Find Lovely Picnic Salad Recipes here… Some of our family's old favorite recipes.
Put the salad together... then just pop into the picnic basket, or picnic cooler... and head off to the picnic.
We use these picnic salad recipes all the time to go with our picnic food... and they travel well!
You'll find they are easy to make, great picnic salad recipes.
Fresh and crunchy green salads, so refreshing on a hot summer’s day... or even a lovely cool day...
and other practical and really simple, tasty salads which will go well with lunch ideas.
Picnic salad recipes, ready for your picnic...
Pack a salad in a container ready to serve at your picnic...
just fold leaves in when the lid goes on.
These combined salads...
potato with horseradish cream, tomato and cucumber and mixed greens fill this container using our picnic salad recipes.
Join our free "Picnic Chatter"... Let’s chat picnics, for the latest trends and ideas!
Find these picnic salad recipes... below.
They will compliment your picnic menu.
- Green picnic salad recipe... and extra stunning ideas.
- Dipping salad with carrot for the Easter bunny.
- Potato... favorite old Barossa recipe.
- Tomato and cucumber... easy and goes well with many food suggestions.
- Greek Style.. lovely salad.
- Pasta Salad.
- Delicious Quinoa salad with tasty bits
- Salad dressing with variations.
- Mayonnaise and suggestions.
- Simple Aioli
- Sometimes... a big yummy bowl of salad, filled with very delicious tasty food, is all you need for a picnic lunch!
Just add salad to sandwiches... and your other picnic food...
it really adds something special to a lazy lunch!
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TOP TIPS... For green picnic salad recipes
- Make sure all lettuce and greens are gently, well washed in cold water.
- If you don’t have a lettuce spinner to remove excess water, drain well and gently pat dry, then wrap salad greens in a paper towel.
- These well drained greens can be stored in a plastic bag in the crisper in the fridge… this will make them beautifully crisp.
- Keep salads cool, but not on a frozen cooler brick… being too cold, or frozen, will ruin greens.
- Carry the salad dressing separately, in a small container with tight lid.
- Only toss, or drizzle, the dressing on the salad at the last minute.
- When traveling with picnic food, keep the dressing separate from the greens until you are serving it with the picnic lunch.
Collect your extra salad ingredients...
with a few edible flowers and herbs from the garden, if you can, for these picnic salad recipes.
Let's start with a beautiful crunchy green picnic salad recipe... and salad dressing.
Green Picnic Salad Recipe... for 6 people, but it is easy to adjust for larger or smaller groups.
Ingredients
Six hands full of lettuce… allow a good handful of mixed greens per person... chosen from these mixed leaves below, or buy a bag of mixed lettuce leaves.
- Cos lettuce… crisp and crunchy
- Iceberg... only the small leaves from the center
- Butter lettuce
- Little gem
- Lambs lettuce
- Mustard leaves
- Curly endive
- Oak leaf lettuce
- Romaine lettuce
An extra handful of…
- Watercress
- Baby spinach leaves
- Peppery rocket leaves
- Baby beet leaves
- Green beans… slice, then steam for a few minutes… then plunge into cold water to keep crunchy
- Spring onions, or chives... chopped to sprinkle over the salad
Fill your bowl with mixed salad greens and add a few edible flowers for special interest for
your crunchy green picnic salad recipes.
To Assemble this green salad from the picnic salad recipes.
- Put this salad together in a light weight bowl if possible... often in a round bowl, or on a platter with low sides.
- Take the crunchy cos lettuce leaves and place around the edge of the bowl with stems facing into the middle.
- Then fill the middle with remaining lettuce leaves and herbs.
- Sprinkle a few nasturtiums and Borage flowers over the top. You don't need many to look exciting!
- Toss a couple of full length chives ( not chopped up) across the top to finish.
- There are many options, but these favorite basics go so well with many lunch ideas.
- It is easy to add variations… like radicchio, which adds a tang.
- Our
greengrocer has a lovely mixture of salad leaves, mesclun salad mix,
the best crunchy crisp leaves from mixed lettuce centers for the green
salad… favorites! Even edible flowers can be bought in little containers.
When you are about to serve, sprinkle salad dressing over the green picnic salad recipe..
The basic salad dressing (below) with crushed garlic added, is recommended, but really here is a chance to use your imagination.
As mentioned, when traveling with picnic food, keep the dressing separate from the greens, until you are serving it with the picnic lunch.
Other variations… such as walnuts, or a few currants, or chopped red onion...
sprinkle on top of the picnic salad recipe you use.
- ½ cup crunchy roasted walnuts
- Roasted pine nuts… a good handful
- avocado, or green beans.
- Fresh young asparagus… no need to cook if small and very fresh, just break into short pieces... remove tough base if you need to.
- Plus another suggestion… From your garden, (NOT poisoned with sprays) if you have access to edible flowers and herbs…
- A few nasturtiums and hearts-ease flowers, fresh lavender, marigold petals and small nasturtium leaves. Borage flowers are lovely, tasting fresh, like cucumber.
- Other fresh herbs, such as fresh oregano leaves, or fresh lemon thyme… lemon thyme is lovely… but only use small amounts. Mint, torn into small bits, can add a fresh taste.
Take one of the simple picnic salad recipes like this, to your picnic,
with sticks of celery, whole mixed greens, lettuce leaves, whole peas and beans and cherry tomatoes...
One of these picnic salad recipes, even had a carrot for the Easter bunny!
Just dip those salad ingredients into pesto or hummus... or avocado dip... yum!
Find the recipes for these in easy appetizer recipes and use them with your salads
Homemade Salad Dressing... for a green salad.
No need to buy pre-made dressings full of preservatives and
other unknown ingredients.
It's soooo easy to make your own for your salad recipes!
It is useful to double, or triple, the basic dressing recipe, as it will last well… leave excess at home in fridge for future use.
Salad dressing is best kept in a cool dark place.
When traveling with picnic food, keep the dressing separate from the greens until you are serving it with the picnic lunch.
Basic Salad Dressing for picnic salad recipes.
Ingredients
- 6 tablespoons olive oil... Use a local farm fresh oil if you can, the taste is so much better.
- 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
- 1 Clove of crushed garlic
- Ground pepper and salt if you wish
Then... Whisk ingredients together in a bowl, or put into a jar or container with tight lid... shake to amalgamate.
In this example I have added a teaspoon of grainy mustard and a dash of honey... and I made three times the amount.
A small amount went to the
picnic and the remaining dressing was left in the fridge to use later...
it keeps well!
Use one of these variations for the homemade salad dressing recipe.
Try different vinegar and oil flavors... here are a few suggestions.
Substitute with one of these...
Vinegar... or lemon, for the "bite" in the dressing
- Apple cider vinegar
- Lemon juice… or orange juice
Or a different oil
- Walnut oil
- Safflower
- Canola oil
For tastier dressing add one or two, or all, of these to the basic picnic salad recipes
- 1/4 Teaspoon French mustard
- 1/2 Teaspoon honey
Or fresh herbs... add just one, a pinch, to the dressing. Tarragon is good dried, but others fresh, for that extra flavor.
- Touch of fresh thyme leaves... lemon thyme is lovely.
- Chopped chives
You have your dressing ready... so now pour a small amount of dressing on the green salad at the picnic and gently toss!
Now you can see the many variations of dressing for picnic salad recipes
Just
play with them, use your imagination
I will show you more recipes and great combinations too.
Potato Salad.... Very popular!
Our family loves this old German potato salad recipe.
It came from the Barossa Valley, a famous wine producing area in South Australia.
Ingredients
- 1kg (2lb) Potatoes… baby potatoes, or large potatoes chopped into bite sized cubes... not too small.
- Then add...
- White wine vinegar, or Apple Cider… 1/4 to 1/2 cup... or more, to taste.
- 1/2 to 1 finely chopped salad onion.
- 1 cup thick cream... or yogurt... or 1/2 cup olive oil
- Pepper and salt… to taste.
Method
Optional extras...they are really good with these picnic salad recipes.
- 2 or more tablespoons Horseradish… add to cream.
- 3-6 rashers crunchy crumbled cooked bacon.
- 2 chopped hard boiled eggs.
- Chopped fresh dill.
- Chopped parsley
This serves 6 and can be eaten warm or cold... delicious and popular both ways.
A really good recipe to make ahead of the picnic and stores well for days... make extra and leave some home for later.
A little decadence… try this potato salad on warm fresh bread… YUM!
Another Version for a Tasty Potato Salad Recipe.
Follow the recipe above but use a cup of
mayonnaise instead of cream and vinegar. Recipe below...
1/2 cup of chopped dill is tasty with this too.
Picnic salad recipes often have mayonnaise or Salad Cream in them,
so here is a recipe for you to start with.
Mayonnaise… or Salad Cream... and simple Aioli
This homemade flavor is more delicate than commercial mayonnaise and will keep in a sealed container in the fridge for a week.
This can be made using a blender, or by hand, or with an electric beater, but I find a food processor is the easiest to use.
This recipe will also be useful for many salad recipes.
For Mayonnaise you need...
- 2 egg yolks... or 2 whole egg... this makes a thicker creamy sauce.
- 1/2 teaspoon creamy French mustard (Dijon )
- Pinch salt
- 1 cup olive oil
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice, or white vinegar.
To Put Together...
Beat together egg yolks, mustard and salt until combined. A food processor works well.
Add oil… very slowly… drop by drop, then in a thin stream… while all the time still beating mixture.
When mixture is thickened, stir in lemon juice.
Simple Aioli...
Crush 4 cloves of fresh garlic, or pound in a mortar and pestle.
Pour 2 teaspoons of lemon juice over.
Leave for about 10 minutes...
then strain into your mayonnaise stirring/whipping all the time.... Ooooh yum!
TOP TIPS...
If you have a problem with the mayonnaise curdling…
Beat another fresh egg yolk and gradually blend that into the sauce.
Use this mayonnaise for many things, including...
- a really tasty potato salad
- salad dressing
- coleslaw
- dips
- or the simple version of lovely garlicky Aoili... so delicious with lots of garlic!
To prepare a Tomato and Cucumber Salad
start by tossing together these fresh, tasty ingredients.
These salads are even better the next day and will last well in the fridge.
This is really simple and compliments quiche, egg and bacon pie and cold meats.
Ingredients
Method
Variations for this picnic salad recipe...
- Tomatoes and cucumbers can be sliced into rounds if you prefer. Slice fairly fine if you do this.
- Layer tomatoes alternately with onion rings and sorrel and basil.
- For more flavors… try adding capers, or olives, or cubed feta cheese.
- For this version, don't toss the salad just drizzle dressing over
TOP TIPS...
- If tomatoes are lacking flavor. A little sugar sprinkled over them before dressing is drizzled on, will bring out flavor.
- If dressing is too tart... add a little sugar here too.
- Basil will go black if cut and left too long.
Greek Style Salad... one of our refreshing picnic salad recipes
- 4 big ripe tomatoes... or equivalent amount of cherry tomatoes.
- 1 long continental or Lebanese cucumber.
- 1/4 red capsicum.
- 200 gm Greek feta cheese.
- Big handful of Kalamata olives… or similar.
- 1/2 tablespoon fresh oregano.
- 1/2 cup basil leaves roughly torn at last minute.
- 1 red onion roughly chopped... or in rounds if you like them.
- Radish chopped... optional.
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil.
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice or vinegar.
- Ground Pepper and sea salt to taste.
Method
- Whisk or shake olive oil and lemon juice… or vinegar, to combine.
- Chop all other ingredients... can be chunky... and put them into the salad bowl… gently combine and pour dressing over.
- Try to sprinkle some of the olives and feta cheese over the top… looks very inviting!
I find a handful peppery rocket is tasty in this too.
There are other versions of Greek salad recipes but this is the one we use…
and besides it is a lovely salad which is versatile and goes really well with picnic food!
Delicious Quinoa Salad with Tasty Bits...
Ingredients... enough for approximately 4-6 people.
- 1 Cup of Quinoa seeds... I used organic, tri-color, but any will do... your choice.
- 1 teaspoon Horseradish
- 1 Teaspoon crushed garlic
Rinse the quinoa under the tap for at least 30 secs.
Place the quinoa in a saucepan with 2 cups of water.
- Cook the quinoa as per instructions on the bag... but, stir the Horseradish and garlic into the water.... adds lots of flavor.
- Bring to boil and turn down to simmer... cover with lid... simmer for 12- 15 min.
- Take off heat and leave, still with lid on, for a further 10 min.
When Quinoa is cooked and drained... (only drain if there is excess moisture... often it absorbs all water)
Then while still hot, add these ingredients...
- More Horseradish and garlic... 1/2 teaspoon of each
- Sprinkle dried chilli... to your taste
- 1 tablespoon Wasabi peas, if you have them
- 1 tablespoon Sesame seeds
- 1-2 cups cherry tomatoes cut into halves... or larger tomatoes cut into small squares
- 1 table spoon runny honey
- 1 cup green cucumber cut into similar sizes
- 2 tablespoon dried currants
- 3 tablespoons of French Dressing... as per the recipe above.
-
1 big hand of fresh Basil leaves ripped in halves... They can be left to add at the last minute... as they can go black if added to salad too soon.
- Leave a nice looking sprig of Basil for an edible decoration.
Gently stir all the ingredients together.
Pile into a bowl ready to take to your picnic and pop in the Fridge... ready to pack and go!
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