Italian Summer Salad Recipe / My Anosmic Kitchen (2024)

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Summer is a time for outside cooking or as little cooking as you can get by. That, and salads. Today is no different with this light and colorful summer salad. I like to call it my Italian Summer Salad because it's so 'alive' and in Italy I remember every day that I walked the piazza the energy was always alive. People dressed up simply to meet a friend, eat, chat nothing special but an occasion to celebrate simple things.

With that in mind I present to you my Italian Summer Salad.

Italian Summer Salad Recipe / My Anosmic Kitchen (1)

Salads are always only as good as their dressing, that might be just me but I need them to compliment each other. Regardless of whether you're using a simple olive oil and balsamic dressing or a more robust berry salad dressing.

Fresh summer fruit and vegetables are at the peak and what better way to feature them but to pull them altogether in one large bowl! Whenever I add lettuce to a salad, for the most part I'm constantly either chopping it or tearing it up but in this salad I decided to leave them whole. Firstly to create a nice 'bed' for the rest of the ingredients and also to see those fresh vibrant different green shades throughout the lettuce.

Italian Summer Salad Recipe / My Anosmic Kitchen (2)

Italian Summer Salad

Bringing the best of this seasonal Italian summer salad together is a variety of crunchy greens, avocado, pomegranate and toasted almonds. Let us also first establish that an Italian salad does not necessarily need red onion! You can let the red onion and bell peppers rest for this salad 🙂

What are we trying to accomplish here with this Italian Summer Salad?

  1. Using seasonal ingredients is first
  2. Sharing the recipe with you

That's it! Besides the obvious crunchy green leaves, juicy colorful cherry tomatoes, creamy avocado, toasted almond slivers for more crunch and that earthy roasted bite between the layers of fresh and juicy! You get the gist of this so let's move on...

Italian Summer Salad Recipe / My Anosmic Kitchen (3)

Lettuce - Get the crunch sorted. My suggestion would be to mix them up. Get the deep purple red leaves that you would find in an Italian salad, light green lettuce, and butter lettuce all together. You can also toss in some baby spinach leaves if you like and/or fresh mint leaves or flat Italian parsley.

Olives - I went with Kalamata table olives here because at the time I was leaning more toward an Italian salad.

Cherry tomatoes - because no good comes from a tomato-free Italian salad, definitely not in this case.

Bocconcini cheese balls - did I mention it was an Italian salad?

Pomegranate - Stunning bright red arils and the best health benefits.

Italian Summer Salad Recipe / My Anosmic Kitchen (4)

More Summer Recipes

  • Berries Prosciutto And Cheese Salad
  • Potato Salad
  • Charcuterie Fruit Platter
  • Tomato Cucumber Salad

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Recipe

Italian Summer Salad

Miranda | My Anosmic Kitchen

Bringing the best of this seasonal Italian summer salad together is a variety of crunchy greens, avocado, pomegranate and toasted almonds.

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 5 minutes mins

Total Time 20 minutes mins

Ingredients

  • 3 cups a variety of mixed lettuce leaves
  • 1 cucumber
  • cup cherry tomatoes
  • ½ Kalamata table olives
  • 1 avocado
  • 1 cup bocconcini cheese balls
  • ¼ cup almond slivers
  • ½ cup pomegranate arils

Pomegranate Dressing

Instructions

  • Mix the pomegranate ingredients into a jar, shake well and set aside.

  • Heat a pan for the almond slivers, once the pan is warm, drop the heat to low and toss in the almonds. Toast till a light golden brown, watch them so they don't burn!Place them onto a clean kitchen counter or tray as long as the surface is cold so that they can stop toasting. Leaving them in the pan will over toast them.

  • Add all the ingredients into a large enough bowl or platter starting with the lettuce leaves to create a base for the salad.

  • Follow with the rest of the ingredients, and serve with the pomegranate dressing and seasoning.

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  • Herb-Infused Chicken Pasta
  • Pesto Pasta and Chicken Cold Salad
  • Red Cabbage Salad
  • Tomato Cumber Salad

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Italian Summer Salad Recipe / My Anosmic Kitchen (2024)

FAQs

What is pasta salad sauce made of? ›

Pasta Salad Dressing

It's a zesty mix of olive oil, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, garlic, red pepper flakes, and salt. I finish it with a pinch of herbes de Provence. Italian seasoning works nicely too!

How to make salad taste good? ›

Do This to Make Restaurant-Quality Salads at Home
  1. Use the freshest ingredients. Pre-bagged salads may make life easier, but they taste kind of blah. ...
  2. Choose the right lettuce. ...
  3. Add some crunch. ...
  4. Add color. ...
  5. Include protein. ...
  6. Give it some bulk. ...
  7. Mix sweet with savory. ...
  8. Add herbs.
Jun 27, 2023

What makes the salad more attractive? ›

Colorful salad portions with high color contrasts are considered attractive. Color combinations with the complementary colors red and green are preferred.

What is the best way to prepare salad? ›

Instructions
  1. The greens should be completely dry. ...
  2. The greens should be bite-sized. ...
  3. Put the greens in a really big bowl. ...
  4. Add any other vegetables you like (make sure they are dry too). ...
  5. Always dress your salad. ...
  6. Most dressings need a touch of sweetness. ...
  7. Taste the dressing first.

What are the five mistakes to avoid pasta salad? ›

5 Mistakes to Avoid When Making Pasta Salad
  • Using the wrong pasta. The wrong pasta type or size can make pasta salad soggy, slimy, or just plain hard to eat. ...
  • Salting only once, at the end. ...
  • Too many raw ingredients! ...
  • Overdressing or underdressing the salad. ...
  • Not seasoning again just before serving.

How do restaurants make salads so good? ›

Why Do Salads Taste So Much Better at Restaurants?
  • Restaurants use really good ingredients. ...
  • Restaurants toss salads in their biggest bowls. ...
  • Restaurants salt their salads. ...
  • Restaurants make salad dressing from scratch. ...
  • Restaurants understand balance.
Apr 1, 2022

What seasoning to add to salad? ›

5 Unique Spices to Add to Your Salad
  1. Curry Powder. One interesting spice you can add to your salad to make it more flavorful is curry powder. ...
  2. Garlic. ...
  3. Ginger. ...
  4. Mint. ...
  5. Cumin.
Apr 15, 2023

How do restaurants make salads so crisp? ›

The Keys to Crisp Lettuce

Lettuce actually needs a good amount of airflow, in addition to a bit of moisture (but not too much!), in order to stay crisp. That's why restaurants store their lettuce in special perforated bins that allow for air circulation while it's held in the fridge.

What is the key to a good salad? ›

The secret to a good salad
  • Be gentle with lettuce. Balsamic dressing. ...
  • Serve up perfect avocado. Forget lemon juice or cold water – the only way to stop an avocado going brown in a salad is to peel and chop them right before serving. ...
  • Say goodbye to onion tears. ...
  • Adore your dressing. ...
  • Sprinkle in some protein.

What to add to salad to make it better? ›

Add one or more of these protein-rich foods to your salad:
  1. lean meat: chicken or turkey breast, lean steak.
  2. lower-fat cheese: light cheddar, Swiss, mozzarella, feta, goat cheese.
  3. legumes: kidney beans, lentils, chickpeas, white or black beans.
  4. eggs: hard boiled.
  5. soy products: cubed tofu, edamame.

What are the seven things that you should not do when preparing the salad? ›

Common Salad Mistakes
  1. Here are seven things you should NOT do when making salads: Too much dressing. ...
  2. Pouring on the dressing. ...
  3. Wet salad leaves. ...
  4. Not seasoning it. ...
  5. Subpar salad dressings. ...
  6. Uncreative toppings. ...
  7. Served in a bowl.
May 13, 2013

What are 5 components of a satisfying salad? ›

The 5 Components of a Perfect Salad
  • Fresh Greens. This is a no-brainer! ...
  • Tangy Dressing. Wow, I just got really amped up about vitamins and reactions. ...
  • Lean Protein. ...
  • Sweet Stuff. ...
  • Crunchy Nuggets.
Mar 23, 2018

Does pasta salad contain mayo? ›

Creamy dressing: My favorite creamy pasta salad dressing combines sour cream, mayonnaise, mustard, apple cider vinegar, salt, pepper, and a touch of honey or maple syrup. It's easy to make and tastes incredible.

What is the difference between tomato sauce and pasta sauce? ›

When you think of “spaghetti sauce”, you're likely thinking of marinara. While the two sauces share many ingredients, the main difference is in the consistency and depth of flavor. Marinara is brighter, thinner, and more tomato forward than tomato sauce.

Is pasta sauce just tomato sauce? ›

Technically, pasta sauce is any sauce typically paired with pasta — like pesto, bolognese, Alfredo, and marinara as well. But people usually think of a more robust and flavorful tomato sauce as classic "pasta sauce." There are really no hard-and-fast rules on what can simply be called pasta sauce.

Why is it important to put sauce in pasta and salad? ›

It's quite simple really, sauce adds flavour, adds moisture, and improves texture to your food.

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