How to make a Composed Salad, perfect for salads any time of the year!

What is a Composed Salad? Why not come and take a look at how easy it is to make one in just a a moment or two, using your favorite ingredients, plus we offer eight of our favorites to enjoy!

Why write a post on something so simple to do, you don't really need a recipe? 

Well, we have spent the last three days traveling over 1200 miles in a search for our next property. Not only were we tired each evening when turning into bed for the night. But as I looked back on our meals for the day, they were sadly lacking in vegetables and a piece of fruit, yikes! 

Usually, when we travel we take along our little 5thwheel and I have learned to use the small but efficient kitchen to turn out virtually the same meals we eat at home. In other words, meals with lots of vegetables along with some fruit. I love to create new dishes, and also as a food blogger, many times in the evenings I will think about what I want to cook and bake the next day. 

We were on such a tight schedule, our meals were not up to par.

But on this trip, the only thing I kept thinking about was how sad our "grab it and let's get going" meals were...which lead to this post How to Make a Composed Salad. You see a composed salad is nothing more than a combination of vegetables and or fruit, arranged on a serving plate or platter, then top dressed with seasonings and/or a vinaigrette or creamy salad dressing. Yep, really, that's all they are!

I would be remiss if I didn't say that the best part of a Composed Salad is adaptability. They are easy to assemble at the last moment and are sure to add more vegetables and some fruit to your meals. In my book of how life should be, this makes them one of the easiest and most creative salads to make. There is no wrong, if you like two or three vegetables together, they will make a delicious salad for you to enjoy. 

How does one go about making a composed salad?

The secret to creating a Composed Salad is compatible textures, flavors, and the food displayed to encourage your dining companions to help themselves! It is not as hard as it might seem. If you like the flavors together that is what counts because you are cooking for yourself and your family. Come and take a look at some of the combinations we have enjoyed and then turn on your own creativity for a composed salad for yourself and those you dine with! 

I hope you also give these eight salads a try! Some are spur of the moment and the rest are recipes from the archives. It turns out I have been making composed salads for years and years, and they really are some of the best ways to get the veggies and fruits in our meals with out complaints!  

Green bean salads are a favorite around here because green beans often fall into the "it's so boring" category. Which is a real pity. Because green beans are easy to grow, fun to pick, and they blanch up in a minute! Needless to say, this is a fun salad to make with younger cooks, whether they helped in the garden or went with you to visited a farmers market! You will find Bistro Style Mustard and Shallot Vinaigrette in our archives. 

Directions for Green Bean Tomato and Egg Composed Salad:

Blanch the green beans until tender, drain quickly, and plunge into ice water to chill and stop the cooking. Drain well when chilled, then proceed. 

Combine the green beans, wedges of hard-cooked eggs, and cherry or grape tomatoes on a serving platter and drizzle with our Bistro Style Mustard and Shallot Vinaigrette. 

When it comes to a super easy lunch, a protein based composed salad is the answer! But then again, this is just as delicious for dinner...Three simple ingredients that taste refreshing together! In our house kiwis are a bit like bananas, at first not ripe enough then all systems are go! This is a tasty way to use them up.

Directions for Cottage Cheese Kiwi and Honey Composed Salad. 

Place a scoop of cottage cheese into a serving bowl, add one or two peeled and diced kiwi, then drizzle with a teaspoon of honey. Yep, that's it! Easy and delicious.

Sometimes a Composed Salad will be right in your refrigerator just waiting to be arranged, dressed, and enjoyed. That is exactly how this salad of mixed spicy sprouts, grated carrot and avocado came to be! It is not necessarily the prettiest of salads, but is is so good! You will find the recipe for Julia's Caesar Dressing in our archives. 

Directions for Sprouts Carrot and Avocado Salad. 

Peel one or two carrots, grate and set aside. Cut the avocado in half, remove the seed and discard. Cut the avocado halves in half once again, remove the peel from each piece and cut into wedges. Arrange the sprouts, grated carrots and the avocado wedges on individual serving plates, drizzle with Julia's Caesar Dressing. 

 

This was such a refreshing combination! So easy, and quite pretty when arranged on the serving platter. Texture compatibility between the items on the platter is always a consideration and I loved how well avocado and fresh pears taste together as well as the overall texture of the salad. This salad is best made at the last minute and then served. You will find Parsley Honey and Lemon Salad Dressing in our archives. 

Directions for Pear and Avocado Composed Salad: 

Wash and dry the pears. Set aside.  Peel the avocado, and cut it in half. Remove the seed. cut each half into wedges. Cut each pear in half, then into quarters, then carefully cut out the core. Cut into wedges the same size as the avocado wedges. Arrange the wedges on a platter, and generously drizzle with Parsley Honey and Lemon Salad Dressing. You may follow the recipe as written here. 

This beautiful cottage cheese salad is one of our favorites. But in reality if you already have Za'atar Seasoning ready to go, you can certainly plate this salad up on a moments notice. You will find our recipe for Mediterranean Cottage Cheese Salad with Za'atar Tomatoes and Olives in the archives. 

Directions for Mediterranean Cottage Cheese Composed Salad:

Wash the grape or cherry tomatoes, cut them in half lengthwise, and set them aside. Slice the olives and set them aside. Pile the cottage in a serving bowl or onto a platter, and evenly scatter the tomatoes and olives over the top. Then sprinkle generously with the Za'atar Seasoning. You may follow the recipe as written here. 

Fresh cooked beets, Feta cheese, and Balsamic Vinegar. Those ingredients were assembled into this delicious salad while cooking in my small RV kitchen during our year of volunteerism with the National Parks Service. Simple ingredients always stand out when cooked fresh and served with pride. You can also find the complete recipe for Simple 3 Ingredient Beet Salad in the archives. 

 Directions for 3 Ingredient Beet and Feta Composed Salad:

Wash the fresh beets to remove any grit. You may simmer on the stove in plenty of fresh water to cover until tender or you may use your Instant Pot to cook them without overheating your kitchen! When cool enough to handle, slip the skins, dice them into bite-sized pieces, add a generous handful of crumbled Feta and drizzle with Balsamic Vinegar. You may also follow the recipe as written here. 

This is the salad that started my journey of making composed salads. How could this beautiful platter of food not inspire? When an idea turns out so delicious and beautiful it is a great day in the kitchen, whether you are a food blogger or you cook for those you love. You can find Avocado Caprese Salad in the archives. 

Directions for Avocado Caprese Composed Salad:

Wash and slice Roma-style tomatoes, and set them aside. Peel and remove the pit from the avocado. Cut into slices, and set them aside. Carefully slice the fresh Mozzarella Cheese and arrange it on a platter, next add the sliced tomatoes, then the avocado slices. Scatter basil leaves (purple if you can find it!) over the top and drizzle with the Balsamic vinegar. You may also follow the recipe as written here. 

This beautiful starter salad is nothing more than a simple composed salad. Which is exactly why it makes a lovely starter salad. Why stress yourself out with a difficult starter when you can serve something that not only tastes wonderful, but looks lovely and was so easy to make!? You will find Fresh Pear with Gorgonzola Balsamic Vinegar and Toasted Walnuts in our archives. 

Directions for Fresh Pear with Gorgonzola Composed Salad:

Wash, dry and cut pears in half. Using a melon baller or a teaspoon carefully remove the core. Place a pear half on each plate. Scatter Gorgonzola cheese and toasted walnuts over each pear half. Drizzle with balsamic vinegar and then crown with a few leaves of flat leaf parsley. You may follow the recipe as written here. 

UPDATED: 03.01.2023

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