The Genius Super-Salad Recipe on Food52 (2024)

Avocado

by: Emma Laperruque

April27,2018

4

7 Ratings

  • Prep time 40 minutes
  • Serves 2

Jump to Recipe

Author Notes

Our creative director Kristen Miglore and I collected some of our favorite Genius salad elements, tossed them in a bowl, and came up with this beauty. It’s everything we want in a desk lunch: hearty chickpeas and creamy feta, tangy onions and olive oily dressing, plus so much crunchy kale and cabbage. We developed this at-home version for you (and okay, us) to make as often as possible. We based the quick-pickled onions on this recipe by fiveandspice. —Emma Laperruque

  • Test Kitchen-Approved

What You'll Need

Ingredients
  • Quick-pickled onions
  • 1 small red onion, peeled and thinly sliced
  • 1/2 cupapple cider vinegar
  • 1/2 cupwater
  • 2 teaspoonskosher salt
  • 1 teaspoonsugar
  • Salad
  • 2 cupschopped, stemmed curly kale
  • 1 cupshredded red cabbage
  • 1 cuppeeled, cubed (about 1/2-inch) red beets (raw!)
  • 3/4 cupcooked or canned, rinsed chickpeas
  • 1/4 cuppickled red onions
  • 1/4 cupfresh cilantro leaves
  • 1/4 cupcrumbled feta
  • 1/4 cuptoasted pepitas
  • Extra-virgin olive oil, for dressing
  • Red wine vinegar, for dressing
  • Kosher salt
  • 1 avocado, peeled and cubed
Directions
  1. Pickle the red onion. Combine the vinegar, water, salt, and sugar in a bowl and stir until the salt and sugar dissolve. You could heat the water and vinegar first, or not. Add the onions and toss. Let stand for at least 30 minutes, tossing now and again. If you’re not using them right away, store in the refrigerator.
  2. Combine the kale, cabbage, beets, chickpeas, pickled onions, cilantro, feta, and pepitas in a big bowl. Dress with oil, vinegar, and salt to taste. Top with avocado.

Tags:

  • Salad
  • American
  • Cilantro
  • Onion
  • Seed
  • Kale
  • Vinegar
  • Chickpea
  • Beet
  • Avocado
  • Feta
  • Vegetarian

See what other Food52ers are saying.

  • Taylor Stanton

  • Kate Monson

  • DonnaM

  • Emma Laperruque

Recipe by: Emma Laperruque

Emma was the food editor at Food52. She created the award-winning column, Big Little Recipes, and turned it into a cookbook in 2021. These days, she's a senior editor at Bon Appétit, leading digital cooking coverage. Say hello on Instagram at @emmalaperruque.

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10 Reviews

Taylor S. August 27, 2020

Loved loved loved this!!

nplante June 28, 2020

What a delicious combination of ingredients. I will be making this salad again soon. It holds up well when made in advance if you just add the avocado before serving.

Marionw January 28, 2019

Using this recipe as a basis, I made mine with finely shredded raw Brussel sprouts instead of kale/cabbage, and omitted the pickled onions (no time...) and chickpeas. I added 6 salt-packed capers because I find they greatly enhance the flavor of raw or roasted beets. It was scrumptious! Thanks for the great flavor combination.

eveross June 24, 2018

This was a big hit- served it for a solstice dinner with some vegatarians at the table so it served as both a salad and a main course at the same time. I pressure cooked the beets instead of using raw. Also didn't use avos as they turn brown over time. After rinsing and draining I peppered the chick peas then added them to the salad... added protein and texture, and feta added salt. I thought I would have lots of leftovers instead almost all eaten! Delicious!

Kate M. May 24, 2018

Made it for my generally salad hating family. They actually liked it! Did make some adjustments. Used pickled beets, dropped out chick peas (hubby's not a fan) and used toasted pecans because that's what I had besides pine nuts, also used spring greens instead of kale because the greens were threatening to go bad if left another day. Anyway, now that I'm writing this out I'm realizing I kind of made a different salad, but it was delicious and I'm crediting this recipe. :)

Ttrockwood May 6, 2018

I can’t deal with raw kale unless it’s massaged, so i rubbed the dressing into it first and let it sit while i did the pickled onions and chopped everything else. I can’t have dairy so i added in a small handful of capers to get the salty oooph of the parm and also added some kite hill (almond) cheese for.

So delicious! I think i will shred the beets fine next time, I wasn’t into the raw cubes- felt like trying to eat little pebbles.

Taylor S. May 5, 2018

This is my new favorite salad!! I've had this for dinner two nights in a row now, and the ingredient combination is so unusual but doesn't feel at all random. Instead of beets, I used roasted broccoli in paprika and cayenne. I also substituted a very salty Parmesan for the feta and didn't toast my pepitas because I was so hungry! LOVE LOVE LOVE.

DonnaM April 29, 2018

The pickling directions mention sugar - but it is not listed in the ingredients. Can you tell me how much sugar??

Emma L. April 29, 2018

Thanks for the catch, Donna! Just added to the ingredient list. It's 1 teaspoon, but you can certainly adjust this to taste.

DonnaM April 29, 2018

Thank you Emma! I can’t wait to make this :-)

The Genius Super-Salad Recipe on Food52 (2024)

FAQs

What can I put in a salad to make it more interesting? ›

Add spices and flavours such as paprika, chilli flakes, curry powder, harissa or parmesan. Add acidity or sourness with vinegar, lemon juice or pomegranate molasses to transform your salad.

How to make a salad better? ›

Insider's Viewpoint: An Easier Way to Build a Better Salad for...
  1. Choose a base. There are many different leafy greens that can serve as the base for your salad. ...
  2. Add more veggies. This is a salad, after all! ...
  3. Give it some crunch. ...
  4. Pile on the protein. ...
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  6. Dress it up.

How do you pimp up salad? ›

One of the easiest ways to get some flavour in your salad is to mix up your leaves with bright herbs that pack a punch. Plants like parsley, dill, mint and coriander can really kick your salads up a notch and give them some (much needed) depth and can give a great dose of flavour in every bite.

What is the key to a good salad? ›

The secret to a good salad
  1. Be gentle with lettuce. Balsamic dressing. ...
  2. Serve up perfect avocado. Forget lemon juice or cold water – the only way to stop an avocado going brown in a salad is to peel and chop them right before serving. ...
  3. Say goodbye to onion tears. ...
  4. Adore your dressing. ...
  5. Sprinkle in some protein.

What are the three keys to a quality salad? ›

The three keys to ensuring a quality salad are:
  • The freshness of ingredients.
  • Having all the ingredients blend together in harmony.
  • Making sure the salad is appealing to the eye.

What are 5 components of a satisfying salad? ›

5 Steps to a More Satisfying Salad
  • Use fresh ingredients. ...
  • Use ingredients that add different textures. ...
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  • Skip the greens. ...
  • Include protein to make salad more filling.
May 1, 2019

What are the healthiest vegetables for a salad? ›

Some popular raw veggie toppings include chopped carrots, onions, cucumbers, celery, mushrooms and broccoli. These vegetables are packed with fiber and plant compounds that offer health benefits.

How do you make a salad not to be boring? ›

  1. Tip #1: don't be afraid to mix textures, temperatures, vegetables and fruits! When it comes to salads, mixing is key. ...
  2. Tip #2: the final garnish is the difference between a good and a great salad! Examples? ...
  3. Tip 3: seasoning, seasoning, seasoning! Use anything your heart desires. ...
  4. Tip 4: make your salads unique!

How do you not get bored of salad? ›

7 Ways to Spice Up Your Boring Salad
  1. 1) Get Creative with Dressings. Salad dressings can really make or break a salad. ...
  2. 2) Top It Off With Something Crunchy. ...
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  4. 4) Mix in Some Grains. ...
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  8. The Bottom Line.
Feb 21, 2023

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