5-Minute Lettuce Salad – Easy, Healthy Summer Recipe

Are you wondering what to do with a surplus of lettuce? You have to try this easy Lettuce Salad with olive oil, apple cider vinegar, and garlic, and Feta takes just 5 minutes of preparation, and will become your new favorite quick and healthy salad!

This juicy and delicious Lettuce Salad will definitely find its place on your salad list since is super adaptable and pairs nicely with almost every main dish! You simply can’t go wrong with this salad—make it for a light lunch, dinner party, hot day, or any night of the week, or even as a refreshing snack! Why not?

Why You’ll Love This Salad

• Minimal ingredients/No fancy dressing requirements – This simple, healthy, and super easy Lettuce Salad only requires a couple of basic, pantry ingredients and no special ones for the dressing preparation! There’s always something special in simplicity, so don’t underestimate it!

• Super Healthy! All the ingredients in this Lettuce Salad recipe are super nutritious and highly beneficial for our health! According to Healthline, Red leaf lettuce, as the main ingredient, is a great source of antioxidants, in particular, anthocyanins, beta carotene, and vitamin C. “For instance, romaine delivers more fiber and vitamins A and C, whereas red leaf lettuce has more vitamin K, slightly more iron, and slightly less calories.”

• Rich color – This is everything, just not a basic green salad! Being aesthetically pleasing with a rich and vibrant red color domination, this Lettuce Salad makes the perfect side dish for special gatherings!

Ingredients You Need

Red Left Lettuce – The star of this recipe is definitely the fresh red-leaf lettuce! Basically, you can use any other type of lettuce., but red leaf lettuce is not just colorful—it also provides health advantages for your salads. Among the advantages might include supporting cardiovascular health and providing vitamins K and A.

Apple Cider Vinegar – Adds moisture, juiciness, and freshness to the salad!

Red onion – Gives additional deep color and nutrition boost to the salad! Red onions have a mild, sweet taste and add color and flavor to many dishes. 

Olive oil – Drizzling any salad with extra virgin olive oil will not just give the salad amazing flavor, but also provide it with many health benefits if consumed regularly! Olive oil has a high content of antioxidants and healthful monosaturated fats, which may have health advantages. It has anti-inflammatory qualities as well. (1)

Scallions/Spring onion – You will need both the white and the green part of the onions, diced! You can basically use whatever you grow in your garden or have at hand. Sometimes I love to mix both scallions and leeks, so, use whatever works for you!

Salt – Make sure you’re using some higher quality salt like Himalayan or Celtic salt. How much salt you will add depends on the original saltiness of the additional ingredients, like Feta cheese.

How To Make

The preparation of this Lettuce Salad is quite easy and straightforward! You just need to wash and mix all the ingredients! There’s not even a special dressing needed to be made! Here’s how to do it:

Step 1: Prepare the lettuce. When you get your lettuce from the garden or from the farmer’s market, make sure you wash it properly to get rid of all the soil and dirt. Since red-leaf lettuce has smaller leaves, you may don’t even have to chop it, but if you prefer, feel free to do it. Dry completely with a towel. If you have time, place paper towels over the lettuce and briefly chill it. This aids in its crisping up.

Step 2: Add main ingredients. Place the lettuce in a medium-to-large bowl, and dice the red onions and scallions. Add them to the bowl.

Step 3: Add the salad dressing: Add the apple cider vinegar, and drizzle olive oil. Salt a bit, and mix everything well with a spatula. This is the perfect time to add in some mashed Feta cheese if desired, as well as some ground nuts to add a crunchy texture to the salad!