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This Butter Lettuce Salad is my go-to side dish or starter for just about any meal. It’s easy to make, elegant and can easily be customized to fit other dishes on the table. It features a delicious white balsamic vinaigrette that I’m confident will become a favorite in your kitchen as well.
Something I learned during my time as an Assistant Food Editor at Cuisine at Home Magazine is that home cooks are always looking for new side dish. As a result, I’ve developed hundreds of side dish recipes for any season and any occasion.
And this butter lettuce salad is the one side salad recipe I come back to time and time again. It’s elegant, simple, and perfectly balanced in flavor.
The key ingredient is the butter lettuce which is so soft and holds onto dressing nicely. I pair it with with crunchy cucumber and juicy cherry tomatoes, but the options are endless. So the next time you’re about to grab that bagged salad kit, remember you can make something better, for more than half the cost and with better ingredients.
Why You’ll Love This Salad
- Gourmet salad that’s easy to prepare. This is one of those recipes that everyone will just be impressed by. Yes it’s a simple salad, but the combination of flavors make it restaurant-worthy.
- Versatile for every occasion. From a weeknight dinner or weekend entertaining, this bibb lettuce salad will complete any menu.
- Make a homemade vinaigrette that will become your new go-to. The flavor of this vinaigrette (and it’s simplicity) will have you ditching the bottled dressings.
What is Butter Lettuce?
Butter lettuce is a type of leafy green vegetable that belongs to the lettuce family. It is also known as Boston lettuce or Bibb lettuce, and its leaves are soft and buttery in texture, hence the name.
Butter lettuce is a small head lettuce that is typically light green in color, with loose, tender leaves that form a rosette shape. It has a delicate, slightly sweet flavor making it ideal for salads, sandwiches and lettuce wraps.
Ingredients in Butter Lettuce Salad
- Butter Lettuce: Also labeled as butterhead lettuce, bibb lettuce or Boston lettuce, you can find this type of lettuce sold in large square plastic clamshells as whole heads of lettuce with the root bulb still in tact.
- Vegetables: Keep the salad simple with mini cucumbers and cherry tomatoes. Both add texture and flavor to this simple salad.
- Herbs: We prefer the combo of fresh parsley, dill, and scallions in this salad, but feel free to use any fresh herbs you have one hand. Basil, chives, and cilantro would all be great options. Then be sure to store your herbs correctly so you can keep on using them over the next couple of weeks.
- Garlic: Adds all of that garlicky flavor we love in every bite.
- Dijon Mustard: We use Dijon on our homemade vinaigrettes a lot. It adds flavor and is also an emulsifier for the oil and vinegar. If you don’t have Dijon, you can use whole-grain mustard instead.
- Vinegar: white balsamic vinegar is a game changer for homemade vinaigrettes. It adds a sweet tang to any dressing. If you don’t have white balsamic, you can use white wine vinegar.
Lauren’s Tip
When preparing butter lettuce, we recommend separating all of the leaves and giving them a good wash in cold water. After, spin them dry in a salad spinner.
How to Make Butter Lettuce Salad
- Combine the vegetables. For the salad, combine lettuce, cucumber, scallion greens, tomatoes, parsley and dill in a large serving bowl.
- Make the vinaigrette. Whisk together oil, vinegar, Dijon, garlic and ¼ teaspoon kosher salt in a small measuring cup.
- Assemble and enjoy. Drizzle vinaigrette over salad and toss to combine; season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.
Bibb Lettuce Salad Tips
- To cut down on dishes, whisk the dressing up in a large mixing bowl then build the salad on top and toss to coat.
- To distribute the garlic flavor throughout, use a microplane. Grating rather than chopping the garlic is so much easier, and the flavor will coat the salad more evenly. Grating creates a more potent garlic flavor, which is why you only need 1 small clove.
- Dry your lettuce well. After washing the lettuce, be sure to dry it well or else the dressing won’t stick. This is my favorite salad spinner.
- Less is more with the dressing. Start with less, then add more as desired or serve the rest of the vinaigrette on the table for others to add to taste.
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What to Serve with Butter Lettuce Salad
This is the perfect side salad for just about any meal! I like to serve it with Salmon or Chilean Sea Bass and my Quick Focaccia. Or, keep it simple and simply pair it with my Carbonara.
Butter Lettuce Salad Recipe Variations
There are so many ways to customize the flavors of this salad. I’ve made dozens of versions over the years and here are some of the best:L
- Add some kind of cheese such as grated Parmesan cheese or crumbled goat cheese.
- Diced avocado adds creaminess.
- Use fresh citrus, like fresh lemon juice, in place of the white balsamic vinegar in the vinaigrette.
- Add some crunchy breadcrumbs. Sprinkle some toasted Panko breadcrumbs over top for a crunchy texture.
- Any kind of toasted nuts would be delicious in this salad. I like almonds, pistachios and pumpkin seeds (pepitas).
- Additional vegetables are always welcome! Thin radish slices, celery, carrots and green peas are all delicious here.
How to Store Butter Lettuce Salad
The vinaigrette can be made up to 1 week ahead of time and stored in the fridge. Allow the vinaigrette to come to room temperature before shaking well and using.
We recommend storing any leftover salad ingredients separately in the fridge in different containers. Dress the butter lettuce right before enjoying since it’s delicate and will wilt easily. They will keep well for about a day.
FAQs
Absolutely—I even recommend doubling the vinaigrette recipe so you can use it throughout the week. Make the vinaigrette in a glass jar and give it a good shake to mix. Store the vinaigrette in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Let the vinaigrette come to room temperature before shaking and using.
If you can’t find butter lettuce I recommend using a combination of spinach and little gem lettuce. These two types of lettuce will achieve the ideal combination of tenderness and curly leaves.
If you don’t have or can’t find mini cucumbers (also labeled Persian cucumbers) you can use an English cucumber. You’ll only need a quarter of a large English cucumber.
The large cup-like leaves are perfect for making lettuce cups or lettuce wraps. I also love to use the tender leaves on sandwiches.
You don’t need to. As long as the root bulb is slightly moist, the lettuce will stay fresh and leafy.
Instead of cutting, I recommend tearing. Peel the leaves from the root bulb, or grab the bulb and twist it off. Then simply tear the leaves into bite-sized pieces.
I don’t recommend assembling this salad ahead of time. You can prep the butter lettuce up to 1 day ahead of time and keep it stored in the fridge. The dressing can be made up to 5 days ahead of time stored in an airtight container in the fridge. Wait to slice the tomatoes until right before serving.
More Easy Salad Recipes
Simple Butter Lettuce Salad Recipe
Description
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Ingredients
- 1 head bibb lettuce, torn into bite-sized pieces
- 1 mini cucumber, thinly sliced
- 1 scallion, dark greens only, sliced
- ½ cup yellow cherry tomatoes, sliced (such as sungolds)
- ¼ cup chopped parsley
- 2 tablespoons chopped dill
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 small clove garlic, grated
- Kosher salt and cracked black pepper
Instructions
- For the salad, combine lettuce, cucumber, scallion greens, tomatoes, parsley and dill in a large serving bowl.
- For the vinaigrette, whisk together oil, vinegar, Dijon, garlic and ¼ teaspoon kosher salt in a small measuring cup.
- Drizzle vinaigrette over salad and toss to combine; season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.
Notes
Nutrition
