Fresh berries are the star of this chopped salad that is topped with a homemade poppy seed dressing and sugared almonds.
You’ll also want to check out some of my other chopped salads – like this Italian Chopped Salad or this Asian Chopped Salad.
I have always liked salads. But I’ve usually been the “bring me a side salad before my meal” kind of person. Sometime in the last couple of years, though, that has changed. I don’t eat salads for dinner as often as I should, but I have definitely gained an appreciation – and love – for a good salad for dinner. And I definitely have a little chopped salad addiction.
It all started with the Thai Chicken Salad. And then I just couldn’t stop after that.
So of course, I’m back with another chopped salad. And this one is perfect for the summertime.
What You’ll Need
If you’re like me, you are buying all the fresh berries, all summer long. So those berries were actually the inspiration for this recipe! Here are the components and what you’ll need.
For the dressing:
White Balsamic Raspberry Blush Vinegar – ok, I know this is one that most of you probably don’t have in your pantry. And I used it simply because I did have it in my pantry. If you don’t have it, then you can really substitute in any vinegar that you love. I like the white balsamic for this over a regular balsamic just because the flavor isn’t as strong, but a regular balsamic vinegar will work. Or apple cider vinegar. Or sherry vinegar or a raspberry vinegar. You probably wouldn’t want a straight up white vinegar, but most any other should probably work.
Sugar – this is a sweet dressing, and that comes from the sugar. You could probably use a different sweetener of your choice, but I haven’t tried, so I can’t say for sure.
Mayonnaise – regular or reduced fat should work just fine.
Grated Onion – I like to use grated onion in salad dressings so that you get the flavor but not the chunks. I use a microplane, but you could use the smaller holes on any cheese grater.
Salt – feel free to add this to taste!
Dry Mustard – if you don’t have dry mustard, you can add in a small amount of regular or Dijon mustard instead.
Vegetable Oil – I like to use vegetable oil because of the neutral flavor. If you like a bolder flavor, extra virgin olive oil is totally fine. And really, if there is a different oil you like feel free to use that instead.
Poppy Seeds – the poppy seeds add some nuttiness and to the dressing.
For the Candied Nuts:
Almonds – I like to use slivered, but sliced would work as well.
Sugar – you’ll just heat the sugar to create a “crust” on the nuts, so I use regular granulated sugar. Although fine sugar would probably be even easier.
For the Salad:
Chopped Romaine Lettuce – I like romaine the best, especially for the crunch. But this could be changed to any other lettuce.
Mixed Berries – you can use whatever you have or whatever you can find. I like sliced strawberries, raspberries, blueberries and blackberries. You can use them all, or just what you like or have.
More Favorite Salad Recipes
Steak Cobb Salad
Antipasto Salad
Broccoli Salad
Caesar Salad with Pasta
Tropical Fruit Salad
Red Raspberry Spinach Salad
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Summer Chopped Salad with Berries
Ingredients
Poppy seed Dressing
- 1/4 cup white balsamic raspberry blush vinegar
- 2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons sugar
- 1 tablespoon mayonnaise
- 1 teaspoon grated onion
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1 1/2 teaspoons poppy seeds
Sugared Almonds
- 1/2 cup slivered almonds
- 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
Salad
- 8 cups chopped romaine lettuce
- 3 cups mixed berries sliced strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries
Instructions
- In a blender or food processor, combine the vinegar, sugar, mayonnaise, onion, salt and dry mustard. Process until combined. Slowly stream in the vegetable oil. Stir in the poppy seeds.1/4 cup white balsamic raspberry blush vinegar, 2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons sugar, 1 tablespoon mayonnaise, 1 teaspoon grated onion, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard, 1/2 cup vegetable oil, 1 1/2 teaspoons poppy seeds
- Place the almonds in a small sauté pan over medium heat. Sprinkle the sugar over the almonds. Cook, stirring frequently, until the sugar starts to melt and coat the almonds. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.1/2 cup slivered almonds, 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
- In a large bowl, combine the lettuce and berries. Pour the poppy seed dressing over the top and toss to combine. Stir in the almonds and serve.8 cups chopped romaine lettuce, 3 cups mixed berries
Nutmeg Nanny says
Beautiful salad 🙂 it looks like it is bursting with flavor!
Chung-Ah | Damn Delicious says
What a gorgeous salad! And I LOVE all the berries in this!
Cookin Canuck says
What a beautiful salad, Deb! The berries, nuts and poppy seed dressing sound like the perfect combination.
Joanne says
Whatever it takes, I MUST get this berry salad in before the end of the summer! I can’t get excited about salads unless there’s a sweet note in them and this is perfect!