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!
My family calls this salad “Rich and Charlie’s….from an Italian place we frequented in St. Louis in the mid 70s. Delish
Looks delish..‼️Will make it soon.. tks for sharing it
This salad is fantastic! I added strips of grilled steak and made it a full meal. I will be printing a copy and adding it to my recipe box, just in case I lose the link!
What brand of roasted red peppers do you like to use? I don’t think I’ve bought any before.. where are these in the grocery store?
I’ve bought several brands, most recently Merzetta, all were good. They are somewhere in the vicinity of pasta and jarred pasta sauces.
Can this dressing be refrigerated for a while? I’d love to make this but I can’t eat that much salad and prefer to put dressing on instead of tossing it.
I took this salad to a Block Party last night and it was a big hit. I am not personally a big fan of artichoke heart or roasted red peppers, however, I loved this salad. It’s one of my favorites from now on!!
This salad is delicious.A meal in itself.I complimented it with small versions of spanakopita.Very refreshing and tasty.
It was so hot here in California this weekend that salads were the only thing we craved. I did salads with mandarin oranges and almonds, caesar salad, taco salad and chicken salad but ran out of ideas until…I found this treasure. Oh my goodness. We will be enjoying this very frequently as the Summer continues. The flavors in the dressing and all those wonderful artichokes. Makes my mouth water to think of it and we just finished eating it! Lovely with warm french bread and Irish butter! Thanks so much for sharing this wonderful recipe. It is being saved in my “Heirloom Recipe” folder for sure!
I made this tonight and it was wonderful!
I made this salad last night and it. Was. AMAZING. I’m super picky when it comes to salads, with tendencies toward the basic iceberg lettuce, carrots, and cucumber shtick, but decided to be adventurous and give this a try. It is so flavorful, light, and well balanced. This is definitely going to be my new go-to for salads.
This salad is amazing as a main dish with some grilled chicken breast or grilled salmon as well.