Best tossed green salad for a crowd (easy recipe)

Name: Best tossed green salad for a crowd (easy recipe)
Prep time: 20 min
Total time: 20 min
Ingredients: 11 1/4 cups assorted leafy greens, chopped in 1/2-inch thick slices; 1/2 cup green onions, finely chopped; 1/2 large white onion, thinly sliced; 1 3/4 cups orange segments, cut in half; 3/4 cup roasted almonds, coarsely chopped; 3/4 cup Parmesan cheese shavings; 3/4 cup dried cranberries; 1 2/3 cups croutons; 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil; 1/4 cup + 1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar or wine vinegar; 1/4 cup + 1 Tablespoon honey or maple syrup; 1/2 teaspoon fine salt; 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper; 1 teaspoon dijon mustard or 1 minced garlic clove, optional

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This tossed green salad recipe with fruit and nuts feeds a crowd.

With a simple chart with quantities for 5, 12, 20, 25 and 50 persons.

Vertical image of a green tossed salad with an emptied jar with dressing and parmesan flakes.

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Ingredients
Instructions
Servings Chart
Substitutions
Variations
Make ahead
FAQ
Recipe

Can you have too many salad recipes? An easy recipe for a simple salad will always come in handy, whether you're making it for a crowd or just your family.

This tossed salad with fresh greens, fruit and nuts is full of color and contrasting textures. It's very customizable because you can use whatever leafy greens you prefer, plus you can make several substitutions.

The homemade vinaigrette dressing is kept very simple to align with everyone's taste. However, this doesn't mean it's not delicious!

It's made with olive oil, apple cider vinegar and honey (or maple syrup), and it's the "glue" that binds all the different flavors together. It is basically a simple vinaigrette with some added sweetness which you can use in many salads to give them a flavor boost.

This is the perfect salad to make for your next dinner party, potluck or other large gathering and will complement almost any main dish you'll serve.

Ingredients

For this simple tossed salad you'll need the following ingredients:

Assorted greens (see ingredient notes)
Green onions
White onion (or red onion)
Croutons
Orange segments
Roasted almonds
Parmesan cheese shavings
Dried cranberries

For the homemade dressing you'll need:

Extra virgin olive oil
Apple cider vinegar or white wine vinegar
Honey or maple syrup
Salt
Freshly grated black pepper

Ingredient notes

If you're making this salad for a lot of guests you'll need a lot of greens.

The easiest, less fussy and less time consuming way is to buy washed and ready to eat mixed greens which are sold in bags (such as spring mix). I generally don't like buying greens sold in plastic bags because of the plastic waste, but if I have to prepare a salad for a lot of people, this is a life saver.

Alternatively, buy fresh greens of your choice like Romaine lettuce, red leaf lettuce (lollo rosa), iceberg lettuce, curly lettuce (lollo Bionda), butter lettuce, arugula, chard, radicchio or baby spinach.

How to prepare the vegetables:

Wash them thoroughly with a veggie wash product or diluted vinegar and rinse them well under running water.

Drain well after rinsing. A salad spinner is perfect for drying leafy vegetables because it gets rid of the excess water very fast. After that, pat-dry with paper towels to remove any extra moisture.

Using a sharp knife, take big bunches of the leafy greens and cut them in bite-sized pieces or in ½ inch thick slices.

How to make homemade croutons:

Cut one day old bread into cubes, spray them with olive oil and bake in a preheated oven at 375°F (190°C) for 15-20 minutes. For more details follow this homemade croutons recipe from gimmesomeoven.com.

How to make the Parmesan cheese shavings:

You can either buy Parmesan shavings from the grocery store or make it yourself using a potato peeler, a box grater (using the side for the thin slices) or just cut extra thin slices with a sharp knife.

Green salad ingredients in a large salad bowl.

Instructions

To make this simple tossed salad recipe, follow these easy steps:

Step 1: Transfer all the ingredients for the salad to a large bowl.

Step 2: Transfer all the dressing ingredients to a jar, close tightly with a lid and shake vigorously to combine. You can also transfer them to a small bowl and whisk with a fork. For large quantities, use a blender.

Step 3: Drizzle the dressing over the salad and toss to combine. Serve immediately.

Servings Chart

This simple chart will help you calculate approximately how much salad you'll need, depending on the number of guests you're serving. The servings are for 5, 12, 20, 25 and 50 people.

If you need a large for salad for 15 people you can use the quantities given for 5 people and multiply them x3.

If you need a large for salad for 30 people you can use the quantities given for 5 people and multiply them x6.

The same goes for other numbers of servings not included in the chart.

Right click and choose "save image" or "download image" so that you can print the chart or have it locally on your phone/computer.

This image is a chart with quantities for different servings for 5, 12, 20, 25 or 50 people.

Note: Many sources suggest that a serving of salad is 2 cups while others suggest just 1 cup.

In the above chart 1 serving equals approximately 1 cup of salad because if you're hosting a large gathering you'll probably have a few more appetizers and sides.

Substitutions

Orange segments: you can replace the orange with cherry tomatoes, grape tomatoes, sliced cucumber or sliced apples (preferably a tangy green variety such as Granny Smith).

Another interesting variation is with fresh strawberries (it may sound weird but if you've tried this Chicken Spinach and strawberry salad with arugula you know that it works!)

Almonds: you can replace the almonds with other nuts and seed which will also give crunch to this salad. Walnuts, sunflower seeds, hazelnuts, cashews, pecans, pumpkin seeds (pepitas), pine nuts or sesame seeds will pair perfectly.

Dried cranberries: they can be replaced with raisins, dried blueberries, goji berries or a mix of dried fruit.

Parmesan can be replaced with another hard cheese or cubed feta cheese. Goat cheese and blue cheese are also interesting substitutions but some people may not like them, so if you're making this salad for a crowd then it's probably better to choose a safer option.

Instead of onion, you can also use these quick pickled red onions.

The salad dressing made with vinegar pairs perfectly with the rest of the ingredients, however you can use freshly squeezed lemon juice instead.

Variations

Add some herbs: Dill weed, parsley or chives will give extra taste to this green salad. Dill especially pairs very well with the orange, something you can confirm by tasting this orange,mango and lettuce salad.

Add your favorite protein: Crispy bacon, cubed hum, cubed or shredded chicken or poached shrimp are nice additions, but they're not necessary, especially if you're serving any other protein dishes along with this salad.

Image showing pouring the dressing over the green salad.

Make ahead

You can buy and wash the fresh vegetables 1-2 days ahead. Drain well and dry with paper towels, then transfer them inside a large plastic bag, and store in the fridge until ready to use.

For crisp fresh veggies for a longer time, place a few paper towels among the greens to absorb the extra moisture. This will protect them from going bad.

You can also mix the salad ahead of time (without adding the croutons or the dressing) and store it in the fridge inside an airtight container or inside the salad bowl tightly wrapped with plastic wrap. Keep the croutons in another airtight container at room temperature to keep them from absorbing any moisture.

Pour the ingredients for the dressing in a large jar, close tightly with a lid and keep it in the fridge.

Storage

Store any leftover salad in the fridge, inside an airtight container for up to 3 days. The croutons will not be crunchy the next day, but that's okay.

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FAQ

How many cups of salad per person?

If you're serving this salad as a healthy side dish, you'll need 2 cups (about 100 grams).
If you want this salad for a party or buffet where you're serving more side dishes and appetizers, then you'll need approximately 1 cup of salad per person.

How do you make green salad taste better?

If you're searching of ways to make every green salad taste better, try some of the following tips. They will transform an everyday salad to a dish you won't get enough of:
1. Add ingredients with contrasting textures. If you're making a salad with greens, add something juicy (like tomatoes), something crunchy (such as radishes and nuts), and something with a bite like croutons or cheese.
2. Use a lot of colors. Veggies with different colors not only add visual interest, but they also add flavor. Carrots, bell peppers, purple cabbage, tomatoes, radishes, onions, oranges, strawberries and apples are some colorful examples of crisp fresh veggies and fruit you can add to your everyday salad.
3. Add some herbs. Parsley, dill, chives, cilantro and mint will add a lot of flavor and aroma to a salad.
4. Make enough dressing. Nobody likes a sad-looking salad with hints of dressing scattered among the ingredients. The dressing should have some fat (such as olive oil), some acid to brighten all the flavors (vinegar or lemon juice) and maybe some sweetness (honey) to make you want more.
5. Jazz up the salad by using flavor boosters such as minced garlic, black pepper or cayenne pepper, olives, capers, soy sauce, cumin.
6. Taste and adjust the salt. Sometimes, an extra pinch of salt makes all the difference!

Is it Greek or green salad?

Greek and green salad are two different salads.
A Greek salad (also known as Horiatiki) is a traditional salad eaten in Greece consisting of chopped tomatoes, cucumbers, onion, green bell pepper, olives and feta cheese.
Green salad is every salad made with leafy greens (such as lettuce, kale, spinach) as the main ingredient.

Best tossed green salad for a crowd (easy recipe)