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The Little Green Salad

This simple green side salad recipe is made with Parmesan and toasted nuts, tossed in lemon dressing. Fun seasonal variations are included.

Updated by Kathryne Taylor on April 14, 2026

13 Reviews

44CommentsJump to recipe

Meet your go-to side salad recipe! Like a little black dress, this little green salad is versatile and easy to throw together at a moment’s notice. It starts with a base of leafy greens, plus hefty handfuls of freshly-toasted nuts and grated Parmesan cheese. My zippy lemon vinaigrette brings it all together.

You can easily dress up this salad to suit the seasons or better tailor it to your meal. You’ll find five variations listed below for inspiration. Every cook needs a basic green salad recipe in her repertoire. It’s a fundamental building block, and I’m happy to share mine with you today.

Simple Side Salad Ingredients

You’ll find the full recipe below, but here’s what you’ll need to make this lovely salad in its simplest form.

• Leafy greens: Baby arugula, spring greens, little gem or romaine lettuce. Peppery arugula is my default, but any tender lettuce will do.
• Nuts or seeds: Pine nuts, sunflower seeds, sliced almonds or chopped pecans. Freshly toasted nuts offer superior flavor, so I included toasting instructions within the recipe.
• Cheese: You can’t go wrong with savory, salty, freshly grated Parmesan. If you’re interested in alternatives, try an aged cheddar like Kerrygold, or crumbled feta or goat cheese.
• Lemon dressing: I scaled down my beloved lemon vinaigrette recipe to suit one bag of greens. You could go ahead and make the full batch if you’d like more for future salads.

Seasonal Variations

I often serve the salad as-is, or dress it up with some seasonal ingredients. It just depends on my energy level and meal aspirations.

• Thinly sliced cucumbers, radishes and almonds: Perfect for spring.
• Sliced cherry tomatoes, avocado and sunflower seeds: This option has summer garden vibes.
• Raspberries, blackberries, or sliced strawberries and almonds: Sweet and lovely from spring through summer.
• Thinly sliced fennel and pine nuts: A gourmet option that is the perfect beginning to a vibrant Italian meal.
• Thinly sliced apple or pear, dried cranberries and toasted chopped pecans: Serve this one in the cooler months.

Serving Suggestions

The flavors in this green salad pair well with most main courses, especially those with an Italian or Mediterranean flair. Pasta, pesto, pizza and bruschetta come to mind. Even though I’m not much of a meat eater, I think it would also go well with fish, chicken or steak.

Of course, your servings don’t have to be little. The more greens we eat, the better off we’ll be! This green side salad is the perfect way to balance a heavier main dish.

Please let me know what you think of it in the comments. I’d be super pleased if this LGS became your new favorite side salad, too.

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The Little Green Salad

• Author: Kathryne Taylor
• Prep Time: 10 mins
• Cook Time: 5 minutes
• Total Time: 15 minutes
• Yield: 6 side salads

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 13 reviews

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This simple green side salad is made with Parmesan and toasted nuts, tossed in lemon dressing. It’s wonderful in its simplest form, but you can add my suggested seasonal variations or put your own spin on it. Recipe yields 6 to 8 side salads. 

Ingredients

Salad 

• 5 ounces arugula or leafy greens
• ½ cup small nuts or seeds (pine nuts, sunflower seeds, sliced almonds or chopped pecans)
• ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese or aged cheddar, like Kerrygold

Lemon vinaigrette

• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice (from about 2 lemons)
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• ½ tablespoon honey or maple syrup, to taste
• 1 medium clove garlic, pressed or minced
• ⅛ teaspoon fine salt
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Suggested variations

• Sliced cherry tomatoes, avocado and sunflower seeds
• Thinly sliced cucumbers, radishes and almonds
• Thinly sliced fennel and pine nuts
• Raspberries, blackberries, or sliced strawberries and almonds
• Thinly sliced apple or pear, dried cranberries and toasted chopped pecans

Instructions

1. To toast the nuts or seeds, cook them in a medium skillet over medium-low heat, stirring often, until they’re fragrant and starting to turn golden, about 3 to 5 minutes. Set them aside to cool.
2. To make the dressing, combine all of the ingredients and whisk until blended. Season generously with black pepper and adjust to taste by adding more honey if the dressing tastes too tart. 
3. In a mixing bowl, combine the greens, nuts and cheese. Add most of the dressing and toss until the salad is lightly coated throughout (you might have some leftover dressing). If desired, toss in the suggested add-ins. Serve promptly. Leftover salad dressing will keep in the fridge for up to 10 days.

Notes

Make it nut free: Use sunflower seeds or pepitas (green pumpkin seeds) instead of nuts. 

Make it dairy free/vegan: Omit the cheese. You might like a sprinkle of vegan Parmesan instead, although it’s good without. To make it vegan, use maple syrup instead of honey. 

2026 recipe edits: I made the dressing match the proportions and ingredients in my lemon vinaigrette, since I prefer the more complex flavor that it offers. I also added more flavor variations.

Nutrition

The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.

• Category: Salad