I'd planned on making our usual mixed salad this evening when the colorful pyramids of fresh vegetables at our local market talked me into making something different, something like an Italian Summer Salad with Basil Dressing. A fresh tossed salad is the perfect accompaniment to any meal and it may even be a meal in itself. It all depends on what you like and what you want to add. This recipe has been updated from the original August 2015 version in order to provide a better experience for our readers. Last update April 2019.
For this recipe you will need: salad greens, radicchio, English cucumber, celery, grape tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, scallions, peperoncini, sunflower seeds, pecorino cheese, lemon juice, white balsamic vinegar, fresh basil leaves, Dijon mustard, olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic powder.
Picking the vegetables for a summer salad
I hadn't thought about making an Italian salad until we were at the Market. Our typical first course didn't seem the least bit appealing.
Fresh ingredients for our Italian Summer Salad.
I suppose the "talking" vegetables did a great job of convincing me to forget the usual and go for an Italian Summer Salad recipe.
Selecting the salad base
- I grabbed a head of bright green romaine from the neat stack and placed it in the cart's basket. This would be my base.
- Then I spotted the beautiful purple globes of radicchio and tossed one into the grocery cart.
Picking out the additions
- Celery and an English cucumber {we like this variety since it has less seeds} are a must in our salad so one of each joined the other vegetables.
- And what would an Italian salad be without tomatoes? I looked around and spotted the little ruby red grape tomatoes piled in small trays just waiting for me to add them to the group in the cart.
- I looked around searching for a little bit more variety when I remembered we had some fantastic purply-black cherry tomatoes waiting to be picked on our potted plant on the patio.
Purple cherry tomato plant on our patio.
Adding some zip
- Something oniony was needed. Hmmm! I looked around and picked up a package of scallions.
- Now, the Italian summer salad needed something with tangy zing. The lightbulb turned on in the brain -- peperoncini! Now we were getting somewhere. I rolled over to the pickle department. Found it! The jar joined the veggies.
- If there was a salad in front of my Hubby it needed to have olives. Luckily we had some spicy pimento stuffed green olives at home. Perfecto!
Finishing the Italian Salad
Now the tossed salad needed some kind of nutty crunch plus a delicious cheese. I turned the cart around and pushed to where all the bulk items were on display.
There they were -- sunflower seeds! Italy has lots of sunflowers. Roasted and toasted sunflower seeds would taste great on the fresh vegetables.
And the cheese would be pecorino. At home we had a hunk of pecorino and some shaved pieces on top would be ideal.
The summer salad is ready to be dressed.
Basil Dressing the finishing touch
Now, what about a salad dressing? Basil! We have so much basil we're using it in vases as herb bouquets.
I've mentioned before the problem of sticking basil in water -- it roots. Then we have to find some place to bury the roots. *sigh* We can only make so much pesto. The basil dressing uses up a healthy amount of basil leaves so basil dressing it will be.
Tonight we're going to enjoy Italian Summer Salad with Basil Dressing.
And who knows, tomorrow I'm may make a chef style salad for our al fresco dinner.
If you like this salad, you may enjoy these:
Panzanella Italian Bread Salad
Mediterranean Tomato Cucumber Salad with Yogurt Dressing
Unbeatable Beet Salad With Hickory Bacon Vinaigrette
I know you'll enjoy these salads. They will definitely perk up your tastebuds!
Mangiare dovrebbe essere un'avventura {Eating should be an adventure}
And before your meal, how about a nice light Aperol Spritz? This drink is one of the most popular in the Venice area!
Tutti a tavola è pronto.
Un caro saluto, alla prossima.
YOU MAY NEED...
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We are huge fans of white balsamic vinegar. It blends well with other ingredients and it seems to be milder than the red balsamic. For the vinaigrette recipe it doesn't alter the color of the dressing which is a plus for us. Try it and see if you don't like it. We always have both the red and white balsamic on hand.
Italian Summer Salad With Basil Dressing
A delightful crunchy salad that uses the freshest vegetables of the season. Your salad variations are only limited to your imagination. Make the salad a first course or add some additions such as meat, beans, eggs, additional cheese and have it has a light summer meal. Delicious and satisfying!
If you like this recipe please consider giving it a 5-star rating.
Italian Summer Salad with Basil Dressing
Ingredients
- Salad: be sure to wash greens
- Romaine - torn into pieces
- Radicchio - washed and cut into desired pieces
- English Cucumber sliced lengthwise and cut into half moons and celery cut on bias
- Grape tomatoes - cut in half
- Cherry tomatoes - cut in half
- Scallions green onions - use white and green - sliced
- Peperoncini - we left them whole
- Roasted Sunflower Seeds
- Shaved pecorino cheese q.b. quanto basta - as much as you like
Basil Dressing
- ¾ cup fresh lemon juice
- ⅔ cup white balsamic vinegar
- 1 cup packed fresh basil leaves
- ⅓ cup Dijon mustard
- 1 ½ cups extra virgin olive oil
- 1 ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 Tablespoon black pepper
- 1 ½ teaspoon garlic powder
Optional salad ingredients
- Italian meats such as Salami, pepperoni, etc.
- shredded carrots
- beans such as chickpeas, cannellini, garbanzo
- cheeses such as feta, mozzarella, goat
- microgreens, arugula, baby spinach, baby kale, etc.
Instructions
- Prepare the salad, starting with the romaine and adding everything except the cheese and sunflower seeds in layers. Toss the salad and sprinkle the seeds and shaved pecorino on top
For the salad dressing
- Add everything except the olive oil to a blender and puree. Slowly add the olive oil to the basil mixture so it will emulsify and blend thoroughly.
- When ready to serve, place the salad on a plate and then drizzle the basil dressing on top. You can also dress the entire salad but we prefer doing it individually.
Notes
- You can use red wine vinegar in place of the white balsamic but in this dressing we prefer the milder white. If you do use red wine you may want to add a teaspoon or two of honey.
Nutrition
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