This Easy Gourmet Salad has been a favorite in our house for so many years. There are some delicious add-ins that make it so good!
Easy Gourmet Salad:
You know how there are some recipes that have been around forever in your family… but you’ve never taken the time to write them down and save them properly? This is one of those recipes. I’m pretty sure I got the idea of this recipe from someone back in my days of teaching elementary school, but I really have no idea who shared it. We’ve been enjoying it for years in my house. It’s a simple salad, really, with simple ingredients. But it’s delicious and satisfying enough to have for lunch, and it’s quick-to-prepare too. And if you happen to be going to a potluck sort-of event, it’s “gourmet” enough to share this Easy Gourmet Salad.
What makes it “gourmet?” Well, there are a few add-ins that make it special: sundried tomatoes, feta cheese, golden raisins and toasted pine nuts… oh yeah., and a simple, homemade salad dressing.
Start with mixed greens- any sort. You can use a bag, or you can use 6 handfuls that you picked up at your local Farmer’s Market.
Add a large chopped carrot.
Then add chopped red bell pepper. Or yellow, or orange or green.
Sprinkle in chopped green onions.
Add chopped sundried tomatoes packed in oil (but drained). I suppose you could use regular ol’ cherry tomatoes here, but the sundried ones really give this salad a gourmet- punch.
Mix in some golden raisins too. The raisin-HATER in me says this is all wrong, but since I’ve eaten this salad like 40 dozen times, I know that they totally work in this salad and they’re part of what makes it yummy.
Feta cheese crumbles are added in next.
And finally add in your toasted pine nuts. I know pine nuts are super duper expensive, so I wouldn’t be upset you if you wanted to add in toasted almonds or pecans instead.
How to toast pine nuts:
To toast the pine nuts, heat a skillet to medium. Add the pine nuts to the pan and stir often until they begin to turn golden. Remove the pine nuts to a bowl or a paper towel to cool.
I was quoted in a newspaper article recently that I thought you should never buy salad dressing at the store, and that’s pretty much how I feel. Its SOOO much better when you make it at home, and it’s really easy to make too. The super simple dressing you’ll be whipping up for this salad is a mixture of white wine vinegar + olive oil + Dijon + raspberry jam + Italian seasoning and S&P. Toss it with the salad and you’re good to go with a “Gourmet-Like” salad to share! And if you have the luck that I’ve had over the years, I think you’ll find that this salad recipe is quite a hit with everyone who tries it. Have a great week everyone!
Here are a few more salad recipes you might enjoy:
Easy Gourmet Salad
Ingredients
SALAD:
- 16 ounces mixed greens
- 1 large carrot, peeled and chopped
- 1 medium red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
- 4 whole green onions, chopped
- ⅓ cup chopped, oil-packed sundried tomatoes (drained)
- ⅓ cup golden raisins
- 4 ounces crumbled feta cheese
- ⅓ cup pine nuts, toasted (see notes below)
DRESSING:
- 3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon seedless raspberry or strawberry jam
- ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Place greens in a large bowl. Add all other ingredients.
- To prepare the dressing, add all dressing ingredients to a small bowl and whisk until well combined. Pour over the salad and toss (maybe use a little at a time until you have a desired amount of dressing). Serve immediately.
Notes
- If you are preparing this recipe as gluten-free, just be sure to use brands of Dijon and jam that are known to be GF.
- To toast the pine nuts, heat a skillet to medium. Add the pine nuts to the pan and stir often until they begin to turn golden. Remove the pine nuts to a bowl or a paper towel to cool.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This sounds delicious, I’m planning on making it but adding roasted salted pumpkin cubes, it’s amazing and totally next level, what I was wondering, instead of sultanas (raisins) do you think pomegranate seeds would be good in it? I’ve had them in salads before and it was freakin amazing, I also will use a thick balsamic glaze as the dressing OMGOODNESS everything tasted amazing in that, they match beautifully with strawberries also & u could replace the raisins with apple slices or cut up strawberries they are freakin delicious in salads, can’t wait to serve up Christmas Day ❤️🙏🏼🥰
I think Pom seeds would be great! Enjoy!
I made this salad and took it to a luncheon and it was absolutely delicious. I did one thing diferently. I did add 1 T honey to sweeten the dressing. It was a bit hit!
What can be subsituted for JAM?
You can always leave it out if you don’t want the sweetness in there.