Add a flavor punch to a traditional garden salad! This Zesty Marinated Garden Salad is easy to make ahead and use for a quick side on a busy night.
Zesty Marinated Garden Salad
{Referral links are used in this post.}
Tomatoes are one of the things we are very good at growing. (Very tall weeds are a close second to the tomatoes.) And when your husband just has to plant more than 20 tomato plants every single year, you know you’re going to be eating a lot of tomatoes! This salad is a delicious (and simple) way to enjoy fresh tomatoes, and a quick side to whip up for any meal.
Our green bell peppers are doing really well this year, too, so I decided to add some of those to this salad. If you don’t like peppers, you can go with the classic combination of tomatoes and cucumbers. Or add celery. Or green beans. Or whatever vegetable your heart desires (and your kids will eat). Sweet corn would be really good in this, too!
When you’re prepping the salad, chop the vegetables into pieces that are about the same size. You don’t want tiny cucumber slices with huge tomato chunks. It will taste delicious no matter how you chop your vegetables, so don’t stress about it. But it’s easier to eat if things are roughly the same size. (And it looks prettier, too!)
I used Kraft Zesty Italian Salad Dressing for the marinade. (I used the fat-free version of that salad dressing, because we’re coming down off a month of fried fair food…) I was looking for an Italian dressing with more of a “kick” to really give these veggies some flavor. Use whatever Italian dressing you like. The milder the flavor of the dressing, the milder the flavor of your salad will be.
Chop up those veggies and let them soak in the marinade for a couple of hours before you’re ready to eat. The morning of or the night before is great if you’re trying to get dinner on the table for a busy family. Serve the marinated veggies over bagged lettuce (we like spring greens) and topped off with some croutons, or just dish it right out on your plate, no extra stuff needed!
Enjoy!
How to Store Fresh Produce
Have you ever wondered how to keep all those fresh fruits and vegetables, well, fresh? Get our best tips here, and grab your copy of the free printable to keep handy!
3 Ways to Take the Fear Out of This Recipe
- How to Marinate
- How to Store Fresh Produce – free printable!
- Summer Fruits & Vegetables in Season – free printable!
3 More Recipes to Try
Printable Recipe Card for Zesty Marinated Garden Salad
Zesty Marinated Garden Salad
Ingredients
- 2 large tomatoes
- 2 cucumbers
- 2 bell peppers
- 1 cup Kraft Zesty Italian Salad Dressing or Italian salad dressing of your choice
- Optional: lettuce croutons
Instructions
- Wash and chop all vegetables to approximately the same size.
- Place vegetables in a large bowl.
- Pour Italian dressing over vegetables. Using a soft silicone spatula, gently stir to coat vegetables with the dressing.
- Cover and refrigerate for 3-4 hours (or overnight).
- Serve as is, or serve over lettuce and topped with croutons.
Shared on:
Wow! I only have 6 tomato plants and can hardly keep up (can only eat a few BLT’s at a time) I also have the cucumbers and peppers in my garden. Will definitely give this a try. I love Ken’s Greek Dressing for flavors. Thank you
Great idea to marinate the veggies in this salad! Salads are essential in our house. 🙂
My pleasure, Gail. I hope you enjoy it! Ken’s Greek Dressing would also be a great one to use in this kind of salad!