Every year that passes, I find myself more attuned to the changing seasons. As the weather warms, I tend toward lighter, brighter foods. I change up my weekly meal rotation, swapping a hearty mushroom ragu for lemon pasta, roasted squash for asparagus, or the kale in a Caesar salad for escarole or grilled cabbage.
So this week, I wanted to share two of my favorite spring salads! The first is a Green Goddess Salad featuring spring produce. It’s juicy, crunchy, and light, with an herby avocado-yogurt dressing.
And for those of you who enjoy a good tin of tuna, I recommend this Tuna Caesar Salad. It’s flavor-packed and well-balanced, with escarole, homemade croutons, and capers.
Enjoy!
Spring Green Goddess Salad
This spring goddess salad is bright, fresh, and flavorful, with soft butter lettuce, sugar snap peas, radishes, cucumbers, and a creamy, herby dressing.
The Details
This salad is creamy, lemony, and perfect for spring.
It’s light, crisp, and crunchy in texture. The raw sugar snap peas are juicy, crunchy, and deliciously sweet.
I don’t often favor aesthetics over flavor when it comes to food, but this salad is just so pretty! It’s truly one of those dishes where the produce speaks for itself.
The green goddess dressing is creamy, herby, and a bit spicy from avocados, yogurt, tons of herbs, and a jalapeño.
Tips and Tricks
Season generously. This salad really benefits from lots of salt and pepper to bring out the flavors.
Add the dressing just before serving. Green goddess dressing is often thick and creamy, so it can weigh down the ingredients and make the lettuce soggy. You’ll want to toss the vegetables with the dressing right before serving.
Make it a meal. Top with grilled chicken, salmon, or white beans for added protein. Incorporate leftover cooked grains, such as farro or barley, for a bit more heft.
Leftover dressing can easily be repurposed. Use any leftover dressing as a dip for crudites or a spread for sandwiches.
Grab the full recipe below. ↓
Tuna Caesar Salad
This tuna Caesar salad with escarole is flavor-packed thanks to a bright, garlicky Caesar dressing, briny capers, and crunchy homemade croutons.
If you’re a fan of tuna and you’re a fan of Caesar salad, you’ll love this!
The Details
The salad is well-balanced: Tuna packed in olive oil is moist, flaky, and a wonderful source of protein. Celery and croutons provide a nice crunch, while escarole forms the base of the salad. The dressing is bright, flavorful, and lemony.
Make-ahead friendly: Each component can be prepped and stored in the fridge for a quick lunch.
It’s easy: You don’t need any special equipment to make this salad: just a trusty cutting board, a knife, and a salad bowl.
Get the full recipe below, plus all the step-by-step tricks ↓
That’s all for this week!
-Karishma