A rainbow of fresh summer veggies combines with the classic chef’s salad and an extra-creamy pesto ranch dressing in this ultimate veggie-lover’s lunch salad!
Another mid-August Monday, another salad in your face.
…literally loaded with nearly all the summer things.
A legit plethora of rainbow veggies. (nearly all from my garden, yo!)
All the makin’s of a fabulous chef’s salad. (totally love that name—makes me feel like a pro chef whippin’ up my fancy salad!)
Creamy pesto ranch dressing. (’nuff said)
Currently crushing on: All things salad and all things that do not require turning on an oven.
Desperately clinging to: Every part of summer. Don’t leaaaave me yet!
Sidenote: the calendar may be saying that summer is slipping away (at an insane rate of speed, I might add) but the weather? It’s laughing at the calendar and still dishing out those lovely nearly-triple-digit with 100% humidity August days.
Gotta love those days when you work at the city pool and every kid in the general vicinity are trying to keep cool by staying at the pool. All day.
And holy moly, speaking of summer leaving us…Eeek!! I start college one week from today!!
Summer, slow down and just let me chill with my margarita for another month or two.
Don’t get me wrong guys, I’m totally psyched up and excited to start culinary school but at the same I’m definitely nervous about how different it’s undoubtedly going to be—don’t forget, I’ve been homeschooled my entire life, so this is all new to me!
No pajamas allowed in school for one thing. Are you even KIDDING me, guys?!
Geez, if you think I sound like a total basket-case right now, you should hear my mom. She’s already freaking out over me having to commute to school 4 days a week, plus the fact that I have a few slightly-late night classes. She’s insisting that I keep my phone on my person 24/7 NO MATTER WHAT.
And call her every 10 minutes just so she knows I’m still alive and breathing.
Okay, yeah I DID stretch that last one just a little bit….
You’re right, we should probably get around to chatting it up about salad right about now. That kinda turned into the longest sidenote ever up there. Sorry, peeps!
I’m almost embarrassed to actually call this salad a recipe just because how freakin’ SIMPLE it is. Really, it’s just all the summer veggies tossed with all the classic chef’s salad components (eggs, cheese, and such goodness) and dumped with ALL THE PESTO RANCH DRESSING.
I’ll say that again just for clarification. Pesto.Ranch.Dressing. Otherwise known as the Green Dark Horse of all ranch dressing. Holy schmo….
Dump that dressing on and dump it on in slightly-copious amounts.
We don’t go light on the dressing around here, guys. Especially on a Monday! Plus, uh green on green! A good thing.
Toss ‘yer salad and you are ready for that inevitable, just-necessary Monday lunch hour faceplant.
Face, meet salad. Salad, meet face. ♥
I herby declare this chef’s salad the salad of your summer DREAMS. And this is one dream that you do not have to wake up from, so there ‘ya go. You’ve got life MADE.
Summer in a salad bowl right there, guys. There’s just no denying it. 😉
Rainbow Veggie Chef’s Salad with Creamy Pesto Ranch Dressing
Ingredients
- SALAD:
- 6 cups chopped romaine lettuce
- 1 cup chopped baby spinach
- 1 small cucumber thinly sliced
- 2 medium tomatoes halved and thinly sliced
- 1 large sweet pepper thinly sliced
- 1 avocado peeled, pitted and diced
- 1 medium carrot julienned into thin strips
- 3 hard-boiled eggs thinly sliced
- 1 cup 1-in cubed mozzarella cheese
- DRESSING:
- 1/2 cup plain greek yogurt
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup prepared pesto
- 2 tablespoons buttermilk
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Make the salad: In a large bowl, toss all salad ingredients until evenly distributed and combined. Set aside for a moment while you prepare the dressing.
- Make the dressing: Place all dressing ingredients in a food processor and pulse several times until dressing is creamy. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Divide salad between serving plates and drizzle ranch dressing over top. Enjoy immediately!
Notes
If you make this recipe, be sure to tag your photo #wholeandheavenlyoven on Instagram. And follow me so we can be friends! ♥
Hungry for more salad? What a silly question….
Ranch Grilled Chicken Chopped Salad
Greek Orzo Pasta Salad with Herb Sauteed Cherry Tomatoes
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