This fast and easy salad recipe is made with your favorite salad greens and crunchy fennel then drizzled with a lemony parmesan vinaigrette.
Salad season is my favorite time of year. Not only are salad greens readily available, they’re better tasting and more affordable!
This Italian Garden Salad with Fennel was inspired by a recent visit to my local farmers market. This time of year the stalls are overflowing with all sorts of lettuce varieties including green romaine, red leaf, curly and more.
For added crunch, texture and fiber, I love adding thinly sliced fennel to my salads. Slightly sweet like licorice and crunchy like celery, it adds a mild anise flavor that pairs perfectly with the sweet tomatoes and spicy red onions.
To top, I love drizzling with a lemony parmesan vinaigrette made with just a few basic pantry staples. You can whisk the vinaigrette separately in a bowl but I usually just add it right on to the salad before tossing.
Your fork is waiting.
Italian Garden Salad with Fennel
Ingredients
- 8 cups romaine (roughly chopped)
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes (halved)
- ½ cup red onion (thinly sliced)
- 1 bulb fennel (thinly sliced (core removed))
Lemon Garlic Vinaigrette
- 1 lemon (juiced)
- 1 clove garlic (minced)
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons parmesan cheese (grated)
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Place your salad ingredients (lettuce through fennel) in a large bowl. To that bowl, add all of the vinaigrette ingredients and toss well; serve immediately. Alternatively, you can whisk together the vinaigrette in a separate bowl and drizzle before serving.
Nutrition
Want more satisfying salad recipes? Head over to my Pinterest board!