it’s about as fashionable as a giant, hair sprayed perm. If not iceberg lettuce, I’ll always have some form of leafy greens in my fridge.

Garden Salad Dressing

The dressing I use is my basic salad dressing: 1 part vinegar to 3 parts olive oil, thickened with Dijon Mustard so it emulsifies and clings to the salad better, simply seasoned with salt and pepper. There’s all sorts of extra flavouring options available to you if you want to upgrade your Garden Salad, including garlic, lemon zest, dried or fresh herbs. And I’ve listed some suggestions in the recipe notes. But at its core, this is the basic salad dressing that I use “all the time”. And that, my friends, is all I have to say about my Garden Salad. Gee, I wish all recipes I shared could be this short and to the point! 😂 – Nagi x PS. No video for the 3 simple side salads I’m sharing today! (This Garden Salad, a Blood Orange Salad and Panzanella – Italian bread salad). But if you really want a Garden Salad recipe video, shout out below!