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Chopped Vegetable Salad - Dinner at the Zoo

This vegetable salad is a fresh and colorful blend of chopped corn, cucumbers, tomatoes, red onion, peppers and green beans, all tossed together with fresh herbs in a homemade dressing. A quick and easy side dish that pairs well with grilled meats, salmon or shrimp.

In my opinion, you can never have enough summer salads! My family enjoys loaded grilled chicken salad, fresh and delicious corn salad and this amazingly delicious vegetable salad.

A bowl of chopped vegetable salad garnished with parsley.

Sometimes I’m just not in the mood for lettuce, and on those days, I turn to this crunchy chopped vegetable salads. It’s got plenty of great flavors and textures, and also happens to be quite simple to put together.

Vegetable Salad Ingredients

Bowls of vegetables including corn, green beans and tomatoes.

The primary components of this salad include corn, cucumber, tomato, red onion, bell pepper, green beans and fresh herbs. The dressing is a blend of olive oil, lemon juice, red wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, sugar, dried oregano, dried parsley, garlic powder, salt and pepper.

Bowls of ingredients to make salad dressing.

How do you make vegetable salad?

Start by preparing all your veggies and fresh herbs, then place them in a large bowl. It’s best if the vegetables are cut small into bite sized pieces. Next, make a dressing out of lemon juice, Dijon mustard, red wine vinegar, seasonings and olive oil. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss until well combined. Serve right away, or refrigerate for later use.

Step by step shots showing how to make salad dressing and assemble salad.

Tips for the perfect salad

  • You can use fresh, thawed from frozen or canned corn, whichever is available!
  • This recipe calls for blanched green beans, as I find they have better texture than raw beans. To blanch the green beans, place them in a pot of boiling salted water and cook for 3-4 minutes or until just tender. Remove the green beans from the pot, and transfer them to a bowl of ice water. This will stop the cooking process and retain their beautiful green color.
  • No cherry tomatoes on hand? Diced Roma tomatoes will also work just fine.
  • You can use any color bell pepper that you like. Red, orange and yellow bell peppers are sweeter than the green variety.
  • This salad is perfect for potlucks, and is great when served with grilled salmon or steak.
  • I typically use a variety of fresh herbs including dill, chives and parsley for maximum flavor.
A spoon serving up a portion of vegetable salad.

Recipe FAQs

What is the best vegetable for salad?

The best vegetables for salads are those that are enjoyable when eaten raw or perhaps lightly cooked. This particular recipe incorporates cucumbers, tomatoes, corn, green beans and bell peppers which happen to be some of the best candidates for salad. Other great options include artichoke hearts, shredded carrots and cabbage.

How long does salad last in the fridge?

Vegetable salad will stay fresh in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.

Veggie salad on a plate with chicken and potatoes.

Vegetable Salad Flavor Variations

This salad is great as-is, but you can add other ingredients to make the flavors your own.

  • Protein: Make it a meal by adding cooked crumbled bacon, grilled chicken or shrimp, canned white beans or chickpeas.
  • Flavorings: Amp up the flavor with sliced olives, toasted pine nuts, crumbled feta cheese, croutons, cooked quinoa or sunflower seeds.
  • Pasta: Double the dressing and add 12 ounces of cooked short pasta to make a veggie pasta salad.
  • Vegetables: Add more veggies to the mix, or swap out some of the ones listed in the recipe with your own favorites. Other great choices include fennel, avocado, baby spinach, artichoke hearts, mixed greens, shredded carrots or blanched asparagus.

This salad is a great way to use up any odds and ends of vegetables that you happen to have around. It’s nutritious, full of flavor, and is sure to be a hit with family and friends.

More fabulous salads to savor

A bowl of chopped vegetable salad garnished with parsley.

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Vegetable Salad

This vegetable salad is a fresh and colorful blend of chopped corn, cucumbers, tomatoes, red onion, peppers and green beans, all tossed together with fresh herbs in a homemade dressing. A quick and easy side dish that pairs well with grilled meats, salmon or shrimp.

Instructions

For the salad

  • Place the corn, cucumber, cherry tomatoes, red onion, bell peppers, green beans and herbs in a large bowl.

For the dressing

  • Place all the dressing ingredients in a small bowl, then whisk until well combined.

  • Pour the dressing over the salad ingredients. Toss thoroughly. Serve immediately, or refrigerate for later use.

Notes

  1. You can use fresh, thawed from frozen or canned corn, whichever is available!
  2. This recipe calls for blanched green beans, as I find they have better texture than raw beans. To blanch the green beans, place them in a pot of boiling salted water and cook for 3-4 minutes or until just tender. Remove the green beans from the pot, and transfer them to a bowl of ice water.
  3. Vegetable salad will stay fresh in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.

Nutrition

Calories: 161kcal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Sodium: 115mg | Potassium: 241mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 1074IU | Vitamin C: 39mg | Calcium: 24mg | Iron: 1mg

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