Easy Vegetable Salad
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Easy Vegetable Salad is perfect for summer cookouts, a weeknight side dish or holiday gatherings. I’ve been making this recipe for over 20 years and it’s still a family favorite!
One thing that I love about this easy vegetable salad recipe is that you can prepare it earlier in the day. It tastes even better after all the ingredients have had a chance to hang out and get to know each other.
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As I mentioned, this salad is perfect for summer because the dressing is a light and tasty red wine vinaigrette.
I make it through the week because it’s so easy. It’s also a great option for busy holiday meals because you can prepare it ahead of time.
Eating regular salads can get boring, so I love changing it up. Be sure you check out a few of my favorites – 6 ingredient Fiesta Salad, Broccoli Salad, and my Favorite Pasta Salad! All of these salads are easy and delicious!
What You Need To Make Easy Vegetable Salad
Fresh asparagus – If you aren’t familiar with cooking asparagus, don’t forget to trim it. Trimming simply means to cut off the bottoms to the point where it is tender. Sounds fancy to be that simple, huh?
Fresh Mushrooms – We really like baby bella mushrooms, but you can use your favorite.
Artichoke Hearts – canned artichoke hearts are a time saver and make this dish a snap to prepare. You want to purchase artichoke hearts in water, NOT marinated artichokes.
Sunflower Oil – you can substitute for vegetable or canola oil using the same measurements listed.
Red Wine Vinegar – This is the base for the dressing, but if you don’t have any on hand be sure to check out the swaps below.
Other Ingredients Needed: grape tomatoes, yellow onion, sugar, salt, pepper, garlic cloves.
How to Make the Dressing for Easy Vegetable Salad
You can make the dressing three different ways, so choose the method that works best for you.
Mason Jar Method
Combine all of the dressing ingredients in a mason jar and shake well.
Immersion Blender (This is what I do!)
Just combine the dressing ingredients and blend together with your immersion blender (my favorite kitchen tool!). Then pour over your vegetables.
Whisk It
If you don’t feel like dragging other appliances out and can’t find your old mason jars, just whisk it together. Be sure to mix well so all of the ingredients marry.
Substitutes for Red Wine Vinegar
So you were shopping at the store and remembered the Merlot but forgot the vinegar! No worries. Here are some ways you can swap out the red wine.
White wine vinegar has a similar taste just a different color, so this would be the best first option.
Sherry Vinegar has a taste that is less potent, so you may need just a little more to get the same flavor.
If you still need a little more help, this article gives all the details and recommended ratios for different kinds of vinegar.
Tips For Storing
If you have any leftovers, you will definitely want to save them for later. Leftover salad makes for a tasty quick and easy lunch or afternoon snack.
Always refrigerate the leftovers in an airtight container. Vegetable salad keeps well for about 3 days. You can eat it after that but the veggies begin to soften at the 3-day mark.
Be sure to serve up Easy Veggie Salad with one of these Main Course Meals!
Mississippi Pot Roast (this is to DIE for!!)
** Pin the Easy Vegetable Salad Recipe for Later **
Easy Vegetable Salad
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 lb fresh asparagus, trimmed, cut into 2-inch pieces (about 4 cups)
- 12 oz fresh mushrooms, quartered (about 4 cups)
- 2 cups grape tomatoes, halved
- 2 14 oz artichoke hearts, canned, drained, quartered
- 1/2 cup onion, chopped
Dressing
- 1/2 cup red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 3 tablespoon sunflower oil, (sub with vegetable or canola)
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
Instructions
- Bring 1 cup of water to a boil in a large skillet. Add asparagus, cover & cook over medium heat until crisp-tender (about 2-3 minutes). Drain immediately & rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process. Set aside on paper towels to dry.
- Combine remaining salad ingredients with asparagus in a large bowl.
- Prepare dressing by shaking ingredients in a mason jar, using an immersion blender, or by whisking in a small bowl.
- Pour dressing over vegetables and toss gently to coat.
- Serve immediately or refrigerate for later.
Notes
- Refrigerate leftovers for up to 3 days.
- This recipe used canned artichokes in water, NOT the marinated version.
- Red Wine vinegar can be substituted, see swaps here.
- If you don’t have sunflower oil, substitute with vegetable or canola oil.
- Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy using an online calculator and should be considered an estimate. We recommend verifying the information independently.
Nutritional Estimate
Nutritional information is provided as a reference, using an online calculator. We recommend verifying the information independently for accuracy.
