This simple salad recipe makes the best house salad that goes with anything! Made with simple greens and add-ins, this is the side salad of all side salad recipes!

For years, I’ve shared main dish salads like my chef salad, steak salad, and even my buffalo chicken salad. And those are definitely all keepers. But one thing that I haven’t shared until now is our very favorite house salad recipe. This is THE salad that I make when I am not serving a salad as the main dish. Some may call it a side salad, some call it a house salad.

Similar to how we started calling our house seasoning mix, Stone House Seasoning, this salad was named. (I never claimed we were super creative people! 🙂 ). Since my last name is Stone and this is our house salad (like our house seasoning), that’s the name.

It may seem a bit odd to share such a basic salad recipe. And it most likely is. But, when my son left for college, we began thinking of all the basic dishes I make that he will most likely want to make on his own. This salad was one of the things at the top of the list. If you already have a favorite salad that you make at your house, you may want to just scroll on by this one. If not, I hope you give it a try.

House Salad Basics

Bite Sized. Since our son was just a little fella, I’ve always chopped our salads so that they were in bite-sized pieces. It may take a couple of minutes more on my part while preparing the salad, but it makes it much easier to eat.

Prep Ahead. I love to prepare as much of the salad ahead of time for an even easier meal time. I store the ingredients in separate, airtight containers in the refrigerator.

Basic Ingredients. Through the years, I have found the basic ingredients and combinations to include in my house salad that everyone loves. While these are our basic ingredients, you can add in whatever fresh vegetables you have lying about that you prefer. I love to also include chopped bell pepper, squash, or zucchini, or even mix in kale or spinach if I have it that needs to be used. Use what you have!

Basic House Salad Ingredients

• Salad Greens – we prefer either spring mix salad greens or roughly torn butter lettuce.
• Tomatoes – we love tomatoes, from those we grow in our garden during the summer months to little cherry tomatoes from the produce stand. We just love them!
• Cucumber – we love to include cucumber in our house salad. You can use your favorite.
• Carrots – carrots add a bit of sweetness and crunch to the salad. I love to add sliced, diced, or even shaved carrots to the salad.
• Green onions – I love to include sliced green onions in my house salad for an extra bit of flavor to the salad. If someone is sensitive to onions, simply omit them or serve them on the side as a garnish.
• Cheese – Cheddar cheese is always a favorite, but use whatever cheese you prefer if you can have cheese. If not, simply omit it. We also love to use shaved Parmesan or mozzarella from time to time.
• Croutons – Take a few moments to make these delectable croutons for your salad. You won’t regret it.

How to Make Ahead and Store

As mentioned above, I like to prepare all of my ingredients ahead of time and store them in separate containers in the refrigerator. This allows me to quickly assemble my house salad, having prepped all of the ingredients ahead of time. I generally prep ingredients twice per week.

Favorite Salad Dressings to Serve with this Salad

Buttermilk Ranch Dressing

Balsamic Vinaigrette

Honey Mustard

Here’s my easy Stone House Salad recipe. I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!