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up close photo of a house salad topped with cucumbers, cheese, tomatoes, and croutons.
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5 from 1 vote

House Salad

Bring your favorite restaurant starter home with this Easy House Salad! It's loaded with fresh vegetables, crunchy croutons, a sprinkle of cheese, and crumbled bacon bits! Simply toss everything together and serve with your favorite dressing for a great side dish that's the perfect accompaniment for easy weeknight dinners!
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time5 minutes
Total Time15 minutes
Course: Anytime, Appetizer, Dinner, Lunch, Salad
Cuisine: American
Servings: 4
Calories: 251kcal
Author: Britney

Equipment

  • 1 Mixing Bowl

Ingredients

  • 6 cups Romaine Lettuce or Leafy Green of choice about 2 heads of lettuce (chopped)
  • ½ Red Onion (thinly sliced)
  • 1 Slicing Cucumber (sliced)
  • 1 cup Grape Tomatoes
  • ½ cup Shredded Carrots
  • 1 ½ cups Croutons (more or less as desired)
  • ½ cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese (optional)
  • ½ cup Bacon Bits (optional)

Instructions

  • Start by washing all of your vegetables and draining off as much water as possible.
  • Roughly chop lettuce and add to a large bowl. Slice cucumbers and red onions and toss together in the salad. Top with grape tomatoes, shredded carrots, and croutons.
  • If using shredded cheese and bacon bits, add those on top along with any additional toppings.

Notes

Tips
    • Do not use pre-shredded cheese. If you're using cheese, shred block cheese with a grater for the best flavor!
    • Wash your veggies! Before assembling the salad, be sure to rinse your vegetables thoroughly. Pat dry or drain off as much of the water as possible to prevent the salad from getting soggy.
    • Rinse veggies with cold water to keep them nice and crisp!
Variations
  • Add proteins! If you have any cut up chicken breasts or a rotisserie chicken, add on top of this salad. Sliced steak, salmon, and tofu are also a great way to add some protein to your salad.
  • Top with nuts! I love a good crunch on top of my salad. You can add candied pecans, walnuts, crushed peanuts, even cashews or pistachios to add some extra pizzazz to your salad.
  • Get creative with dressings! I love honey mustard dressing, caesar salad dressing, and poppyseed dressing. Sometimes I just mix together a little fresh lemon juice or apple cider vinegar and extra virgin olive oil. Use your favorite salad dressing.
  • Add your favorite fruits and veggies! Blueberries, strawberries, mandarin orange slices, corn, avocadoes, and apples are all amazing toppings that really liven up this simple salad, just to name a few.
  • Gluten-Free option: use gluten free croutons and a gluten free dressing.
  • Vegetarian option: omit the bacon bits!

Nutrition

Calories: 251kcal | Carbohydrates: 25g | Protein: 16g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 3mg | Sodium: 709mg | Potassium: 502mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 9207IU | Vitamin C: 13mg | Calcium: 143mg | Iron: 2mg