This Everyday Springtime Salad tastes so fresh and is easy to make - I love to use it as a simple side dish for pretty much any dinner or lunch!

An overhead shot of wooden plates with springtime everyday salad on top.

As promised, here is the second of three recipes this week that easily pair together as side dishes for a simple, cohesive dinner or lunch menu! This Everyday Springtime Salad is delicious with my 5 Ingredient Lemon Tahini Dressing and to complete the trio, Roasted Sesame Sweet Potatoes.

It has been my favorite salad lately to prep when I'm in a hurry and need a quick side dish to serve with rotisserie chicken, a sandwich, or pizza. The salad features light, delicate, refreshing ingredients that taste like springtime! This salad is perfect for everyday use and is a must in your recipe arsenal for a quick, go-to recipe that everyone will enjoy!

A wooden plate with everyday springtime salad on top with a fork on the side.

Ingredients

Like the name hints, this salad is full of fresh, tender ingrdients that taste and look like the early days of spring. Everything is easy to find and requires minimal prep - I'll bet you already have most of these in your fridge or pantry!

Tender spring mix greens - spring mix, spinach and spring mix blend, baby butter lettuces, or a mix of any of these are perfect for this salad. You want the greens to be tender and mildly-flavored.
Avocado - because I love avocado on pretty much any salad and tend to always have one that needs to be used in my kitchen. Plus green = spring!
Fresh dill - this is the only salad item you might not have on hand at the ready, but it can be used in so many springtime foods that it's worth keeping around for the season. Use it on freshly roasted potatoes, on cheddar scrambled eggs or cheddar scones, as a soup garnish, in salad dressings, or on this salad.
Parmesan - I recommend getting a good aged Parmesan wedge and freshly grating fine tendrils of it onto the salad before you toss everything together.
Dressing - see below!

A white bowl filled with springtime everyday salad with hands and utensils tossing the salad.

Recipe

In my mind, a springtime salad MUST include citrus of some sort. Citrus fruits are in season from mid-January through March, and are pretty much nature's tease of what's to come when we are are craving fresh flavor in the dead of winter. I always have fresh lemons on hand in my kitchen, so that is the main flavor I want to highlight in a sprintime salad.

Lemon - freshly-squeezed lemon juice is a must! The flavor of the bottled stuff can't even compare to fresh lemon juice in my opinion!
Tahini - simply a sesame seed paste. It's totally having a moment in recipes right now! Tahini makes for a deliciously creamy dressing that will perfectly coat the lettuce and veggies in a salad without adding a lot of fat.
Maple syrup - for depth of flavor and a hint of sweetness.
Garlic - just a pinch for balance and a savory element.
Salt and pepper - freshly-cracked coarse Kosher salt and freshly-cracked peppercorns (a medley or pink peppercorns are delish in this salad) are always necessary for dressing greens before you toss everything together to ensure your salad is flavorful.

Serve with

This salad would be delicious paired with Lemony Chicken Orzo Soup, Roasted Cauliflower Soup, Tuna and White Bean Salad, or Miso Maple Roasted Salmon.

Are you ready to make this Everyday Springtime Salad? I’m so excited for you to try this recipe! Once you get the chance to make it, please let me know how it turns out for you! Leave a comment and rate the recipe below.

I’d also love to feature your creation in my weekly newsletter, so you can upload a photo to Instagram with the tag @sweetcayenne5 to be featured! Quick and easy recipe videos are available on my YouTube channel, and you will find lots of menu inspiration on my Pinterest boards.

Recipe