The bigger the salad, the easier the supper.
The difference between a good salad and a great salad is a little extra work. But that little bit of work can feel like a lot, particularly if you’ve already got a full meal mapped out. I’m convinced this is why the build-your-own-salad business model is so successful: it’s a treat to tuck into a salad packed full of all the delicious extras you didn’t have to prep. Why is a hefty salad such a hurdle? I don’t have an answer, and you’re asking a person who will make pie crust from scratch, spend days on a multistep dessert, or shop six stores in search of a single key ingredient.
However, summer produce is too glorious to leave salads as an afterthought. The trick is to trick myself into them by flipping the ratio. Instead of a side, I make this beautiful basil salad the main event.
Think of it this way: the more ingredients you pile into the salad bowl, the fewer cooked things you have to put on your plate. My favorite version of this category of salad is inspired by my go-to order from Sidewall, a local pizza shop. I toss roasted broccoli and corn, creamy goat cheese, sweet cherry tomatoes, candied walnuts, and spring mix on a platter and finish it with a beautiful basil dressing. It feels endless and abundant and it tastes that way, too.
Follow my lead and you won’t need much of anything else to make it a meal worth sharing: a bottle of cold wine, a baguette, maybe a platter of simple grilled chicken or fish if you really feel like going there. Or don’t! After all, that’s the joy of summer—doing as little as possible for the most pleasure.
Beautiful Basil Salad
Serves 6–8 for dinner
Ingredients:
- 2 (5-oz.) containers of spring mix, washed
- 2 cups fresh corn kernels
- 1 small head of broccoli, chopped into florets
- 1 (10-oz.) container of cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
- 4 oz. of goat cheese, crumbled
- 1 cup walnut halves
- ¼ cup light brown sugar
- 1 Tbsp. unsalted butter
- 2 cups loosely packed fresh basil leaves\
- ½ cup plus 3 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 Tbsp. white wine vinegar
- 3 Tbsp. water
- 1 tsp. Dijon mustard
- 1 small shallot, peeled and sliced
- ¾ tsp. kosher salt, plus more to taste
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 425°F. Toss chopped broccoli with 2 Tbsp. olive oil on a sheet pan until well-coated. Season with salt and pepper. On another sheet pan, toss the corn kernels with 1 Tbsp. olive oil and season with salt. Place both pans into the oven and roast until golden brown, about 10 minutes for the corn and 15 minutes for the broccoli. When ready, remove from oven and set aside.
- Meanwhile, place walnuts, brown sugar, and butter in a nonstick skillet. Stir frequently with a silicone spatula until the butter and sugar are melted and the walnuts are evenly coated, about 10 minutes. Immediately turn the walnuts out onto a sheet of parchment paper to cool, making sure they are separated so they don’t harden into a clump.
- Next, add the basil leaves, ½ cup olive oil, white wine vinegar, water, Dijon mustard, sliced shallot, and ¾ tsp. kosher salt to a blender. Cover with the lid and blend until smooth. If the dressing is too thick, add a bit more water or olive oil until it reaches your preferred consistency.
- To assemble the salad, pile the spring mix into a large bowl and drizzle with just a bit of the dressing, tossing until the leaves are well-coated but not weighed down. Add the cherry tomatoes, roasted broccoli and corn, candied walnuts, and crumbled goat cheese and toss again. Drizzle with more basil dressing and serve straight from the bowl or transfer to a large platter for easy sharing. If you anticipate having extra, store all the salad components in the refrigerator separately to avoid them getting soggy.
Photography by Jivan Dave
