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!
Just made this last night! I thought the dressing was perfect. I added chick peas and some sliced green olives. Also, we had some rotisserie chicken left over from a previous dinner that some of my family members added to their salads. Super filling and delicious. Can’t wait to make again – soon!! Thank you.
Thanks for sharing, Jani — we’re so glad you and your family enjoyed it!
I made this tonight and it was FABULOUS!!!!! I am sure it will become a new family favorite, especially the dressing as I can imagine so many variations. Thank you for sharing.
Thanks for sharing, Jodi, we’re so happy you and your family enjoyed it! :)
I made your salad and the first bowl was average. Shredded parmesan and Italian vinaigrette do little to wake up a salad. It was clear it needed some help… so I added 3 tbls of minced garlic, and used a tzatziki cucumber dressing. The second bowl was very good… as Emeril likes to say, “BAM!” Next time I would use crumbled feta cheese instead of parmesan to make this a signature salad.
We appreciate your feedback, Ron, and we’re glad you were able to adapt this to your liking!
Just made this for my husband and myself. It’s very good! I love the dressing! And the roasted peppers are a delicious addition! We also added some pepperoni and salami to make it a lunch.
Thanks, Emily, we’re so glad you enjoyed it, and we love that you added pepperoni and salami to this — yummy! :)
Have you ever tried putting avocado on this? I want to bring this to a dinner party so just curious :)
We think that would be delicious! We wouldn’t add it to the salad until right before you want to serve it though (otherwise the avocado will oxidize). We everyone enjoys it! :)
The dressing was horrible and made the exact way you said to do it.
We’re sorry you didn’t care for it.
Hi Hayley! I can’t wait to make this salad. It has everything I love in it. I do have a question, though: do you use marinated artichoke hearts, or the type that are just packed in water? Thanks!
Hi Tess! Thanks for your comment, but this is actually Ali’s blog and recipe (I just help out with comments and such). :) We have used both, but the marinated ones are the tastiest, for sure! :)
Made this last night with company over. It was a big hit. Everyone loved it. My husband got into the leftover at bedtime and finished it off.
I used toasted almonds instead of pine nuts but that was the only difference. Will definitely make again.
We’re so glad it was a hit, Robyn — thanks for sharing with us! :)
I am not a salad fan. But I saw this and wanted something healthy and light for dinner. This was amazing! I added in some black olives, but forgot the roasted red peppers. I can’t wait to make it again with them. This is definitely going to be added into the regular dinner rotation!
We’re so glad to hear you enjoyed this Jennifer — thanks for giving it a try! :)
I absolutely love how colorful this salad is!! So lovely ;)
Thank you! We hope you get a chance to try it — it tastes lovely too! :)