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This simple baby Spring Mix Salad recipe features tender spring mix, crunchy English cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, red onion, avocado and feta cheese all lightly tossed in a homemade red wine vinaigrette. It’s perfect to serve as a side with a meal or transform it into a heartier meal salad with your all of your favorite add-ins. 

A tan colored bowl filled with Spring Mix Salad. A gold fork rests in the bowl.

This baby spring mix salad is full of flavor and it’s an easy salad to pull together any night of the week!

Four glass mixing bowls filled with cucumber slices, chopped onion, Feta cheese and baby lettuce.

For this Spring Mix Salad recipe, I like to start by whisking together the ingredients for the red wine vinaigrette.  Then all that’s left is to chop a few veggies and toss the whole thing in your favorite salad bowl and serve. 

What Is Spring Mix?

Spring Mix lettuce, also called “mesclun”, is a mix of baby whole leaf lettuces like red leaf, green leaf, spinach, radicchio, frisee, arugula, mizuna, red and green oak leaf, red mustard and green chard. Mesclun comes from the French word “mesclar” which means mix. It is typically sold in markets in plastic containers or bags.

Sprig Mix Salad Recipe 

This baby spring mix salad recipe is quick and easy to pull together any night of the week. It’s also an easy salad to prep ahead of time. Simply make the dressing a day or two in advance, then all you have to do is chop a few ingredients and toss everything in a bowl and serve.

  • Greens.  We use spring mix for this salad. 
  • Tomatoes.  We use cherry tomatoes for this salad, but you could use Roma tomatoes or ripe-vine garden tomatoes if you prefer. 
  • Red Onion. Peel and chop the onion into small pieces. Soaking the pieces in water for 5-10 minutes before tossing them in the salad will mellow the flavor considerably.
  • Cucumber. I like to use the English cucumber for this recipe because they are crispier, have a thinner skin and fewer seeds. They add a nice crunch to this salad.
  • Avocado. We toss avocado in this salad which adds a nice creaminess to the mix.
  • Cheese. A little sprinkle of Feta on this salad adds a delicious creamy flavor. You can also toss in grated Parmesan if you like or omit the cheese altogether.
  • Fresh Herbs. I like to toss in fresh basil and fresh mint to this salad. Not a lot, just enough to add a refreshing pop of flavor.
  • Vinaigrette.  I love everything about the red wine vinaigrette that we toss this salad with! It’s made with just a few simple ingredients and it comes together in a pinch.

Find printable recipe with measurements below.

Variations

How to Make Spring Mix Salad

This salad with spring mix comes together in about 10 minutes start-to-finish.

  • Make Vinaigrette. Add the ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth and blended well.
  • Prep Ingredients. Rinse and spin lettuce, slice tomatoes and cucumber and chop onion, avocado and  herbs. 
  • Assemble Salad. Toss ingredients together in a salad bowl and drizzle with vinaigrette and gently toss again.

Vinaigrette Ingredients

This red wine vinaigrette calls for a few simple ingredients and comes together in a pinch. 

  • Red Wine Vinegar. This is the key ingredients, so be sure to use an affordable high quality red wine vinegar. 
  • Olive Oil. Also a key ingredient, so use a good light olive oil, preferably one without an intense flavor so the flavors of the other ingredients can also be enjoyed. I use regular olive oil rather than extra-virgin olive oil for this vinaigrette.
  • Mustard. We use Dijon mustard to help emulsify the vinaigrette.
  • Garlic. This adds a nice flavor to the dressing. 
  • Seasoning. A little dried oregano and Italian seasoning adds a lot of flavor to this dressing.
  • Water. This is a little tip. If the vinegar in a homemade salad dressing has too much kick for your tastebuds, just add a tablespoon or two of water to tame the vinegar.

How To Make Vinaigrette

  1. Whisk the ingredients (except Parmesan cheese) together in a bowl or add ingredients to a mason jar, seal the lid and shake vigorously to blend well. You can also add the ingredients to a blender and blend until the ingredients are well incorporated. I personally like to blend my vinaigrettes, because they are a little creamier and stick to leaves better.
  2. Leftovers will keep in the tightly sealed mason jar in the refrigerator for up to a week. You will need to let the mason jar sit at room temperature for a few minutes before using though because the olive oil will solidify a bit in the fridg

Two tan colored bowls filled with mesclun salad. A small glass bowl is filled with dressing. Two gold forks sit next to the bowls.

Tips For Making Sprig Mix Salad 

  • Store the salad and vinaigrette separately in the refrigerator until you’re ready to serve. Then drizzle the vinaigrette around the outer side of the ingredients in the bowl and fold the dressing into the ingredients and toss. This is a better way to evenly distribute and to lightly coat the salad ingredients rather than weighing them down if you pour the dressing directly over the top of the ingredients. 
  • The vinaigrette will solidify a bit in the refrigerator, so you’ll want to take it out of the refrigerator to sit for 10-15 minutes to liquify before tossing with salad.
  • The salad keeps in the refrigerator best for up to 5 days if it has not been tossed with dressing.  If you toss the salad with dressing, leftovers in the refrigerator will only be appetizing for about 1 day. 

A tan colored bowl filled with spring mix salad.

Serving Suggestions

This Simple Sprig Mix Salad makes a great side salad to serve with your favorite chicken or fish meals, sandwiches or a big pot of soup.  I like to serve it with this One Pan Italian Chicken, Lemon Chicken Piccata, Chicken Shawarma, Hearty Lentil Stew, Tuscan White Bean Soup and Italian Lentil Soup.

A close-up photo of lettuce tossed with cucumber, tomatoes and red onion.

Looking For More Salad Recipes?

A tan colored bowl filled with Spring Mix Salad. A gold fork rests in the bowl.
Yield: 6 servings

Spring Mix Salad

Prep Time 10 minutes
Total Time 10 minutes

This simple baby Spring Mix Salad recipe features tender spring mix, crunchy English cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, red onion, avocado and feta cheese all lightly tossed in a homemade red wine vinaigrette. It’s perfect to serve as a side with a meal or transform it into a heartier meal salad with your all of your favorite add-ins. 

Ingredients

  • 6 cups spring mix lettuce, Tuscan lettuce blend or 1 head Romaine lettuce
  • 1 cup cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
  • 1/2 large English cucumber, sliced
  • 1/4 small purple onion, chopped
  • 1/3 cup fresh herbs like basil and mint, chopped
  • 1/2 cup Feta cheese
  • 1 avocado, peeled and chopped
  • 1/2 cup Red wine vinaigrette

For The Red Wine Vinaigrette

  • 1/2 cup red wine vinegar
  • 1 garlic clove, peeled and grated
  • 3/4 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
  • 1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
  • 1 cup olive oil
  • Pinch of salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

  1. Add spring mix to a large bowl. Toss in the sliced cucumber, tomato, onion, avocado, herbs and feta cheese.
  2. Drizzle the red wine vinaigrette along the outer top portion of the ingredients in the bowl and gently fold the ingredients into the dressing. Try not to pour the dressing over the lettuce leaves so it won't weigh them down and make them soggy.
  3. Season salad with salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste.

For The Red Wine Vinaigrette

  1. Add the ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth and blended well. You can also whisk the ingredients together in a bowl or add ingredients to a mason jar, seal the lid and shake vigorously to blend well.
  2. Store leftovers in a tightly sealed mason jar in the refrigerator for up to a week. You will need to let the mason jar sit at room temperature for a few minutes before using though because the olive oil will solidify a bit in the refrigerator.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

6

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 174Total Fat: 12gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 11mgSodium: 338mgCarbohydrates: 14gFiber: 6gSugar: 6gProtein: 5g

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. See full disclaimer on About page.

© Deborah @The Harvest Kitchen
Cuisine: American / Category: Salads