My Favorite House Salad

This chop House Salad recipe is anything but plain. It’s crowded with asparagus, beets, peas, blueberries, avocado, tomatoes, cucumber, chickpeas and Marcona almonds making it a completely satisfying meal-worthy salad.

One of the things I really love about making this chop house salad is that I can prep the ingredients ahead of time.  The beets, asparagus and peas are lightly steamed, so I can prep them then chill them in the refrigerator until I’m ready to pull the salad together.  As for the vinaigrette recipe, it’s a simple one to make and it comes together in a pinch.

What is a House Salad?

Often a house salad is a basic green salad made with lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, cheese and croutons. Some restaurants might have a signature house salad on their menu (one that they are known for) that contains a greater variety of ingredients.

House Salad Recipe

If you are going to make a house salad, why not make it something memorable. This house salad recipe is loaded with delicious ingredients that will have you coming back for more. 

• Lettuce.  We use Romaine lettuce for this salad, but you could use a spring mix if you prefer.  
• Beets. Peel and cut the beets into little cubes then the cubed pieces are steamed until they are fork tender.
• Asparagus. Asparagus makes a delicious and nutritious addition to this salad.
• Peas. We toss in some lightly steamed frozen peas to this salad.
• Cucumber. You can use English cucumber, Persian or garden cucumber for this salad. The skin on garden cucumbers are thicker and more bitter, so you’ll want to peel them and remove the seeds using a spoon if you add them to this salad. 
• Blueberries. Blueberries adds flavor and pop of color to this healthy salad.
• Cooked chickpeas. You can use canned chickpeas or these homemade chickpeas for this recipe.
• Avocado. Ripe avocado adds delicious flavor, creaminess and good fats to this salad. 
• Marcona almonds.  I love to add Marcona almonds to salads. Sliced almonds or pistachios will work as well.
• Herb Vinaigrette. We toss this salad with a delicious homemade herb vinaigrette.

Find the printable recipe with measurements below.

Variations

This chop house salad recipe is already chock full of healthy ingredients. But if you’re looking for a few variations to work with, here’s a few ideas.

• Corn (fresh or frozen) – add corn in addition to or instead of peas.
• Broccoli or shaved Brussels sprouts – the asparagus works really well in this salad, but you can sub it with broccoli or Brussels sprouts if you prefer.
• Crumbled hardboiled egg – adding crumbled hardboiled egg adds protein and makes this salad a little more substantial and filling.
• Grapes instead of blueberries – I love the blueberries in this salad, but grapes make a delicious sweet addition as well.
• Regular almonds, macadamia nuts or pecans instead of Marcona almonds – I love Marcona almonds, but feel free to add regular almonds, macadamia nuts or pecans instead.
• Adding croutons always makes a salad better – try these Herbed Croutons or Parmesan Croutons.
• Citrus vinaigrette instead of herb vinaigrette – I’ve tossed this house salad with my citrus vinaigrette and the hint of orange adds a nice pop of flavor to this salad.

Herb Vinaigrette

This simple herb vinaigrette comes together in a pinch. It’s made with fresh herbs that gives this house salad a delicious pop of flavor!

• Extra-virgin olive oil
• Lemon juice
• Dijon mustard
• Garlic 
• Fresh herbs 

How to Make House Salad

This tossed salad recipe can feed 4-6 if serving as a salad main, or 6-8 if serving as a starter salad.

• Make dressing:  Put the olive oil, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, minced garlic and chopped herbs in a mason jar and seal the lid.  Shake well.  You can also add the ingredients to a blender and pulse a few times to blend.
• Steam asparagus, beets and peas:  Remove woody ends of asparagus and steam in a steamer on the stovetop.  Separately steam the beets and then the peas.
• Chop lettuce and cucumber:  Chop lettuce and place in salad spinner colander and rinse under cold water then spin to dry.  Add lettuce and chopped cucumber to large bowl.  
• Toss ingredients:  Add chopped avocado, asparagus, beets, peas, chickpeas, almonds, cucumber and tomato to lettuce and toss.  Drizzle about 1/4 – 1/2 cup mixed dressing over the ingredients and lightly toss again.  

How to Cook Fresh Asparagus

Trim the woody tough ends off of the asparagus.  Cut the asparagus spears in half.  Place asparagus in a steamer basket set inside a saucepan filled with 2 inches of water.  Bring to a boil then reduce heat to a low simmer.  Cover saucepan with lid and steam for about 5-7 minutes (depending on thickness of asparagus spears) or until the asparagus is barely fork tender.  Stop the asparagus from cooking further by placing in a bowl with ice, or place in a bowl and set in the freezer for a minute or two.

How to Cook Fresh Beets

Cut the beet stems away and discard.  Place beets in a steamer basket set inside a saucepan filled with 2 inches of water.  Bring to a boil then reduce heat to a low simmer.  Cover saucepan with lid and steam for about 20 minutes or until beets are fork tender.  Cool beets then using a paper towel rub away the peel of the beets and cut into bite-sized cubes.   You can cut the beets in quarters to reduce amount of steaming time.

Looking For More Healthy Salad Recipes To Make?

• Kale Salad with Cranberries
• Romaine Salad
• White Bean Salad
• Asian Cucumber Salad
• Everyday Tossed Salad
• Quinoa Kale Salad
• Italian Chopped Salad
• Crunchy Detox Salad
• Everyday Detox Salad
• Berry Arugula Salad

Still want more ideas?  Check out all my salad recipes.

Continue to Content

Print

Yield: 6 servings

My Favorite House Salad

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

This chop House Salad recipe is anything but plain. It's crowded with asparagus, beets, peas, blueberries, avocado, tomatoes, cucumber, chickpeas and Marcona almonds making it a completely satisfying meal-worthy salad.

Ingredients

• 1 large head Romaine lettuce, core removed, rinsed, dried and chopped
• 1 cup beets, steamed, peeled and cut into bite sized pieces
• 1-1/2 to 2 cups asparagus, steamed and cut in half
• 1/2 cup frozen peas, steamed
• 3/4 cup cherry tomatoes, cut in half lengthwise
• 1 small Persian cucumber, chopped
• 3/4 cup blueberries, rinsed
• 1 15-ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1 small avocado, peeled, drizzled with lemon juice (to prevent browning) and chopped
• 1/2 cup Marcona almonds
• Herb vinaigrette

For the Herb Vinaigrette

• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/3 cup lemon juice
• 2-3 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon pure clover honey (optional)
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 3-5 tablespoons fresh herbs (flat-leaf parsley, cilantro, chives), finely chopped
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Rinse, spin and chop lettuce
2. In a large bowl, combine the lettuce, steamed beets, asparagus, peas, garbanzo beans, cucumber, tomatoes, blueberries, avocado and Marcona almonds.
3. Gently toss to combine the ingredients.
4. Drizzle 1/3 to 1/2 cup of the vinaigrette over the salad, then toss gently to coat the salad with the dressing.
5. Taste for seasoning and add more vinaigrette if desired.
6. Sprinkle with fresh herbs

For the Herb Vinaigrette

Place all of the ingredients into a mason jar and shake well to combine.

Notes

How to Cook Fresh Asparagus

Trim the woody tough ends off of the asparagus.  Cut the asparagus spears in half.  Place asparagus in a steamer basket set inside a saucepan filled with 2 inches of water.  Bring to a boil then reduce heat to a low simmer.  Cover saucepan with lid and steam for about 5-7 minutes (depending on thickness of asparagus spears) or until the asparagus is barely fork tender.  Stop the asparagus from cooking further by placing in a bowl with ice, or place in a bowl and set in the freezer for a minute or two.

How to Cook Fresh Beets

Cut the beet stems away and discard.  Place beets in a steamer basket set inside a saucepan filled with 2 inches of water.  Bring to a boil then reduce heat to a low simmer.  Cover saucepan with lid and steam for about 20 minutes or until beets are fork tender.  Cool beets then using a paper towel rub away the peel of the beets and cut into bite-sized cubes.   You can cut the beets in quarters to reduce amount of steaming time.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

6

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 497Total Fat: 32gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 27gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 578mgCarbohydrates: 45gFiber: 14gSugar: 15gProtein: 14g

theharvestkitchen.com attempts to provide accurate information, however, this nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. The nutritional information provided comes from online sources and calculations.