Description

This Easy Garden Salad Recipe is a fresh, crunchy, and flavorful salad perfect for a quick and healthy meal or side dish. It combines crisp iceberg lettuce, juicy cherry tomatoes, savory cooked bacon, protein-rich hard boiled eggs, crunchy croutons, and sharp red onion for a delightful mix of textures and flavors. Topped with a creamy homemade Buttermilk Ranch Dressing, this salad is both satisfying and simple to prepare in just minutes.

Ingredients

Scale

Salad Ingredients

1 medium head Iceberg lettuce, cored and chopped
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
4 slices cooked bacon, chopped
2 hard boiled eggs, diced
1/2 cup croutons
1/4 medium red onion, thinly sliced into half rings (or 1/4 cup chopped chives)

Dressing

1 recipe Buttermilk Ranch Dressing

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Instructions

Prepare the lettuce: In a large mixing bowl, add the chopped iceberg lettuce, creating the base for your salad.
Add the toppings: Scatter the cherry tomatoes, cooked bacon, diced hard boiled eggs, croutons, and red onion evenly over the lettuce for a colorful and textural variety.
Dress and serve: Just before serving, drizzle the Buttermilk Ranch Dressing over the salad and toss gently if desired, then serve immediately to maintain freshness and crunch.

Notes

For a vegetarian version, omit the bacon or substitute with smoked tempeh or crispy chickpeas.
You can replace iceberg lettuce with romaine or mixed greens for added nutrients.
Chilling the salad ingredients for 30 minutes before assembly enhances freshness.
Prepare hard boiled eggs a day ahead to save time.
The buttermilk ranch dressing can be store-bought or homemade depending on preference.