This fresh chopped salad is the perfect side dish to any dinner. This recipe starts with a salad base of greens, tomatoes, cucumbers, sunflower seeds and feta but you customize it with what you have on hand or what’s in season! I love that the lettuce is chopped up smaller and much easier to eat. There’s just something about this salad that’s so much better than a regular salad!
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Chopped Salad
Ingredients
- 8 cups mixed greens , chopped fine
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes , sliced in half
- 1 cup chopped cucumbers
- ¼ cup sunflower seeds , or sliced nuts
- ¼ cup feta cheese
Optional mix-ins: chicken, olives, garbanzo beans, bell peppers, extra veggies
For serving: Vinaigrette, ranch or balsamic
Instructions
- Chop the greens extra fine and place in a large bowl. Next add the sliced tomatoes, chopped cucumbers, sunflower seeds and cheese. Add additional mix-ins if desired.
- Drizzle the dressing over top and then toss with salad tongs. Serve immediately.
Notes
- Greens: mixed salad greens, romaine, iceberg lettuce, spinach, bibb lettuce, kale
- Veggies: tomatoes, bell peppers, cucumbers, carrots, broccoli, corn, radishes, radicchio
- Beans: kidney beans, garbanzo beans
- Cheese: feta or bleu cheese, mozarella cheese, cubed provolone or cheddar cheese
- Nuts and seeds: sunflower seeds, sliced almonds, cashews, walnuts or pecans
- Protein: grilled chicken or steak, crumbled bacon, hard boiled egg
- Dressing: Vinaigrette, balsamic, ranch
- Extras: mushrooms, olives, croutons
Nutrition
Nutrition provided is an estimate. It will vary based on specific ingredients used.
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Ingredients
There are so many things you can mix into your chopped salad depending on what you have on hand and what you’re in the mood for. I typically like to pick 1-2 from each category below:
- Greens: mixed salad greens, romaine, iceberg lettuce, spinach, bibb lettuce, kale
- Veggies: tomatoes, bell peppers, cucumbers, carrots, broccoli, corn, radishes, radicchio
- Beans: kidney beans or garbanzo beans (chickpeas) like in my favorite Jennifer Aniston salad.
- Cheese: feta or bleu cheese, mozzarella cheese, cubed provolone or cheddar cheese
- Nuts and seeds: sunflower seeds, sliced almonds, cashews, walnuts or pecans
- Protein: grilled chicken, shredded chicken or steak in the oven, crumbled bacon, hard boiled egg
- Dressing: Vinaigrette, balsamic, ranch, poppy seed dressing or cilantro lime dressing
- Extras: avocado, mushrooms, pickled onions, olives, croutons, tortilla strips, wonton strips
Tips for the Best Chopped Salad
- Use a large bowl. You need a bowl that’s big enough so that when you toss the salad, it doesn’t overflow out of the bowl. It’s a small detail, but makes a big difference.
- Dry veggies. Make sure to dry your veggies completely after washing them. Excess water can make your salad a bit soggy.
- Finely dice. This is what’s so magical about a chopped salad. Everything is diced into super small pieces, leaving you with the perfect bite every time. It takes a little bit of extra work, but trust me, it’s worth it.
- Produce. Use vegetables that are in season! Fresh tomatoes and cucumbers taste great in the summer and use root vegetables like carrots or radishes in the fall.
- Homemade dressing. Making the dressing from scratch is an easy way to elevate your salad. The flavor and consistency always outshines store-bought dressing in my opinion. A few of my favorites to make are ranch or an easy vinaigrette.
- Side or main. The beauty of this recipe is that you can make it as simple or complex as you’d like. If serving as a side dish, I usually stick with the base ingredients. It can also be served as a main meal by adding a protein source and a few more toppings.
- Toss well. After drizzling on the dressing, use tongs to toss the salad until all areas are coated. It may take a few tosses before everything is properly mixed together.
Other fresh salads we love include easy creamy cucumber salad, broccoli bacon salad, pasta salad with Italian dressing and mandarin orange salad!
Other Fresh Salad Recipes
Categorized as: American, Salads, Side Dishes, Vegetables, Vegetarian, Vegetarian
Jamielyn Nye is the founder and recipe creator at I Heart Naptime. She is the author of the I Heart Naptime Cookbook and shares easy family-friendly recipes and desserts for every occasion.
Exactly what I was looking for. Delicious!
Fresh salads with feta cheese are always my favorite lunch item! I always walk away feeling happy and healthy!! Delish!
So simple and so delicious! Great side dish for all our summer BBQ’s!
What a gorgeous salad! Those cukes and tomatoes are what draw me in, but so many other goodies, too!
I love salads. I love trying new recipes! This one is on my list!
I almost always add parmesan cheese to my salads, but I always forget about feta! That would make an excellent topping to try!
This looks so yummy, I love it. Super easy to do for sure.
Looks delicious! I love a good salad for dinner as does my family.
Love a good chopped salad. Always a nice go to lunch for me!
Now, this is my kinda Salad, cannot wait to sit in the garden in the sunshine and treating myself to this!