This is one of my all-time favorite salad recipes that is simple and healthy. Say goodbye to boring salads and hello to super delicious Herb Salad.
I first made this herb salad when I was introduced to Yotam Ottolenghi’s recipes a few years ago. A friend of mine gave me his cookbook, Plenty More, as a Christmas gift. It was love at first sight. I was immediately intrigued with his unique take on cooking with vegetables. He has definitely inspired me to be a better home cook. (Thanks Yotam!)
I was fascinated by his herb salad dish after exploring his recipes on his website. Ottolenghi uses a mix of 5 different fresh herbs as key ingredients while other chefs use herbs in smaller quantities. I thought it was such a refreshing way to use herbs.
The result? The salad was phenomenal! This dish is an explosion of fresh flavor in your mouth with every bite.
Each time I make this salad it’s different. It’s always tasty, too. Here is what I normally do. I use fresh herbs and greens that are in the fridge and backyard as well as the nuts in our pantry. Then I pick a lemon from our tree to make the dressing and voila! Dinner is served. I have also made this as a complete meal by adding chickpeas, cheese or chicken. The constant is usually the herbs (especially mint), nuts, and seeds as well as lemon dressing.
The only time-consuming part is washing and drying the greens since you’re using a lot of fresh herbs and lettuces. Trust me, it’s worth it. You can quickly put this herb salad together in a matter of minutes during the week if you wash the greens once and then store them in your fridge properly.
Fresh herbs make this dish shine so use plenty of what you have on hand plus what’s in season to keep costs down. Greens such as arugula, kale or spinach are a nice addition to this recipe as well. Other nuts that also work well are sunflower seeds which are affordable and walnuts which are healthy in case you don’t have almonds or pumpkin seeds.
Ottolenghi’s original recipe calls for infusing sage in the oil for the dressing. It’s delicious and, by all means, try it. I didn’t incorporate that bit into this version since I was trying not to use the stove. Basically, I was feeling a little lazy. 🙂
Give this delicious Herb Salad with Lemon Dressing a try if you’re looking for a way to jazz up your salads. It’s a great way to use up all those leftover herbs sitting in your fridge!
Serving recommendations: Roast Chicken with Lemon and Herbs, 20-Minute Fried Tahini Chicken
Herb Salad with lemon dressing
Ingredients
- 1 medium head lettuce torn, ($1.50)
- 3 cups fresh mint leaves torn, ($1.00)
- 3 cups fresh basil leaves torn, ($1.00)
- 2 cups fresh parsley leaves torn, ($0.85)
- 2 cups fresh cilantro leaves torn, ($1.69)
- 1 cup fresh dill fronds rough chop, ($0.65)
- 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds toasted, ($0.85)
- 1/4 cup almond slices toasted, ($0.85)
- 2 Tbsp sesame seeds toasted, ($0.43)
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes ($0.02)
- 1/2 tsp nigella seeds or black caraway seeds (optional), ($0.02)
- 3 Tbsp olive oil ($0.36)
- 2 Tbsp lemon juice ($0.00)
- salt ($0.01)
- pepper ($0.01)
Instructions
- Prepare all your ingredients. Wash and dry herbs and greens. Tear lettuce leaves into bite-sized pieces. If mint and basil leaves are big, tear them into bite-sized pieces. Rough chop rest of herbs. The herbs are key ingredients in this salad so it's not necessary to finely chop them.
- Make the dressing. Pour lemon juice in small bowl. Slowly drizzle oil and whisk to combine. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- In a large bowl, mix lettuce and herbs together. Sprinkle about ¾ of the nuts and seeds on top.
- When ready to serve, add dressing and gently toss together. Add remainder of nuts and seeds on top. Enjoy!
Recipe Notes
* Note regarding pricing: The lemon used in this recipe is from our garden which is why there is no price listed. The price for the pantry items such as salt and olive oil takes into account the cost of the amount used for the recipe and not the cost if you had to purchase the entire jar or bottle. ** All prices in US dollars.