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Make My Mixed Greens Salad!
When I don’t feel like thinking too hard about a side dish, this mixed greens salad is what I throw together. It’s simple and goes with whatever I’m making for dinner, usually.
Most of the time, I use whatever greens I have in the fridge, like romaine, spinach, and arugula, then toss in some crunchy stuff, a little something sweet, and finish it off with a homemade balsamic vinaigrette. It’s easy to adjust based on what you like or what you’ve got on hand.
Happy Cooking!
– Yumna
Mixed Greens Salad Ingredients
- Romaine, spinach, and arugula: I like to finely chop the romaine but leave the spinach and arugula leaves whole! You can also get a pre-made leafy green mix from the salad section in the grocery store.
- Cherry tomatoes: I halve these, but you can use grape tomatoes, or even large tomatoes chopped up like beefsteak.
- Carrots: I like to use pre-shredded carrots because they’re a great timesaver! You can shred the whole carrots yourself, though.
- English cucumber: I prefer English cucumbers in salads because the seeds aren’t obnoxious. That being said, you can use any type of cucumber.
- Red onion: Milder than white or yellow onions, I like to thinly slice red onions and use them raw in mixed green salad recipes.
- Balsamic vinaigrette: I usually make my own (super easy!) balsamic vinaigrette. You could use store-bought, though or your fav dressing.
How to Make a Mixed Greens Salad
Mixed Greens Salad Reipe
This Mixed Greens Salad has romaine, arugula, and spinach. It's topped with tomatoes, cucumbers, and red onions with a homemade balsamic vinaigrette.
Ingredients
- 1 head romaine lettuce chopped
- 1 cup spinach
- 1 cup arugula
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes halved
- ½ cup pre-shredded carrots
- ¼ English cucumber thinly sliced
- ¼ red onion thinly sliced
- Optional additions: ¼ cup crumbled feta cheese, 2 tablespoons toasted nuts or seeds (such as almonds, walnuts, or sunflower seeds), 2 tablespoons dried fruits (such as cranberries or raisins)
- Balsamic vinaigrette for serving
Instructions
- Place the lettuce, spinach, arugula, tomatoes, carrots, cucumber and red onion in a large serving bowl and toss the salad gently to combine the ingredients.
- If desired, sprinkle crumbled feta or goat cheese, toasted nuts or seeds, and dried fruits over the top of the salad.
- Just before serving, drizzle the balsamic vinaigrette over the salad, starting with a small amount and adding more as needed. Toss the salad again to coat the ingredients with the dressing.
- Serve the mixed greens salad immediately.
Balsamic Vinaigrette
- In a small bowl or jar, whisk together the balsamic vinegar, honey, Dijon mustard, garlic powder, salt and pepper.
- Slowly drizzle in the olive oil while whisking continuously to emulsify the dressing. Continue whisking until the vinaigrette is well combined and slightly thickened.
Notes
Nutrition label is for salad only and does not include dressing.
Store any leftover vinaigrette in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week. Make sure to shake it before using it again.
Nutrition
Serving: 2cups, Calories: 32kcal, Carbohydrates: 7g, Protein: 2g, Fat: 0.4g, Saturated Fat: 0.1g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.2g, Monounsaturated Fat: 0.02g, Sodium: 24mg, Potassium: 411mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 3g, Vitamin A: 11.552IU, Vitamin C: 13mg, Calcium: 54mg, Iron: 1mg
Nutrition information provided is an estimate. It will vary based on cooking method and specific ingredients used.
Diet: Diabetic, Low Calorie, Low Fat, Vegan, Vegetarian
Cuisine American
If you try this feel good Mixed Greens Salad recipe or any other recipe on Feel Good Foodie, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and leave a comment below!
Recipe Tips
- Soak the red onion in ice water. If you find raw red onion to be too strong, try soaking the slices in ice water for 5 to 10 minutes, then drain. This will remove their bite!
- Start with a small amount of dressing. I like to start by tossing the mixed greens salad with a small amount of salad dressing, then adding more as needed. You can always use more if the leaves are looking a little dry, but you can’t go lighter once the dressing’s added!
- Toss the salad with the dressing right before serving. The salad’s tender greens will become soggy the longer they sit in the dressing, which is why I always toss this salad right before serving.
- Store the salad ingredients and the vinaigrette separately. If you want to make the salad ahead of time, store the dressing and vinaigrette in two containers.
Serving Ideas
- Topping ideas: crumbled feta cheese, toasted walnuts, toasted sunflower seeds, dried fruits
- Chicken Parm Sandwich
- Shrimp Pesto Pasta
- Salmon Kabobs
- Grilled Flank Steak
