Ultimate Summer Salad Recipe

Last Updated on March 19, 2022 by Ellen Christian

Check out the ultimate summer salad recipe with fresh ingredients from our garden! Try this summer salad for a refreshing light lunch.

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Summer is here and along with it the high temperatures make me not want to heat the oven up to make dinner.   When you combine the heat with the availability of fresh produce from the garden and the farmer’s market, a summer salad recipe is the best of both worlds.

Ultimate Summer Salad Recipe With Fresh Ingredients

Ultimate Summer Salad Recipe

I don’t need to heat up the oven. A salad is nutritious and cost-effective and can be made in so many different ways that I am not going to get tired of having one several times a week.

While my salads always have vegetables in them, I like to add other things as well to make them a little bit different.  A plate full of nothing but vegetables can get a bit boring sometimes.

There are so many different things to add to your salads that you don’t need to feel at all limited.  Just a few of my favorites are chopped hard-boiled egg, nuts, dried raisins or cranberries, chopped apple, shredded or crumbled cheese, croutons, bits of meat, olives, etc.

The possibilities are endless. This Salad Topper is one of my absolute favorites.

Ultimate Summer Salad Recipe With Fresh Ingredients

What can I add to my salad?

Most summer green salad recipes start the same way, you add lettuce, spinach, arugula, tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots, etc., and toss them in a large salad bowl. To make this salad unique, try adding a few non-traditional vegetables to your salad. 

Consider adding mushrooms, broccoli, shredded cabbage, jicama, and kale. Or, try adding a few edible flowers to make it fun.

If you’re trying to keep this Paleo or gluten-free, you’ll want to skip the cheese and croutons. Instead, you can add sunflower or pumpkin seeds for crunch. 

You may want to try my homemade salad dressing. It’s gluten-free and, if you use stevia instead of brown sugar, it would be Paleo as well.

If you plan on taking this salad to work with you, I have a few tips on how to pack a lunch salad so it travels well. Here are a few more easy summer salad recipes to try.

How to create the ultimate summer salad recipe

If you’re planning on serving salads for lunch, why not serve it buffet style and allow everyone to add what they want to their salad?

That way people can create a salad they’ll truly enjoy and leave out things they don’t like.

Check out the healthy meal options that Splendid Spoon offers for another way to make summer eating a bit simpler.

Yield: 4

Ultimate Summer Salad Recipe

Ultimate Summer Salad Recipe

Check out the ultimate summer salad recipe with fresh ingredients from our garden! Try this summer salad for a refreshing light lunch.

Prep Time 15 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes

Ingredients

  • Leaf lettuce, torn
  • Tomato, chopped
  • Cucumber, sliced
  • Egg, hard boiled & crumbled
  • Extra sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
  • Fisher Chef's Walnut pieces
  • Fisher Dried Cranberries
  • Croutons (optional, leave out for gluten free)

Instructions

  1. Combine all ingredients except the croutons.
  2. Toss croutons on top of the complete salad and enjoy.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

4

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 305Total Fat: 24gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 19gCholesterol: 54mgSodium: 104mgCarbohydrates: 18gFiber: 3gSugar: 10gProtein: 9g

Did you make this recipe?

If you make this, tag me on Instagram so I can see @ellenblogs

106 thoughts on “Ultimate Summer Salad Recipe”

  1. I learned Nuts contain higher amounts of mono- and poly-unsaturated (good) fats and lower amounts of saturated (bad) fats. Nuts can also be excellent sources of important vitamins and minerals, such as the antioxidant vitamin E.

    Reply
  2. I learned that nuts can be an excellent source of the antioxidant vitamin E. They also have recipes listed on their site : )

    Reply
  3. “Nuts can also be excellent sources of important vitamins and minerals, such as the antioxidant vitamin E.” 🙂 *Thanks* for the giveaway!

    Reply
  4. I learned that “Nuts contain higher amounts of mono- and poly-unsaturated (good) fats and lower amounts of saturated (bad) fats”.

    Reply
  5. I learned that nuts contain higher amounts of mono- and poly-unsaturated (good) fats and lower amounts of saturated (bad) fats. Nuts can also be excellent sources of important vitamins and minerals, such as the antioxidant vitamin E. I also learned I can have a different dessert every night of the week using their recipes. 🙂
    Carol L.
    Lucky4750 (at) aol (dot) com

    Reply
  6. Sam Fisher started making fisher nuts in 1920, sold his company to a relative in 1962 and was then sold to Procter and Gamble in 1989.

    Reply
  7. I learned this site is FILLED with recipes. I will definitely be bookmarking Fisher’s site to go back and go through their recipes. They look delicious.

    Reply
  8. I learned that nuts contain higher amounts of mono- and poly-unsaturated (good) fats and lower amounts of saturated (bad) fats.

    Reply
  9. Visited and learned Founded by Sam Fisher in St. Paul, MN.
    Their first product was Salted In-Shell Peanuts, followed by Salted In-Shell Sunflower Seeds.

    Reply
  10. Scientific evidence suggests but does not prove that eating 1.5 ounces per day of most nuts (such as almonds, hazelnuts, pecans, pistachio nuts and walnuts) as part of a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol may reduce the risk of heart disease.

    Reply
  11. I learned that in 1920, Fisher Nuts was founded in St. Paul, MN, and that the first product sold was Salted In-Shel Peanuts.

    Reply
  12. I learned Almonds, a cholesterol-free food, contain 14 grams of fat per one ounce serving and are a good source of dietary fiber.

    Reply
  13. Nuts contain higher amounts of mono- and poly-unsaturated (good) fats and lower amounts of saturated (bad) fats. Nuts can also be excellent sources of important vitamins and minerals, such as the antioxidant vitamin E.

    Reply
  14. I learned that nuts have a significantly lower amount of the bad fats as opposed to the good types. I also saw a great Cheese/Pecan recipe that will be great for the Holidays!!! 🙂

    Reply
  15. I learned that Nuts can be an excellent source of important vitamins and minerals, such as the antioxidant vitamin E.

    Reply
  16. I learned that cashews are also a good source of vitamin K, magnesium, manganese, molybdenum, phosphorus and zinc per one ounce serving.

    Reply
  17. I learned that nuts can also be excellent sources of important vitamins and minerals, such as the antioxidant vitamin E.

    Reply
  18. I learned my favorite nut, cashews,  are also a good source of vitamin K, magnesium, manganese, molybdenum, phosphorus and zinc per one ounce serving.

    Reply
  19. I learned that a one ounce serving of sunflower kernels (approximately two ounces of sunflower seeds) are rich in thiamin (vitamin B1), copper, magnesium, manganese, and selenium.

    Reply
  20. Nuts can also be excellent sources of important vitamins and minerals, such as the antioxidant vitamin E.

    lkish77123 at gmail dot com

    Reply
  21. I learned Brazil nut trees grow in the western Amazon’s rain forests, with a range covering Brazil, Peru and Bolivia. They are among the tallest trees in the jungle, reaching heights of 170 feet and living for more than 800 years.

    Reply

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