The perfect starter to any meal, this simple house salad recipe is light, fresh, and flavorful! Paired with a zesty homemade Dijon vinaigrette, this classic house salad comes together in 15 minutes or less.
Made with crisp romaine lettuce, cucumber, red onions, carrots, and tomatoes, then topped with crunchy croutons and a zesty vinaigrette, this house salad is the perfect pairing for any type of meal!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- It’s such an easy way to add a touch of freshness to any meal! Pair it with soup, pasta, burgers, sandwiches, grilled meat, pizza, and more!
- It doesn’t take long to assemble! Even the dressing can be whipped up in seconds.
- You can prep the ingredients ahead of time and quickly toss everything together right before you want to serve.
What is a House Salad?
A house salad is essentially the signature salad of the “house.” Most restaurants have their own spin on it and this is what I personally love to make in my kitchen.
Ingredients You’ll Need
cucumbers — I always use seedless cucumbers, also known as English cucumbers. I like their thin skins and not having to scoop out any seeds.
tomatoes — what are your favorite tomatoes to use? I’m using tomatoes on the vine, but you can also cut up heirloom tomatoes or cherry tomatoes!
onion — I like the mild flavors, bright color, and crispy texture of red onions! I love red onions so I don’t mind adding up to half a red onion, but if you prefer to not have much of the peppery bite, use a quarter of a red onion.
romaine lettuce — I love using crisp romaine lettuce. You can also use butter lettuce as well. I don’t usually like to use iceberg lettuce as it’s not really that nutritious. You can also use spinach or kale!
carrots — while you can grate some carrots or thinly chop them, I cheat and buy them pre-cut from the store. I will put whatever I don’t finish from the bag into the freezer, so I always have thinly cut carrots on hand!
croutons — store-bought or homemade croutons are fine! Did you know you can also make croutons in the air fryer?
dressing — I use my homemade maple dijon dressing but added some garlic powder!
How to Make A Simple House Salad
- Prepare your vegetables! Slice the cucumbers and red onions, cut the tomatoes into wedges, and chop and wash the lettuce.
- Also, prepare the dressing by adding everything into a jar and shaking it to combine.
- In a large serving bowl, add the lettuce, cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, carrots, and croutons.
- Toss to combine.
- Drizzle the dressing on top of the salad and continue to toss to combine. You can do this in batches to ensure everything gets coated in the vinaigrette.
- Serve and enjoy!
Recipe Tips and Notes
- Add additional toppings! Shaved parmesan, sunflower or pumpkin seeds, almonds, crispy chickpeas, avocados, crumbled bacon, and more!
- If you want the crunch of onions but want the flavor to be milder, you can switch it for shallots or dice the red onions into smaller pieces.
- Change up the dressing! Try my Lemon Dijon Dressing, Orange Mustard Dressing, Hummus Salad Dressing, or Orange Citrus Dressing.
- When making the vinaigrette, you should use a good quality olive oil.
- Fresh herbs also make for a delicious addition to any salad!
- Add a grilled or air fryer chicken breast or salmon or any meat in general to turn this into a main meal!
- Check out my how to cut romaine lettuce if you need some tips!
Make Ahead Tips
- This house salad is best stored without the salad dressing. You can store the dressing in a mason jar in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Just shake it when you are ready to use it, as the oil can solidify in the fridge.
- You can slice the onions and cucumbers ahead of time and store them in an airtight container in the fridge. You can also chop and wash the romaine and store it in the fridge, too. Store for up to 2 to 3 days and assemble.
- I don’t recommend storing tomatoes in the fridge beforehand or cutting the tomatoes beforehand! It’s best to cut them right before serving for the best flavor.
- Leftovers can be stored in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Serving Suggestions
Here are some of my recipes that pair well with this homemade house salad recipe:
- Grilled Meat: serve alongside my Grilled Honey Sriracha Chicken Thighs, Dijon Mustard Grilled Pork Chops, Grilled Flank Steak, Grilled Sweet Chili Chicken Thighs, Grilled BBQ Chicken Thighs, Grilled Rosemary Pork Chops, or Grilled Lemon Pepper Chicken.
- Main Meals: serve before my Ground Chicken Parmesan, Healthy Shepherd’s Pie, Honey Dijon Mustard Chicken, Air Fryer Cornish Game Hens, Dry Brined Spatchcock Turkey, Baked Chicken Cutlets, and Oven Baked Bone In Pork Chops
- Pasta: pair with my Chicken Broccoli Orzo, Sausage and Broccoli Pasta, Creamy Tuna Pasta, Tuna Pesto Pasta, French Onion Pasta, or Taco Pasta.
- Soup: serve as a side salad with Honey Roasted Parsnip Soup, Roasted Garlic, Bacon, White Bean Soup, Creamy Roasted Garlic and Cauliflower Soup, Beef and Tomato Soup, Chicken and Cabbage Soup, Ravioli Soup, Carrot Pumpkin Soup, or Lasagna Soup.
- Burgers & Sandwiches: serve with my Turkey Melt, Aloha Burger, Grilled Buffalo Chicken Sandwich, Pesto Turkey Sandwich, or Frozen Burgers in an Air Fryer.
House Salad with Zesty Dijon Vinaigrette
Ingredients
For the Vinaigrette
- 2 tablespoons dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup, or honey
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- ½ teaspoon salt, or more
- ⅛ teaspoon pepper, or more
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- 6 tablespoons olive oil
For the Salad
- 1 head romaine lettuce, chopped
- 1 English cucumber
- 1 to 2 tomatoes, cut into wedges
- ¼ to ½ red onion, cut thinly
- 1 cup carrots, julienned
- 1 cup croutons, or more
Instructions
- Add the Dijon mustard, maple syrup, apple cider vinegar, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and oil to a bowl and whisk to combine. Alternatively, add the ingredients into a mason jar and shake to combine.
- In a large serving bowl, toss together the lettuce, cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, carrots, and croutons.
- Drizzle the dressing on top of the salad and continue to toss to combine. You can do this in batches to ensure everything gets coated in the vinaigrette.
Nutrition Per Serving
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