easy parmesan green salad

You might have two red flags popping up in your mind about this recipe. First red flag: it breaks one of the Dahlia Kitchen “rules” about salads; that they should have lots of yummy and varied toppings. Second red flag: it looks like someone tore up lettuce, threw it in a bowl, snapped a few photos, and called it a “recipe.” Well, both of these statements are basically true. So here’s my elevator pitch: sometimes you need a simple green salad to complement a meal and you don’t want to spend hours, nay, even half of an hour throwing one together. This is meant to be the easiest salad in your repertoire, and if you want to add a topping, like croutons or tomatoes, go right ahead, it’s a perfect base for nearly anything you’d add from your quarantine cupboard. However, should you eat this salad as written, you won’t be disappointed. The dressing is bright and flavorful, the parmesan salty and nutty, and combined with fresh lettuce it is certainly not a boring trio.

EASY PARMESAN GREEN SALAD
serves 4-6 as a side salad

Ingredients:
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons champagne vinegar
1 teaspoon garlic granules
2 teaspoons nutritional yeast
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
8 oz green leaf lettuce
3 oz parmesan, freshly grated
kosher salt, if needed, for garnish*

Directions:
In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, champagne vinegar, garlic granules, nutritional yeast, and black pepper. Set aside. Rinse each leaf of lettuce in the coldest water from your tap, then tear into bite sized pieces and spin in a salad spinner to get rid of the excess water (if you don’t have a salad spinner, dry each leaf with a towel before tearing apart).

When ready to serve, toss the dressing with the lettuce in a medium-large bowl until evenly coated. Add parmesan and toss some more. Taste the salad and add a pinch or two of kosher salt if needed.

Serve as a side salad and eat as is, or feel free to add any desired toppings.

*the parmesan adds a lot of saltiness, so don’t add any salt until the end, if needed