Fresh Italian Salad Recipe | Eat Move Make (2024)

FAQs

What is an Italian salad made of? ›

Part green salad, part antipasto salad, this recipe combines lettuce, celery, onion, peperoncini, olives, and cherry tomatoes — all tossed in a dressing made with olive oil, vinegar, and a little mayonnaise.

However, when it comes to salad dressing, the most common and traditional dressing used in Italy is a simple vinaigrette made with extra-virgin olive oil and vinegar. This classic dressing is used throughout the country and is usually served on a variety of greens and vegetables.

Think about adding vegetables and fruit of different colors and textures to give your salad some crunch and pack it with nutrition and flavor. I love using everything from juicy tomatoes and cucumbers to celery and carrots, to grilled vegetables like grilled corn on the cob or grilled zucchini.

Caprese salad is made with just three basic ingredients—tomatoes, fresh basil, and fresh mozzarella. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, drizzle with some extra virgin olive oil, and perhaps add a dash of balsamic vinegar over the top to bring all the flavors together. That's it!

For us Italians, the salad is made of only fresh seasonal vegetables, seasoned only with extra virgin olive oil, salt and vinegar. It goes well with fish or meat. Sometimes we replace a meal with a vegetable salad with the addition of legumes, or by adding canned tuna, eggs and mozzarella.

Ranch Dressing

The ranch is hands down America's most beloved salad dressings. It is made from a number of ingredients such as buttermilk, mayonnaise, mustard, garlic, onion, chives, salt, and pepper. A creamier and richer version often features sour cream or yogurt for enhanced taste.

Ranch dressing is the most popular salad dressing in the United States, with 40% of Americans naming it their favorite. Italian dressing is the second most popular salad dressing, preferred by 10% of the US population. 8% of Americans prefer Caesar salad dressing.

leafy greens such as romaine, arugula, kale and spinach. whole grains such as quinoa, brown rice and bulgur. chopped or shredded vegetables such as cucumber, tomato, cabbage, and beets.

There are many things you can add to a salad. Starting with vegetables, cucumber, radishes, avocado, sprouts, broccoli and cauliflower raw or cooked, canned beans of almost any kind. Nuts, cheeses, rice, dried fruits, leftover steak, chicken, or shrimp.

How do restaurants make salads so crisp? ›

The Keys to Crisp Lettuce

Lettuce actually needs a good amount of airflow, in addition to a bit of moisture (but not too much!), in order to stay crisp. That's why restaurants store their lettuce in special perforated bins that allow for air circulation while it's held in the fridge.

A restaurant salad has salt on it.

Most good restaurants season salad carefully — probably adding salt and pepper directly to the greens, not just the dressing. If you don't usually add salt to your salads, try sprinkling in a little flaky sea salt next time and see if it doesn't taste 100% better.

Serving salad after the main course of a meal is an older tradition in Italy, and nowadays it is usually observed at large and formal dinners rather than during everyday meals. Eating a salad after a meal can help digestion, while eating one before a meal may help discourage overeating.

According to Fodor's Travel, most restaurants in Italy don't serve any dressing on salad at all, although as new cuisines are starting to be introduced, you may see options like Caesar salads on the menu. Traditional Italian salads come simply with extra virgin olive oil, vinegar, and salt.

Caesar salad was invented in the early 1920s by Caesar Cardini, an Italian chef who owned a restaurant in Tijuana, Mexico. He moved to Tijuana from California to avoid Prohibition, and it was here, on July 4th, 1924, where Caesar is believed to have invented the Caesar Salad.

Despite its name, Italian dressing is not used in Italy, where salad is normally dressed with olive oil, vinegar or lemon juice, salt, and sometimes balsamic vinegar at the table, and not with a pre-mixed vinaigrette.