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little gem lettuce leaves topped with orange segments, chunks of granola and sliced cucumbers in a large buttery-yellow serving bowl.

Little Gem Salad with Oranges and Cucumber

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4.50 from 2 votes
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Yield 4 side dish servings
Category Salad
Cuisine American
Author Lauren Grant

Description

Restaurant-worthy Little Gem Salad featuring a creamy balsamic vinaigrette, bright citrus, and a savory granola.

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Ingredients

Savory Granola

  • ½ cup old fashioned rolled oats
  • ¼ cup chopped raw almonds
  • 1 tablespoon white sesame seeds
  • 1 tablespoon za'atar
  • 2 teaspoons chia seeds
  • 2 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon honey
  • Kosher salt and black pepper

Balsamic Vinaigrette

  • ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
  • 1 small clove garlic
  • 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
  • ½ teaspoon honey

Little Gem Salad

  • 5 cups torn little gem lettuce, washed and spun dry
  • 2 large oranges, segmented
  • 2 mini cucumbers, thinly sliced

Instructions

Savory Granola

  • Heat oven to 350ºF with rack set in middle position. Like a quarter sheet pan with parchment paper.
  • In a medium bowl, combine 2 tablespoons olive oil and 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon honey. Add ½ cup oats, ¼ chopped raw almonds, 1 tablespoon sesame seeds, 1 tablespoon za'atar, 2 teaspoons chia seeds, ½ teaspoon kosher salt and ¼ teaspoon black pepper; stir to thoroughly combine.
  • Transfer oat mixture to prepared sheet pan and press granola into a thin and compact layer.
  • Bake granola until golden brown and fragrant, 25–28 minutes.
  • Let cool on sheet pan then break into large pieces.

Balsamic Vinaigrette

  • Using an immersion blender or regular blender, blend ½ cup olive oil, ¼ cup balsamic vinegar, 1 clove garlic, 2 teaspoons Dijon, ½ teaspoon honey and ¼ teaspoon salt until emulsified and smooth. Season to taste with lots of black pepper.

Little Gem Salad

  • In a large serving bowl, toss 5 cups little gem lettuce with desired amount of vinaigrette to coat. Season with salt and pepper.
  • Arrange orange segments, sliced cucumbers and savory granola over top. Serve immediately.

Equipment

Immersion blender
sheet pans
parchment paper

Notes

You will have extra granola. Granola can be stored in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks. 
Balsamic vinaigrette can be stored in a glass airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Let the vinaigrette sit out for 15 minutes before stirring and using. 
*nutrition is calculated based on 1/4 of the salad, the granola and the vinaigrette.  You will likely not use all of the granola or all of the vinaigrette, so the nutritional values will be lower per serving. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1/4 of the recipeCalories: 519kcalCarbohydrates: 33gProtein: 9gFat: 42gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0.01gSodium: 149mgFiber: 8gSugar: 17g
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