This vibrant, fresh salad is the perfect balance of crisp greens, colorful veggies, and a deliciously tangy barrel aged balsamic vinegar. Ideal for two, it's a versatile dish that can be customized to suit your cravings. Top it with your favorite protein, like grilled chicken or steak, to turn it into a satisfying main course. OR, serve it as a light side to complement your favorite meats. Simple, tasty, and easy to make-this salad is all about enjoying it your way!
Ever since I discovered Blazing Bella Balsamic Vinegar, I've been adding it to just about everything! My latest favorite use was drizzling it over Bruschetta on Homemade Sourdough, and it was absolutely mouthwatering!
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Ingredients
Fresh ingredients are always the way to go! While this recipe is fully customizable to suit your taste, these specific toppings complement the tangy balsamic vinegar perfectly. Feel free to get creative and add your own twist-I'd love to hear about any new toppings you discovered and enjoyed in the reviews!
Salad Ingredients
- Cucumber
- Red Onion
- Bell Pepper - color doesn't matter, but anything other than a green pepper will leave a fun pop or color for your salad.
- Romaine Lettuce
- Sunflower Seeds
- Sweet Tomatoes - vine ripe tomatoes are best, but any 'sweet' tomato will work!
- Basil - topped with fresh basil was ideal, but if all you have is dried basil, mix it into your salt, pepper and garlic powder mixture before serving.
- Parmesan Cheese, freshly shredded
- Salt, Pepper and Garlic Powder
Dressing Ingredients
- Blazing Bella Barrel Aged Balsamic Vinegar - This can easily be a stand alone dressing! Paired with an infused olive oil just places it in a category of perfection!
- Blazing Bella Olive Oil - Choose from a regular or garlic infused olive oil. Both are great!
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
- Step 1: Chop romaine lettuce. Slice onion and basil leaves. Cut tomatoes into fourths.
- Step 2: Peel and remove seeds from cucumber. Cut into ½ moons. Remove seeds and slice the bell pepper.
- Step 3: Place lettuce, cucumber, onion, pepper, tomatoes into salad bowls and top with sunflower seeds.
- Step 4: Sprinkle salt, pepper and garlic powder on top of salad. Drizzle olive oil and barrel aged balsamic vinegar over the salad. Finish with basil and parmesan cheese.
Tip!
I think to leave ingredients chopped into bite sizes so the fork can grab multiple tastes. Chopping to finely will leave you battling for a good bite, so beware!
Substitutions
Don't forget to make this recipe yours! If you're missing an ingredient, work with what you have on hand. Here are some more options.
- Onion - Red onions can be a strong flavor... Using a white, sweet or Vidalia onion are good alternatives.
- Lettuce - Don't feel stuck on using Romaine. Spring Mix salads are full of fun flavors! Arugula, kale and spinach all work lovely!
- Protein - Make it a meal all on its own by adding in more protein. Grilled chicken or steak pair perfectly! Chick peas also make a great addition if you're looking for a vegetarian option.
- Cheese - By leaving out the cheese completely, you're cutting out dairy! If you'd like a vegan friendly option, check out this Balsamic Fig Cheese substitute!
Equipment and Helpful Items
Blazing Bella Oils and Vinegar - This is a complete sample set so you can try them before you commit! You won't regret it. These infused oils and vinegars will have you hooked. Try the Strawberry Vinegar over a strawberry salad 😉
Storage
Store the wet ingredients (dressing) separately from the dry ingredients (vegetables). Salad ingredients can last up to 4 days.
More Salads
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Recipe
Salad with Barrel Aged Balsamic Vinegar
Ingredients
- 1 Head Romaine Lettuce
- ¼ Red Onion small
- 1 Cucumber
- ½ Bell Pepper or 3 small snack sized peppers
- 4 Sweet Tomatoes small vine ripe
- 1 teaspoon Dried Basil or 4 large Basil Leaves
- 2 tablespoon Sunflower Seeds roasted
- ¾ teaspoon Salt
- ¾ teaspoon Pepper
- 1 teaspoon Garlic Powder
- 2½ tablespoon Blazing Bella Barrel Aged Balsamic Vinegar
- 4 tablespoon Blazing Bella Olive Oil
- ¼ Cup Parmesan Cheese freshly shredded
Instructions
- Chop romaine lettuce. Slice onion and basil leaves. Cut tomatoes into fourths.
- Peel and remove seeds from cucumber. Cut into ½ moons. Remove seeds and slice the bell pepper.
- Place lettuce, cucumber, onion, pepper, tomatoes into salad bowls and top with sunflower seeds.
- Sprinkle salt, pepper and garlic powder on top of salad. Drizzle olive oil and barrel aged balsamic vinegar over the salad. Finish with basil and parmesan cheese.
Nutrition
Pairing
Pair your Balsamic Glaze Salad with these Main Course meals:
Chef Tim Clowers says
My wife and I love salads and hopefully this will be one of your favorites as well.