The right combination of different greens (and reds), drizzled with a perfectly balanced dressing can elevate this humble insalata verde to become the center of a meal.
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There’s never a wrong time to serve a nice salad with a homemade vinaigrette. And if these “lawn clippings” are from your garden, even better. Paying attention to the textures and flavors of different greens will make a huge difference in the success of this salad.
🧾 Ingredients
This is a very flexible list regarding the types of lettuce you use. The idea is to mix some hardy lettuce (iceberg, romaine) with more tender leaves (spring mix), adding some peppery flavors (arugula, watercress), and topping it all off with some crunch (soy sprouts, mixed sprouts).
When putting together this particular salad, I selected greens in the grocery store that looked good and combined the attributes mentioned above (it’s the middle of the winter here and no lettuce is currently growing in our backyard):
- Iceberg
- Spring mix
- Baby spinach
- Watercress
- Crunchy sprouts
For the dressing, I use a classic vinaigrette combination with a “secret” ingredient: warm water. But more about that later.
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Aged balsamic vinegar
- Shallots
- Garlic
- Chives
- Dijon mustard
- Whole grain mustard
- Honey
- Kosher salt
- Freshly cracked black pepper
- Warm water
- Fresh ginger (optional)
See the recipe card below for full list of ingredients and their measurements.
🥗 Make the salad
First and foremost, it’s about washing and drying the lettuce. How much work this will involve depends very much on what type of lettuce you bought and if it was pre-washed. A bag of baby spinach or spring mix may only need a quick spin in the salad spinner before being dried on a clean kitchen towel. A head of boston lettuce from the farmers market or your backyard needs considerably more TLC before it’s ready to go.
There are two things that can put a damper on your salad eating experience. One is coming across some unwanted crunch, such as dirt or sand. The other one is biting into something soft and slightly slimy, called a slug.
Luckily, both are easy to avoid. When dealing with a whole head of lettuce, first remove any wilted or browned outer leaves. Next, “free” the leaves from the stem by cutting off the base of the lettuce head. Cut in half lengthwise and then chop into about ½” strips.
Tip: To clean lettuce leaves, fill up a sink or wide bowl with cold water and put the leaves in there for a couple of minutes. Use your hands to gently stir them a couple of times. Any sand and other debris should sink to the bottom. Change the water if necessary and do it again. Quickly spin the leaves in a salad spinner and finish drying them on a clean kitchen towel.
🥄 Vinaigrette dressing
Next, peel and finely chop the shallot and put in a mixing bowl. Add warm water and let sit for at least two minutes.
In the meantime, peel and mince (or grate) the garlic and finely chop the chives. Add them both to the shallots. Then add the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, honey, Dijon and whole grain mustards, and season with salt and pepper.
Start mixing all of these ingredients until combined. I like to use a small spoon and start out stirring nice and slow to give the ingredients a chance to get to know each other. Once they start mingling, I pick up the speed until the oil and vinegar have completely emulsified.
Taste it. Now you see why we used some water in this vinaigrette. It’s not only so delicious that you want to put it on everything or simply drink it out of the bowl, it’s also less thick and acidic than other vinaigrettes.
Add some more salt if needed. Taste again and make sure it’s perfectly balanced.
Next, place equal handfuls of the different lettuces on a large plate and add some vinaigrette. Repeat as many times as you’d like. Top with the crunchy sprouts and serve.
And who said a little green side salad can’t steal the show?!
⭐ Tip: To ensure a more even flavor distribution throughout the salad, add the dry lettuce leaves in a large mixing bowl. Drizzle some extra virgin olive oil all over and gently toss using your hands. This will remove any salad doubters' argument that a plate of green leaves is boring. Especially when using a flavorful, high-quality extra virgin olive oil. Try it.
🥬 Lettuce and dressing substitutions
- Iceberg - Use romaine instead
- Watercress - Arugula is wonderful substitute
- Balsamic vinegar - I tried different vinegars but they all seem to add too much acidity unless you use a (more expensive) aged sherry vinegar
👨🏻🍳 How to crank up the flavors even more
Add a dash of fish sauce or Worcestershire sauce. That will add depth and umami flavor. I also like to grate some fresh ginger into the dressing. It brightens up the whole experience. Another fun idea is to add a little of your favorite hot sauce to the dressing. That’ll get everybody’s attention.
❓ FAQ
The word vinaigrette was first mentioned in the Dictionnaire de l'Académie française in 1694. The root of the word comes from vinegar. It has evolved over the centuries but basically means mixing some oil with some acid (vinegar or lemon) in a 3:1 ratio, adding herbs and spices and mixing well until it emulsifies.
Make a big enough salad and you might just feel that’s all you wanted.
For a quick and easy weeknight dinner, grab a rotisserie chicken on the way home and you’re all set.
Want to add some special sparkle? Sauté some shrimps or, even better, add a couple of seared sea scallops on top to impress your date.
Make sure the leaves are dry. Put them in a plastic storage bag, add a paper towel to absorb moisture, press out most of the air, and put the bag in the fridge. They’ll stay fresh for 3 to 5 days.
For a quick and easy weeknight dinner, grab a rotisserie chicken on the way home and you’re all set.
Want to add some special sparkle? Sauté some shrimps or, even better, add a couple of seared sea scallops on top to impress your date.
How do I store any leftover lettuce leaves?
Do you love delicious, light meals as much as I do? Check out a few more of our recipes now!
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Did you make this Insalata Verde? Let us know in the comments below!
📝 Recipe
Insalata Verde
Ingredients
- 4 ounces iceberg lettuce, chopped
- 2 ounces baby spinach
- 2 ounces baby green spring mix
- 1 ounces watercress
- ¼ cup crunchy sprouts
- 1 shallot, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons warm water
- 1 clove garlic, minced or grated
- 1 tablespoon chopped chives
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons aged balsamic vinegar
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon whole grain mustard
- 1 teaspoon honey
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
- 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger (optional)
Instructions
- Wash, dry, and chop lettuce.
- Peel and finely chop the shallot and put in a mixing bowl. Add warm water and let sit for at least two minutes.
- In the meantime, peel and mince (or grate) the garlic and finely chop the chives. Add them both to the shallots.
- Then add the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, Dijon and whole grain mustards, and honey, and season with salt and pepper.
- Start mixing all of these ingredients until completely combined.
- Taste and make sure it’s perfectly balanced. Add some more salt if needed.
- Next, place equal handfuls of the different lettuces on a large plate and add some vinaigrette. Repeat as many times as you’d like.
- Top with the crunchy sprouts and serve.
Notes
- Lettuce and dressing substitutions
-
- Iceberg - Use romaine instead
- Watercress - Arugula is wonderful substitute
- Balsamic vinegar - I tried different vinegars but they all seem to add too much acidity unless you use a (more expensive) aged sherry vinegar
- How to crank up the flavors even more: Add a dash of fish sauce or Worcestershire sauce. That will add depth and umami flavor. I also like to grate some fresh ginger into the dressing. It brightens up the whole experience. Another fun idea is to add a little of your favorite hot sauce to the dressing. That’ll get everybody’s attention.
- What to serve with insalata verde: Make a big enough salad and you might just feel that’s all you wanted. For a quick and easy weeknight dinner, grab a rotisserie chicken on the way home and you’re all set. Want to add some special sparkle? Sauté some shrimps or, even better, add a couple of seared sea scallops on top to impress your date.
- How to store any leftover lettuce leaves: Make sure the leaves are dry. Put them in a plastic storage bag, add a paper towel to absorb moisture, press out most of the air, and put the bag in the fridge. They’ll stay fresh for 3 to 5 days.
- Suggestion: If you enjoy this, you're gonna love our Panera Spicy Thai Salad!
Rob
Delicious! Love all the different lettuces together and the dressing is awesome, thanks!
maplewoodroad
Thanks so much! 🙂