Name: Simple Salad with Homemade Horseradish Dressing
Prep time: 10 min
Ingredients: 2 bunches Romaine Lettuce (chopped); 1/2 cup Shredded Carrots; Half a Red Onion (sliced thin); 8 oz Pine Nuts (toasted (see recipe for instructions)); Parmesan Cheese (to taste); 6 Tbsp Olive Oil; 2 Tbsp Lemon Juice; 2 Cloves Garlic (minced); 2 tsp Horseradish; 2 tsp Dijon Mustard; Salt & Pepper (to taste)

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This simple salad is paired with a healthy, addictive homemade salad dressing. It has become a repeat side dish for weeknight dinners in our household, and I am sure it will in yours, too! All 3 of my kids, from 5 to 11 years old, love this salad!

simple salad with shredded carrots, red onion and pine nuts on a plate beside steak — I like to pair this salad with a simple protein for an easy, healthy (and low carb) meal.

Why You’ll Love this Simple Salad with Homemade Salad Dressing

I love to serve a side salad with dinner, and I love it even more when my kids actually get excited about it. My kids love this salad. We jokingly call it the “sour patch kid salad”, because the first time I served it they joked that the pine nuts look like dried up sour patch kids and the horseradish in the dressing makes it taste a tiny bit “sour” according to my 5 year old. If you love the taste of horseradish, you’ll love this!

Here are a few reasons you’ll love this salad recipe:

Quick & easy to throw together
Just a few ingredients
Pairs well with almost any dinner
Your whole family will love it
Easy to customize to your liking

simple salad with homemade horseradish dressing

What You’ll Need to Make This Recipe

One of the things I love about this recipe is how simple it is. You just need a handful of ingredients for both the salad and the dressing. Get the full recipe in the recipe card below. Here’s a summary of what you’ll need for this simple salad recipe:

For the Salad

Romaine Lettuce, chopped
Shredded Carrots
Red Onion, sliced thin
Pine Nuts, toasted (see recipe for instructions)
Parmesan Cheese

For the Dressing

Olive Oil
Lemon, for lemon juice
Garlic, minced
Horseradish
Dijon Mustard
Salt & Pepper

lettuce in a large glass bowl topped with shredded carrot, pine nuts and sliced red onions on a white countertop beside a cut lemon and a small dish of salad dressing

How to Make This Easy Salad with Homemade Dressing

Everyone needs an easy, fresh side recipe in their back pocket, so save this one! Here are the easy steps:

For the Dressing:

Tip: I suggest making the dressing ahead of time so it can chill in the refrigerator, but if you forget, just throw it in the freezer while you finish the rest of dinner.

Combine all ingredients and stir well, then cover and refrigerate until time to serve.

For the Salad:

Chop romaine lettuce (unless you purchased pre-chopped), shred carrots (unless you purchased pre-shredded), and slice red onion into thin slices. Combine in a large bowl.
Place pine nuts in a single layer in a pan on medium heat. Continuously stir for 3-5 minutes, watching constantly. Once they start to brown and smell nutty, remove from the pan into a bowl to cool. Once they start to toast, they burn fast, so don’t get distracted.
Add the toasted pine nuts, parmesan cheese (to taste), chilled dressing and mix well.
Serve & enjoy!

Tip: If you don’t think you’ll eat it all at once, make individual servings before adding the dressing. It will keep well for a couple of days if not dressed. Once you add the dressing, it’s best to eat it the same day (especially if you’re like me and do not enjoy soggy lettuce).

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Simple Salad with Homemade Horseradish Dressing

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Prep Time 10

Course Salad

Cuisine American

Servings 8