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    Home » Salads

    Side Salad

    Published: Jul 20, 2022 · by Nico

    Jump to Recipe

    Our side salad is a simple recipe you can serve with most main meals. It's easy, crunchy, fresh, and colorful and goes well with anything.

    Toss it with extra virgin olive oil, vinegar, and a pinch of salt, or dress it with our delicious homemade Italian dressing.

    side salad in a large bowl
    On this page:
    • Ingredients
    • Instructions
    • Serving suggestions
    • Variations
    • Storage
    • More Salad Recipes
    • Recipe

    Check out our best vegan salad recipe collection!

    Are you looking for a simple salad recipe that goes well with most meals? Then this recipe is for you.

    It's a classic and authentic Italian recipe you'll find in most restaurants and homes in Italy, served as a side salad. It's the queen of side dishes!

    We make it with mixed leafy greens, tomatoes, and carrots to make it colorful and crunchy, and it's dressed in extra virgin olive oil, vinegar, and salt.

    It's fresh, crunchy, and tasty, especially if you use local and seasonal ingredients. You'll be also pleased to know that it's low in calories, as there are no add-ins, heavy dressings, or dairy products.

    This is the perfect everyday recipe to add more delicious and crunchy greens to your diet without too much effort.

    If you want a more complete, richer salad, check out our Italian salad recipe with plenty of add-ins and seasoned with our homemade Italian dressing.

    simple side salad in a bowl

    Ingredients

    ingredients for side salad
    Ingredients for side salad: romaine lettuce, arugula, radicchio, tomatoes, celery, carrot, onion, extra virgin olive oil, vinegar, and salt.

    Romaine lettuce

    Romaine is our lettuce of choice for this simple side salad recipe; however, you can replace it with most other lettuce varieties, including iceberg lettuce, Batavia lettuce, little gems lettuce, butter lettuce, oak leaf lettuce, and frisée or curly endive.

    Arugula

    Arugula adds a dark-green color, is packed with antioxidants, and adds a mildly spicy and slightly bitter flavor that we love in a salad.

    If you don't like its taste, you can replace it with other non-bitter leaves, such as Lamb's lettuce, purslane, or watercress.

    Radicchio

    Radicchio is a slightly bitter, red and white Italian type of lettuce. It's one of our favorites; however, if you don't like its somewhat bitter taste, you can leave it out.

    Tomatoes

    Any tomatoes will do, as long as they are not overripe. Our favorites are cherry tomatoes and San Marzano Tomatoes (but those are hard to find).

    Carrot

    A freshly grated carrot adds sweetness, color, and crunch.

    Celery

    Celery adds loads of crunch, and we love it in a salad. But, of course, you can replace it with radishes or thinly sliced fennel.

    Red Onion

    Thinly sliced red onion adds sharp, tangy notes that elevate the other ingredients. You can substitute it with green onions, spring onions, or shallots.

    Olive Oil

    Extra virgin olive oil is our dressing of choice for this side salad. Try to go for a good quality one if you can. If you want a more elaborated dressing, try our homemade Italian dressing.

    Vinegar

    Balsamic vinegar, white wine vinegar, red wine vinegar, and apple cider vinegar are all excellent options.

    Salt

    Add a pinch of salt to bring out the flavors of the veggies.

    Fried eggplant served on a simple side salad
    Fried eggplant served on a simple side salad.

    Instructions

    Rinse and dry the veggies. Then, to a large mixing bowl, add chopped romaine lettuce, radicchio, arugula, halved cherry tomatoes, chopped celery, grated carrot, and thinly sliced red onion.

    mixed veggies in a bowl

    Season with extra virgin olive oil, vinegar, and salt. Toss the salad well before serving it as a side dish to most mains.

    side salad tossed in olive oil

    Serving suggestions

    Serve as a side salad with most main courses, from fried eggplant to risotto cakes; this light and simple side salad recipe will add a crunch and freshness to your meals. Serve it next to your favorite main dish, for example with:

    • Pasta: With aromatic tofu meatballs on spaghetti, next to tomato basil pasta, or with this 15-minute aglio e olio.
    • Plant-based protein: Such as marinated tofu, breaded spinach cutlets, or vegan frittata.
    • Italian favorites: For example tomato risotto, zucchini boats, or stuffed eggplant with cheese.
    Spinach cutlets on bed of salad
    Vegan spinach cutlets

    Variations

    This recipe is the perfect base salad upon which you can build with add-ins and dressings. For example:

    Creamy Tofu Salad

    Italian salad with pan-fried tofu

    You can add avocado, corn, cucumber, and fried tofu and dress it with a tahini sauce and lemon juice to turn it into a nutritious tofu salad.

    Italian Salad

    Big Italian salad with Italian dressing

    Add homemade croutons, Italian vinaigrette, olives, black pepper, and pepperoncini to transform into a tasty American-Style Italian salad.

    Vegetarian Salad

    We like to keep most of our salads vegan, especially if we serve them as a side dish; however, if you are vegetarian, you can add a type of cheese (choose from feta cheese, blue cheese, or gorgonzola), walnuts, and sliced pears or dried cranberries.

    Storage

    This side salad is best eaten soon after you add the vinegar. Leftovers keep in the fridge for about 24 hours, but the salad will lose its crunch after about 2 hours due to the acidity in the vinegar.

    If you wish to make it ahead and store it for longer, then don't toss it in olive oil and vinegar until you are ready to serve it.

    More Salad Recipes

    An easy side salad pairs with literally any main dish. If you're looking for salads you can eat as a main meal, see these vibrant favorites:

    • Rice salad with aromatic veggies and herbs
    • Eggplant salad with healthy plant-based protein
    • Tomato and cucumber salad with red onion
    • Chickpea salad ready in just 20 minutes
    • Couscous with pan-fried vegetables
    • Quinoa chickpea salad with fresh veggies
    • Fennel and orange salad with pomegranate seeds
    • Raw zucchini salad with pine nuts

    Or take your pick from our 25 best vegan salad recipes, including cabbage slaw, grain bowls, and raw veggie salads.

    For many more side dishes ideas, check out our sides category page.

    Recipe

    simple side salad

    Side Salad

    Author: Nico
    Our side salad is a simple recipe you can serve with most main meals. It's easy, crunchy, fresh, and colorful and goes well with anything.
    Toss it with extra virgin olive oil, vinegar, and a pinch of salt, or dress it with our delicious homemade Italian dressing.
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe Share Recipe
    5 from 1 vote
    Prep Time 15 mins
    Cook Time 0 mins
    Total Time 15 mins
    Course salad
    Cuisine American Italian
    Servings 4 people
    Calories 99 kcal

    Ingredients
      

    • 1 large head romaine lettuce chopped
    • 3 cups radicchio chopped
    • 2 cups arugula
    • 1 large carrot grated
    • 1 stalk celery chopped
    • 1 small red onion sliced finely
    • 12 cherry tomatoes halved
    • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil or more to taste
    • 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar or other vinegar
    • ¼ teaspoon salt or more to taste

    Instructions
     

    • Rinse and pat dry the veggies. Then, to a large mixing bowl, add chopped romaine lettuce, radicchio, arugula, halved cherry tomatoes, chopped celery, grated carrot, and thinly sliced red onion.
      mixed veggies in a bowl
    • Add extra virgin olive oil, vinegar, and salt. Toss the salad well before serving it as a side dish to most mains.
      simple side salad in a bowl

    Notes

    Nutrition information is for 1 portion of side salad out of 4.
    Here's our homemade Italian dressing recipe if you prefer to use that as a dressing.

    Nutritional Values

    Nutrition Facts
    Side Salad
    Amount Per Serving
    Calories 99 Calories from Fat 36
    % Daily Value*
    Fat 4g6%
    Saturated Fat 1g6%
    Polyunsaturated Fat 1g
    Monounsaturated Fat 3g
    Potassium 754mg22%
    Carbohydrates 14g5%
    Dietary Fiber 5g21%
    Sugar 6g7%
    Protein 4g8%
    Vitamin A 17178IU344%
    Vitamin B6 0.2mg10%
    Vitamin C 25mg30%
    Vitamin E 2mg13%
    Vitamin K 257µg245%
    Calcium 96mg10%
    Folate 259µg65%
    Iron 2mg11%
    Manganese 0.4mg20%
    Magnesium 42mg11%
    Zinc 1mg7%
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
    Did you like this recipe?We are not much on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest. Leave us a comment below instead, it would mean the world to us 🙂

    If you like this easy side salad, you might also like:

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    • Top Vegan Sauce Recipes
    • Vegan Summer Recipes (Dinners & Desserts)
    • 30 Plant-based beginner recipes
    « Italian Dressing
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    Nico and Louise founders of the Plant-Based School.

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