Easy Vegetable Chopped Salad – shredded iceberg lettuce topped with sweet and crunchy bell peppers, tangy tomatoes, shredded carrots, broccoli florets, diced cucumbers, and tasty cauliflower make for the perfect side salad for any meal.
Side Salad
Looking for a delicious, easy side salad recipe to bring to your next potluck or barbecue? Or just to serve for dinner? Look no further than this chopped vegetable salad!
This is a classic side salad passed along from my friend’s grandma. It’s super easy to make – just shred some lettuce and carrots, chop up some veggies, and then toss them together with a simple dressing.
A nice piece of crusty bread, some garlic knots, crackers (my dad always crushes up saltines on his salad – try it!), or croutons is also welcome.
Another bonus is that this recipe can be tailored to your own taste/preferences. Consider this a base recipe to make your own favorite salad full of veggies for a starter or side salad.
Why You’ll Love This Easy Chopped Veggie Salad
- Loads of fresh veggies in every bite, all with their own unique textures and flavors!
- A classic shredded side salad recipe that will never go out of style.
- It’s so versatile! You can add your own favorite veggies, any kind of dressing you like, or even grilled meat/seafood to make it a whole meal.
- An easy and healthy side salad recipe that goes with everything!
Equipment needed to make this easy side salad
- Box grater – If you’re shredding your own lettuce and carrots, you’ll need a grater.
- Veggie chopper – I have been singing the praises of this gadget for a long time now. It makes veggie prepping so fast!
- Salad bowl – You’ll need a large salad bowl.
- Tongs – Both to toss and to serve the salad…and useful for so many other things in the kitchen.
Ingredients you’ll need to make your chopped salad
Below is a list of ingredients you’ll need to gather to make this salad. As I mentioned, you can easily add/subtract from it to make it your own, but this is a great base. Scroll all the way down for the full recipe card.
Lettuce – Shredded iceberg lettuce works well because of the crunch. Green leaf or romaine also work well. You can buy a bag of shredded lettuce or do it yourself.
Bell Peppers – Red and yellow bell peppers are sweet and add great crunch. Did you know that red and yellow bell peppers are actually just green peppers that have fully ripened?
Cucumber – I like English cucumbers. They have great flavor and smaller seeds.
Tomatoes – I like to buy the medley of grape tomatoes. They’re easy to slice and a bit sweet.
Broccoli & Cauliflower – Fresh broccoli and cauliflower florets.
Celery – Celery is optional to me because it’s not my favorite, but it adds great crunch.
Carrots – Either diced or shredded carrots. If you buy pre-shredded lettuce, you can also get a mix with carrots already included.
Scallions – Onions are milder than standard onions or even green onions.
Dressing – Whichever salad dressing you like best. I really like Tessemae’s Lemon Garlic dressing.
How to make a classic chopped veggie side salad
STEP ONE: Prep all your veggies (I like to use a veggie chopper to make things go quickly) and then toss together in a large bowl.
STEP TWO: That’s it lol Dress with your favorite dressing and serve.
What to serve with your side salad
Sometimes you just know you want a simple salad along with dinner, but don’t know exactly what that dinner will be yet – don’t worry, I got you!
This salad pairs exceptionally well with Slow Cooker Stuffed Shells with Sausage and Spinach, Slow Cooker Garlic Parmesan Chicken, One Pot Chicken and Dumplings or Meatloaf Muffins.
You know I can’t forget about dessert… Cheesecake Cookie Cups with a chocolate chip cookie base!, Chocolate Chip Skillet Cookie, or even some Kitchen Sink Cookies to round out your meal!
How to store leftover salad
First, if you think you’re going to have leftovers, then you’ll want to skip tossing the entire salad in salad dressing. We all know how soggy salads get once it’s been dressed and then refrigerated.
This chopped salad will last (undressed) in the fridge for about three days. Keep it in an airtight container – Tupperware, Mason jar or a bowl with plastic wrap on top all work great for this.
When you’re ready to enjoy your leftover salad, just add some dressing and toss!
Chopped Salad FAQs
Can I use different lettuce instead of the iceberg in this recipe?
Yes, absolutely. Iceberg is used because it is extra crunchy (and cheap!) but feel free to use your favorite lettuce. I suggest green leaf or romaine. You can even throw in some fresh baby spinach.
Can I use other vegetables in this recipe?
Yes! Add your favorite veggies or what you have on hand. Other great chopped salad veggies would be fresh zucchini, red onion, artichoke hearts, or radishes. You could even shred a purple cabbage for some extra color and crunch. I also like to add black and green olives.
What kind of dressing should I use?
Use your favorite dressing for this salad. Everything goes great with it. Ranch dressing is a classic but use your favorite.
Can I make this salad into a meal?
Yes! This chopped salad recipe is versatile and can be tailored to your own taste/preferences. Consider adding grilled chicken or shrimp, diced ham, cheese, eggs, or crumbled bacon. You can also add some beans or nuts for added protein.
Can I use this side salad recipe for meal prep?
Absolutely! If you are prepping this salad for a make-ahead meal, do not toss all the ingredients together until you are ready to serve. Keep all the cut-up veggies separate in the fridge. The color from the veggies tends to bleed, and then the lettuce looks brown or off-color. You’ll want to keep the dressing separate as well. Make a batch of breadsticks to serve with it!
Need more ways to eat your veggies? Try these:
Southwest Fiesta Salad
Summer Cobb Salad
Za’atar Chicken Salad
Lentils with Brown Rice & Veggies
Click here for my entire collection of salad recipes.
Easy Chopped Veggie Side Salad Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 head iceberg lettuce shredded
- ½ cup finely chopped yellow bell pepper
- ½ cup finely chopped red bell pepper
- ½ cup finely chopped English cucumber
- ½ cup finely chopped tomatoes
- ½ cup finely chopped broccoli florets
- ½ cup finely chopped cauliflower florets
- ½ cup finely chopped celery
- ½ cup scallions thinly sliced
- 1 medium carrot shredded
- Dressing of your choice
Instructions
- Prep all your veggies and add them to a large bowl. Toss to combine.
- Serve with your favorite salad dressing.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is an estimate and provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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