Favorite Chopped Salad (The Perfect Side Dish!) – A Couple Cooks

There are not many foods that come in different varieties like salad. It has hundreds of types, all of which are loved and highly accepted because of their lightness and the high nutritional value they offer. It is also one of the most leisurely meals to prepare. So, you can’t go wrong with going for a salad. 

Many people choose salad as their favorite meal, and it’s not hard to see why. Salad recipes are the best at showcasing in-season produce such as vegetables and fruits, which are already so good without you having to do too much to make a meal out of them. The variety of salad recipes means that salad lovers can get recipes that fit into every season, whether it’s the warm sunny days of the summer or the cold nights of the winter season. Either way, it still makes a beautiful and delicious meal.

The large variety of salad recipes means that it’s impossible to talk about them all in this article. The good thing is that they are divided into three major groups. In this article, we’ll discuss the three main groups of salad and some types of recipes under each group. 

  1. Tossed Salad 

Tossed salad is the most common category of salad. When most people talk about salad, they likely have tossed salad at the back of their minds. This type of salad is made by tossing the salad ingredients and dressings haphazardly until they’re evenly mixed. Some types of tossed salad recipes are:

  • Leafy green salad

The term ‘green salad’ is generally used to describe tossed salads that are made using greens, like spinach, arugula, and iceberg lettuce. Many essential salad recipes are prepared by mixing greens, and you can get these ingredients at a grocery store. Some of the things that you’ll find in a bag of mixed greens are arugula, Swiss chard, romaine, etc.

12 Best Green Salad Recipes – A Couple Cooks
  • Nicoise salad

This is a popular salad type traditionally prepared with Nicoise olives, hard-boiled eggs, tomatoes, and tuna or anchovies. There are some modern versions of this salad as well that add seasonal vegetables and potatoes. This salad was first created in Nice, France, and is now a very popular French dish. Although it is mainly served as a tossed salad with olive oil, it is also possible to prepare it as a composed salad. 

Nicoise Salad Recipe - Love and Lemons
  1. Composed salad

This is the second type of salad, and as the name implies, they are composed. Unlike the tossed salad, where all the ingredients are tossed and mixed, the ingredients used for a composed salad are usually well arranged and assembled from scratch until the particular structure in mind is created. Some of the common types of composed salad are:

  • Insalata Caprese

Caprese is a famous composed salad that originated in Italy. The ingredients used for making this salad are sliced fresh mozzarella, sliced tomatoes, olive oil, salt, and fresh sweet basil. This salad also has hues of three colors, green, white, and red, which are matched with the colors of the National flag of Italy. The ingredients used for Insalata Caprese are arranged carefully and beautifully in a design that the chef chooses. 

Insalata Caprese (Salad Caprese) - Online Culinary School (OCS)
  • Cobb salad 

The cobb salad is very hearty and is generally served as an entrée rather than a side dish. This salad is made with bacon, chopped lettuce, grilled chicken, avocados, tomatoes, hard-boiled eggs, red wine vinaigrette, and Roquefort cheese. The ingredients are usually arranged neatly over lettuce which is spread at the bottom of the serving dish. 

Cobb Salad Recipe: a delicious classic -Baking a Moment
  1. Bound salad 

This is the third category of salad. These types of salad are usually held together with a binding agent such as a thick dressing or mayonnaise. Their appearance is slightly different from tossed and composed salads, and they don’t require vegetables. This type of salad is usually found at a potluck or traditional picnics. Here are some types of bound salad.

  • Ambrosia 

This is a fruit salad that originated from America. Although many consider it vintage today, it is still very popular in many parts of the country. Ambrosia doesn’t have a particular set recipe for it, unlike other salad types. However, people commonly add fresh or canned fruits (such as pineapples, cherries, mandarin oranges), marshmallows, and mixed shredded coconuts. Also, it usually has a binding agent such as sour cream, cream cheese, or mayonnaise to hold them together. 

Ambrosia Salad | My Baking Addiction
  • Chicken salad 

“Chicken salad” is a term used to refer to salad dishes with shredded chicken. Many people also add mayonnaise. Some other ingredients used typically for a chicken salad are onions, pickles, hard-boiled eggs, grapes, etc. One of the good things about this salad is that it allows you to be very creative about it. You need to start with chicken and mayonnaise and create what you want. 

Ultimate Chicken Salad Recipe | Downshiftology

Conclusion 

There are hundreds of salad recipes, all of which cannot be mentioned in one article. However, they’re grouped into three classes discussed in this article. So, whatever salad recipe you’re creating will fall in one of these classes.