How To Make Your Salad Restaurant-Style With Pantry Staples

Many people overlook the power of a good salad — not just nutritionally but in its capacity to present an array of flavors, colors, and textures all in one dish. If you've ever wondered how to make a really good restaurant-style salad in your own kitchen, the answer is simple: Stock your pantry with a few staple condiments so that you can always whip up a flavorful dressing for your recipe. Specifically, I like to keep nonperishable pantry ingredients for a flavorful dressing like quality olive oils, a variety of vinegars, and sweet and savory condiments. Think: extra virgin olive oil, a good balsamic vinegar reduction, honey or maple syrup, apple cider vinegar, quality mustards, or tahini. 

Growing up, my parents always served salad with dinner. Into my 30s, I still crave a good salad (thanks Mom and Dad). But for me, the difference between a boring salad that you dread and one you look forward to eating is all in the dressing. When I go to a restaurant, if the server hands me a bottle of oil and vinegar to pour onto my own salad, I leave underwhelmed, no matter how interesting the salad toppings. If they dress the greens in a bright, flavorful dressing, it makes all the difference. Similarly, you can stock your pantry with condiments to make a variety of flavorful salad dressings to serve on a bed of greens that means business — and doesn't take long to throw together. 

When it comes to dressing your salad, whether it's made with kale, arugula, or spinach, you'll first want to take into consideration the flavor of the greens when crafting a dressing from pantry ingredients. For instance, for hardy greens like kale, I like something with a bit of acidity to cut the bitterness. The same goes for a green like arugula, which has a somewhat spicy flavor. Sometimes this can mean massaging your greens with a simple mix of lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Other times, it can entail a simple yet flavorful apple cider vinaigrette dressing with honey, olive oil, salt, and pepper. For something a bit more creamy, whisk together sesame dressing with condiments like tahini, rice vinegar, sesame oil, mirin, and soy sauce. 

If you've got spinach in the fridge and want to give it a restaurant-style salad facelift, know that the earthy flavor of the greens is easily uplifted with sweet notes. So look to the pantry for ingredients for a balsamic vinaigrette, or mix up a dressing with Dijon mustard, olive oil, honey, salt, and pepper. Plus, you can add a little cayenne pepper from the pantry for a little spicy heat. In addition to keeping your pantry stocked with flavorful oils, vinegars, and condiments to equip your salad with restaurant-style flavor anytime, it's also helpful to keep a variety of nuts and dried fruit on hand to enhance a bed of mixed greens in a pinch.