Summer Chopped Salad. Red roasted peppers, Kalamata olives, carrots, cucumbers, and garbanzo bean chopped with butter bibb lettuce and mixed with Italian dressing.
My family eats a lot of salad. Pretty much every dinner starts out with a salad. Sometimes dinner is just the salad. Personally, I really enjoy the freshness and crunch of a nice salad.
The spring and fall time in our house is when we eat the most salad. This is because I grow a vegetable garden that is loaded with several types of lettuce in the spring, summer, and fall. In the summer it is a bit challenging to grow lettuce because of the intensity or the sun and heat. However, with a little shade and plenty of water I can grow lettuce into July. Then, I usually reseed lettuce in late July or early August so that I have plenty of lettuce in late summer and throughout the fall.
I grow several varieties of iceberg, bibb, and romaine. All of which I grow for leaf lettuce. I plant the seeds close together and pick the individual leaves anytime I want a salad. I never usually let the lettuce get to full size. I am too impatient for that!
In this summer chopped salad recipe I am using a bibb lettuce from my garden that have red and green throughout the leaves.
NOTE
Before beginning the recipe remember to read the “Invent Your Recipe” section below for additional suggestions, recipe combinations, or ingredient alternatives.
How to Make Summer Chopped Salad
Preparing the Salad:
- In a large bowl combine all the ingredients and mix well.
How to Serve Summer Chopped Salad
- Serve this summer chopped salad with as a side with a main entree. Alternativley, add your favorite protein, such as grilled chicken, sirloin steak, or sauteed shrimp to make this salad the meal.
More Side Dish Recipes To Try
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The Recipe
Summer Chopped Salad
Ingredients
- 1 head lettuce chopped
- 2 oz. roasted red peppers sliced
- 2 oz. Kalamata olives pitted and sliced
- 2 oz. garbanzo beans
- 2 small carrots diced
- 1 small cucumber diced
- 2 tbsp. favorite dressing
- 2 tbsp. feta cheese optional
Instructions
Preparing the Salad:
- In a large bowl combine all the ingredients and mix well.
To Serve:
- Serve with crusty Italian bread.
Invent Your Recipe
Nutrition
Invent Your Recipe:
In this summer chopped salad dish I am using Mediterranean inspired ingredients. When I think of summer time, I think of Mediterranean these ingredients. For this recipe I am choosing a butter bibb lettuce that has red and green throughout the leaves. This is a favorite lettuce of mine; however, romaine and iceberg lettuce will work as well. If you have the time, I recommend getting the bibb lettuce.
For the dressing I am using a store-bought Italian dressing. However, feel free to use whichever dressing you like, or whichever dressing you have on hand. I usually add fetta cheese to this summer chopped salad recipe, although for the picture, I did not have feta cheese in the salad. I do recommend using the feta cheese though.
I am choosing to make this salad a chopped salad. I like the way all the ingredients are the same size. It makes for a nice eating experience.
