Last week, I feel like Barclay and I took a very important step forward together in our relationship.
I introduced him to my family…
…’s favorite salad. ;)
Knowing his obsession already with big green salads (the guy amazingly chooses them more often than I do) and artichokes (hands-down one of his all-time favorite foods), I figured this one wouldn’t be a stretch. But still. This salad is a verrrrry important part of our family, showing up at nearly every extended family gathering, always being made in a huge batch so that everyone can return for seconds, and near and dear to every single family member’s heart. So I needed to know they would get along great.
Sure enough, it was a salad match made in heaven. ♥
Of course, I knew it would be. ;)
Everyone loves this salad.
I think that my aunt is actually the one who came up with it years and years ago, and our entire family instantly fell in love with it. Either she or my mom would make it — and still make it to this day — for every just about every single holiday and occasion that the extended family gathers together. And anyone else who happens to be around almost always falls in love with it as well. I remember when my old band was on road trips together back in college, our bass player would request that we swing through Wichita at mealtime just so that he could have mom make this salad for us.
Again, everyone loves this salad.
And really, why wouldn’t they? The ingredients are pretty much a guaranteed slam-dunk. (And they’re also naturally gluten-free too!)
The classic family version calls for one head of red-leaf lettuce and one head of Romaine (or a few Romaine hearts)…
…artichoke hearts (one can, or two if you really want more), chopped roasted red peppers (or my mom used to use pimientos), toasted pine nuts (such a treat!), sliced red onions…
…and this heavenly Parmesan red wine vinaigrette.
Mom and Aunt Donna used to make this with that classic “Zesty Italian Dressing Mix” from Good Seasons, which we all used to love. But over the years, I’ve nixed the processed seasoning packet in favor of the copycat recipe I’ve included below, which includes 100% pronounceable ingredients and lots of fresh Parmesan. Mmmm.
Toss it all together…
…and give it a good mix…
…and within minutes, this big bowl of happiness will be yours to share.
So from my family to yours, enjoy. ♥
Our Family's Favorite Salad
Ingredients
Salad Ingredients:
- 1 head red-leaf lettuce, chopped into bite-sized pieces
- 1 head Romaine lettuce, chopped into bite-sized pieces
- half of a small red onion, peeled and thinly-sliced
- 2 (14 ounce) jars quartered artichoke hearts, drained and roughly chopped
- 1 (12 ounce) jar roasted red peppers, drained and diced
- 1/2 cup toasted pine nuts
- 1 batch zesty red wine vinaigrette
- optional garnish: extra freshly-grated Parmesan cheese
Zesty Red Wine Vinaigrette Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup red-wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning, store-bought or homemade
- 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly-cracked black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
Instructions
To Make The Salad:
- Add all ingredients together in a large bowl, and toss until evenly combined. Serve immediately, garnished with extra Parmesan cheese if desired.
To Make The Vinaigrette:
- Whisk all ingredients together until combined. (Or add them together in a mason jar, and shake until combined.) Use immediately.
Did you make this?Let me know how it turned out in the comments below!
delicious salad for the husband and I. seriously simple but so yummy! paired well with our pasta dish! definitely will be a go to when we have guest over! thank you
When ever we have company over, this is the salad I make. The roasted red peppers and artichoke hearts are ingredients people don’t expect. Everyone’s face lights up with satisfaction when eating this salad.
It’s our favorite as well.
My daughter makes this all of the time. I love it and have decided to make it for my ladies night out party.
I am making this today for a birthday party. I made the dressing, but are the amounts correct? I feel like it was so thick, no pourable like in your picture. I added more vinegar and oil to try and offset the parmesan, b/c it just all soaked up. Anybody else have this trouble? Regardless, I can’t wait to try the salad!! Love all your recipes, thanks for all you do!
Needed to use up the peppers I’d roasted and found this recipe. I also added feta crumbles. Absolutely delicious salad.
Would it work to make a day ahead and just keep the dressing and the salad separate till before serving?
This recipe was absolutely amazing. Made it last night for my son and daughter in law and she said “don’t forget about this recipe, it was amazing”. I just made it again tonight for my husband and I. We ate the same amount we made for the four of us. Exceptional! The flavors combined so very well.
This salad is completely irresistible! Since discovering this recipe I have made it weekly and devour it all by myself usually within a day. The proportions and flavor combination is perfect.
I made this salad yesterday for dinner, it is by far the best salad that I have eaten ! I can’t wait to make it again tonight !! Thank you for the recipe it is delicious! I plan on serving this for Father’s Day will lots of grilled meats!! Thank you , judy Royal
I made this last weekend for guests and they loved it. I will definitely make it again!
I honestly have not made any other salad since I found this. I have done slight variations such as using kale and/or spring mixed greens, topping with blue cheese crumbles and dried cranberries. The dressing NEVER changes. Thank you so much for sharing.