Best Tossed Salad Recipe

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Our best tossed salad recipe – perfect for a crowd and our favorite dish to make for summer parties, potlucks, and backyard BBQs. It also makes a great side dish for a weeknight dinner! Crisp lettuce, sliced salami, and crumbled blue cheese tossed in a homemade red wine vinegar dressing. This mixed salad is so fresh, crunchy, creamy and delicious!

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If there is one person in my extended family who had a big impact on my passion for cooking, that is my Aunt Lydia, or Aunt Lyd as we all called her.

Most of our family holiday dinners were at her house, and there were many dishes that she was famous for in our family. There is one that we always demanded she make, and that was her tossed salad.

We all refer to it as Aunt Lyd Salad! Simple ingredients and a very basic dressing, but when it comes together it is delicious! My sister, Jamie, makes the best version of this salad now that my aunt is gone, so maybe now it should be re-named Jamie Salad!

best tossed salad topped with sliced salami and crumbled blue cheese in a wooden salad bowl.

Most of what you need for this salad will be in your pantry already. The first thing my aunt would do was take a peeled clove of garlic and rub it around the inside of her salad bowl before adding the salad ingredients.

Put all the salad ingredients into the bowl and sprinkle with a little garlic salt. Add the dressing, toss well, and serve! You’ll have plenty of dressing left for another salad.

tossed salad with iceberg, crumbled blue cheese and sliced salami in a wooden salad bowl.

Recipe Ingredients

Olive Oil and Vegetable Oil. We like this blend as it’s not overpowering in taste and lets the flavors of the salad ingredients shine. Keep in mind that part of the fun of making your own dressing is making it just the way you like it.

Red Wine Vinegar. We use this vinegar to add tang and flavor to this salad dressing.

Fresh Garlic & Garlic Powder. The combination of fresh and powdered garlic make this dressing special.

Ground Black Pepper. A pinch of freshly ground pepper adds some heat and aids digestion.

Iceberg lettuce. A refreshing addition to any kind of salad.

Store-bought salad greens. Mixed spring greens, baby spinach, arugula, or whatever else strikes your fancy.

Tomato. Juicy ripe tomatoes add color and some sweetness.

Blue cheese crumbles. You need a cheese that is firm enough to crumble. Roquefort is our favorite to use for salads.

Salami. This addition makes this salad so hearty. Cut it into slices.

How to make the Best Tossed Salad

In a salad dressing cruet, add all dressing ingredients and shake well to combine.
Add all salad ingredients to a large bowl and toss to combine.
Add desired amount of dressing to salad and toss just before serving

Frequently Asked Questions:

Can I make the dressing in advance?

You can make the dressing ahead of time and store it in the fridge in a container with a lid with as much air removed as possible. It keeps for a week. Don’t store it in the door but on a shelf, where the temperature is colder.

What can I use instead of red wine vinegar?

Balsamic vinegar, white vinegar mixed with red wine, sherry vinegar, apple cider vinegar or rice vinegar.

What else could I use for this Tossed Salad?

Sliced veggies such as cucumber, bell pepper, or grated carrots. To take this salad in a Mediterranean direction, add some olives, or roasted red bell peppers. And why not add some fruit? Sliced pears or apples would be delicious. Chopped nuts like almonds or walnuts are also always a wonderful addition.

More Recipes to Try:

Slobby Joes for a Crowd

Squash Casserole

Chicken Spaghetti