Easy Dinner Side Salad with Lemon Juice
An easy dinner side salad that changes things up a bit with shaved Pecorino Romano, toasted pine nuts, and lemon juice.
Nothing fancy here today. Just a simple side salad—but with a little something extra.
I’ve always found garden salads to be pretty dull. A jumble of chopped up crudités, lettuce, and a mundane dressing. To be fair, a dinner side salad shouldn’t be complex—but does it have to be so bland? No. And that’s where this lemony mix comes in. We’re not even using dressing here! Just straight up lemon juice massaged into your greens for a bright, tangy, and even flavor.
Easy ingredients!
Even though this salad isn’t your typical side salad, it’s a cinch to put together. Here’s what you’ll need:
- Any of your favorite mixed greens (here we’ve used artisan lettuce, but arugula is our favorite).
- Little tomatoes (anything like grape or cherry tomatoes).
- Shaved Pecorino Romano (you can also used shaved Parmesan).
- Toasted pine nuts (feel free to swap toasted pine nuts for toasted walnuts, almonds, or pecans).
- Freshly squeezed lemon juice (sometimes we use Tessamae’s Organic Lemon Garlic Dressing; it’s amazing).
Other additions worth considering:
- Thinly shaved red onion
- Sliced cucumbers
- Sliced radishes
- Microgreens
Some preparation tips.
- Massage your greens! Because we’re just using lemon juice as a dressing, we like to push it right into those greens as much as possible for all-over flavor. You’ve probably heard of “massaged kale” before, and even though it sounds ridiculous and pretentious, the method serves a purpose. Massaging your greens tenderizes them. Most simply greens don’t need to be tenderized in the way that kale does, but with this salad, really rubbing the lemon juice into the greens promises bright and tangy flavors in every bite.
- Shave that cheese. Thinly shaved shards of strong Pecorino Romano or Parmesan make for a delicious mouthful and that’s really all we have to say about that.
- Toast your nuts. Sure, you could toss some untoasted nuts over this salad, but toasting the nuts creates a warm rich flavor that can’t miss. So although this step isn’t necessary, we encourage it.
This salad pairs with most mains.
You can nestle this salad onto your plate next to pretty much any main dish. We’ve enjoyed this beauty with pasta, chicken, rice, you name it. Here’s are some of our favorite recipes to pair with this gem:
- Garlicky Rigatoni with Spinach and Toasted Breadcrumbs
- Instant Pot Pasta Primavera
- One Pan Herb and Garlic Chicken with Rice
- Easy Sheet Pan Chicken Philly Cheesesteaks
- Baked Flounder in Parchment Paper with Tomatoes and Pesto
Let us know what you think!
If you plan on making this recipe, be sure to snap a pic and tag us on Insta! @killing__thyme.
Get the Recipe:
Easy Dinner Side Salad with Lemon Juice
Ingredients
- 5 oz greens (arugula, artisan lettuce, spring mix, etc.), washed and pat dry
- 1 lemon, juiced
- 2 cups halved grape tomatoes
- 1/4 cup toasted pine nuts , You could also use walnuts, almonds, pecans, or hazelnuts.
- 1/2 cup shaved fresh Pecorino Romano or Parmesan
Instructions
- Place the washed greens into a large serving bowl. Squeeze fresh lemon juice over the greens and, with bare clean hands, gently rub the lemon juice into the leaves to evenly coat them all.
- Top the greens with the halved tomatoes, toasted nuts, and shaved cheese. Give the salad a quick toss, and serve.
