Our Best House Salad

Just say no to boring, bland salads! This is the BEST House Salad recipe, with a blend of crisp romaine and spinach, fresh veggies, manchego cheese, dates, and candied walnuts tossed in a zippy champagne-orange vinaigrette. 

A lot of restaurant house salads are ho-hum. Limp lettuce, a few tomatoes and cucumbers, maybe some croutons if you’re lucky—but never as many croutons as you’d like. Womp womp.

But I think house salads aren’t just for restaurants. EVERYONE should have their own house salad that’s their specialty for entertaining or even just casual weeknight dinners. Consider it your go-to, back pocket salad recipe. And when you make it yourself, you don’t have to settle for iceberg and mealy tomatoes!

What Is a House Salad?

A house salad is basically a signature salad offered by restaurants, often featuring ingredients that set it apart from other salads on the menu like Caesar salad and Cobb salad. Usually a house salad includes fresh greens as the base, vegetables and maybe some fruit, and garnishes like cheese, nuts, and croutons, along with a dressing (often a vinaigrette). 

Each element in a house salad should be chosen to create a balance of flavors and textures—crisp, juicy, and creamy; sweet, savory, and herbaceous. These salads are usually an accompaniment to a meal or starter, rather than being a main dish salad, and they rarely include a protein.

Ingredients for Kellie’s House Salad

The beauty of a house salad is that you can make it your own. I’ll share some ideas for that below, but if you want to make it MY way, here’s what you’ll need.

• Romaine and Spinach – I love the crisp texture of romaine combined with more tender spinach.
• Mini Cucumbers – AKA Persian cucumbers. English cucumber is a good substitute.
• Grape Tomatoes – I prefer grape tomatoes to diced or sliced full-size tomatoes because they’re less likely to make the salad soggy.
• Peas – These add a pop of sweetness.
• Red Onion – Slice this very, very thinly. Thin slices have less bite than thick slices; the dressing will help soften and mellow the onion, too.
• Manchego Cheese – This adds some richness and saltiness to the house salad.
• Dates – I love adding sweet elements to a salad, and dates also add a chewy textural contrast to all the crisp ingredients.
• Candied Walnuts – If you don’t have time to make candied walnuts (and don’t want to buy them), you can swap in toasted walnuts. Candied pecans would also work.

For the Dressing

• Champagne Vinegar – You can swap in white wine vinegar if you don’t have champagne vinegar on hand.
• Fresh Orange Juice – Store-bought orange juice has a flat, lackluster flavor compared to freshly squeezed.
• Honey – This tames some of the tanginess in the dressing, bringing it into perfect balance.
• Italian Seasoning – For some herbal flavor.
• Olive Oil – Salad dressings are a great way to use extra-virgin olive oil since they’re not heated and you don’t have to worry about exceeding their smoke point. But really, any olive oil you have on hand will work.
• Kosher Salt and Pepper – Always essential!

How to Make a House Salad

It doesn’t get much easier than this!

1. Combine. Toss all of the salad ingredients in a large bowl.
2. Make the Dressing. Whisk together the ingredients until emulsified.
3. Finish. Toss the salad with the dressing before serving.

Tips for This House Salad Recipe

Follow these simple tips to make sure your salad turns out perfect.

• Dry the salad greens well. Use a salad spinner if you have one, or if not, place the greens on a clean kitchen towel and pat them dry. Any water clinging to the leaves will make your salad soggy.
• Prep ahead. You can assemble the salad and whisk the dressing, then store them in the refrigerator in separate containers. The salad will last up to a day, while the dressing will last a week in the fridge.
• Balance the dressing. Taste the dressing before adding it to the salad and adjust as needed. A little more honey can add sweetness, while an extra splash of champagne vinegar will make it tangier.
• Use a jar. A nice way to get the dressing to emulsify is to put the ingredients in a jar with a lid and shake them vigorously. I find that the dressing stays emulsified longer when I do this vs. whisking.

How to Customize Your Own House Salad

The world is your oyster when you’re creating a salad. Here are some ideas for putting together your own custom house salad.

• Greens. Don’t limit yourself to just romaine and spinach. Mix in some arugula, kale, or butter lettuce. A spring mix is good too.
• Protein. Make your house salad a meal-worthy salad by adding baked chicken breast.
• Fruit. Fresh or dried fruits add a sweet contrast to the savory elements. Try adding sliced strawberries, apples, peaches, or dried cranberries.
• Nuts (or no nuts). Any nuts will work in this salad, or if you have an allergy, try sunflower seeds or pepitas.
• Vegetables. Sliced carrots and radishes are also common additions to house salad recipes.
• Croutons. Homemade croutons are my absolute favorite!
• Dressings. Try poppy seed dressing, Catalina dressing, Italian dressing, or Greek salad dressing. For a more traditional choice, go with a vinaigrette like this balsamic vinaigrette, lemon vinaigrette, or apple cider vinaigrette.

What to Serve With House Salad

House salads are incredibly versatile and pair well with so many main dishes! Here are some ideas:

• Grilled Lemon Chicken
• Cast Iron Skillet Steak
• Tomato Florentine Soup
• The Best Grilled Cheese Sandwich
• Juicy Lucy Burger
• Grilled Pork Tenderloin

More Easy Salad Recipes

• Buffalo Chicken Salad
• Mediterranean Orzo Salad
• Avocado Corn Salad
• Spring Mix Salad
• Big Mac Salad
• Jennifer Aniston Salad

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