Makes 4-ish servings

Notes:

It’s summer salad szn, and we love it. We’ve spoken often of our fondness for Hetty McKinnon’s recipes, who is our salad queen. This year, we’re adopting her fun, bright approach to veggies, and adding plenty of crunch.,

Though we love salads now, we didn’t always care for them. Growing up, it wasn’t dinnertime without a bag of wilted iceberg blend, replete with some shredded carrots and perhaps a leaf of red cabbage - we’re sure many of you are familiar with this 90s phenom. Then came the sad spring mix of our 20s, which we threw out more than we care to admit.

Thankfully, bagged and boxed salads have come along way, and we now keep them in rotation. And, we’ve expanded our definition of salad: lettuce - which can be blah and soggy - doesn’t need to be the main ingredient. Here, other veggies - both fresh and cooked - take center stage.

Have your littles tear up the basil, crumble the parm crisps, dump the chickpeas, and toss everything together.

Swaps:

You could use another hearty baby green like spinach or kale, but we love the pepperiness of the arugula here - especially of this red arugula.
To make this pescatarian, swap in some tuna packed in olive oil or cook, flaked salmon.
You could swap another cured meat, or some pre-cooked and coined Italian sausage for the salami.
Literally any other roasted veggie could be swapped for the roasted red peppers. Zucchini or eggplant would be particularly good.
You could use any number of beans - chickpea, cannellini, barlotti, etc.
If you can’t find pearls or ciliegine, just tear up a ball of fresh mozzarella (this is a great assignment for the kiddos!). In a pinch, you would even use some chopped string cheese and we know you all have those.

Product recs:

We used Trader Joe’s herbed chickpeas, and barely needed to dress the salad. Stock up on those babies and save yourself a step.
Use a nice olive oil for drizzling - like Graza.
We’re currently obsessed with our Acid League rose vinegar. Pro tip: sprinkle it on your strawberries with a lil pinch of sugar, a splash of vanilla and a sprinkle of salt for perfectly macerated strawberries.
Applegate Turkey salami or bust.
Buy an assortment of olives and peppers from the olive bar at your local grocery store.

Add-ons:

Bread. Obviously, a nice loaf of crusty bread - say a garlicky focaccia or ciabatta - would be perfect with this.
Hard boiled eggs for ever more protein.
Poached, halved haricot vert.
You want to really wow them? Throw in a box of (cooked, obviously) cheese or spinach tortellini for the perfect picnic or potluck item.
They’re just coming into season, but any summer stone fruit - say a firm peach nectarines - would be beautiful here.

Equipment:

Spatula
Cutting board
Knife
Salad bowl for serving.

Ingredients:

~1 cup olives of your choosing - some type of combination works well
~1 cup roasted or marinated pepper
~1 cup cherry tomatoes
1 pint ciligene or pearls
Turkey salami
Mini roasted red peppers or strips
1 x 14 oz can chickpeas
1 container parm crisps (optional, but go on now)
2 small cucumbers
A few sprigs of basil
Drizzle of olive oil
Squeeze of lemon or drizzle of red wine vinegar
Hefty pinch of salt and pepper

Steps:

Prep your ingredients:

If desired, halve you olives
Slice your cherry tomatoes in half through the stem.
Slice or cube your cucumber as desired.
Drain your mozz balls, slice them in half.

Assemble/layer your salad:

Mix all your prepped ingredients together in a large salad or serving bowl.
Throw in a few handfuls of arugula.
Strip your leaves from the basil stems, roughly tear them, and toss them in the bowl as well.
Generously dress the salad with a drizzle the salad with olive oil, a squeeze of lemon or drizzle off vinegar, and a hefty pinche of salt and pepper.

That’s it! Toss with a spatular, serve and enjoy!

Antipasto Salad