Gasp!!! What??? Bottled dressing??? Yes. I know. *sigh* It’s my hubby’s favorite. What can I say. He is NOT a vegetable lover and I have to practically force-feed him anything that didn’t use to cluck, moo, or swim. 

So if this is what gets him to actually enjoy some fresh veggies, then so be it. 😉 One of these days I’ll take the time to crack the code and make it homemade, but for now, it is what it is. 😉  

But it is a really super fun and easy one, and we both really enjoy it, so no harm no foul! A great way to use fresh vegetables picked straight from the garden, or delightfully gathered from your nearest Farmer’s Market if you don’t happen to have your own. 

The basics start with cucumbers and tomatoes. Those, to me, are a must! After that, you can really play around with this and have fun! 😀

I love to add whatever kinds of peppers I have on hand! Hot, mild, sweet, whatever I’ve got that’s ready to pick! In this case, I used some banana peppers that were rather hot on their own, but sweetened up nicely when added to the salad!  

Another must for me, is onions. Sweet vidalia onions sliced very, very thin! 😀 My hubby doesn’t like them in there, so I save him out some before I add them to mine! I think he’s missing out! 😉  

But one thing we both agree on, is the black olives! I think they round out this salad perfectly! You can use black/ripe or kalamata, or even green pimiento-stuffed! 

I also really enjoy a little cheese sometimes, be it on top as a garnish such as crumbled feta, queso blanco or fresco, cotija, or chihuahua. Or some shaved parmesan is also very good!

Or, simply added into the salad itself such as some creamy diced fresh mozzarella! This is nice when you’re taking it someplace and you don’t have to add it later. You can plop it on the table and forget it! 

But the cheese is optional because, it’s great just as is. 😉  

You can easily turn this into a quick, satisfying and delicious lunch by adding grilled tuna or salmon, or even chicken. If you’re not a carb-hater, you can add thin spaghetti, rotini or your own favorite pasta. It also doubles as a nice condiment on top of a juicy grilled hot-dog or bratwurst, too! 😉  

So even though this is not completely from scratch, and so stupid-simple-easy it’s ridiculous, this is one of mine and my hubby’s favorite summer garden salads that comes together in a snap!

A great, quick side dish to go with almost anything you have going on the grill! It’s also a welcome dish to take on a picnic or to a potluck that has to sit outside, because there’s no mayo to fret over and it’s even better room temperature!

So I hope you enjoy this as much as we do, and forgive me for posting something so crazy simple that uses store-bought dressing! I couldn’t resist because it’s just. That. Good. Have a wonderful day all! 😀 Talk to you later! 😀   

Yield: 4-6

Quick Italian-Style Summer Garden Salad

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Prep Time 15 minutes

Total Time 15 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 cucumber, quartered, center seeds scraped off, and sliced
• assorted small fresh tomatoes such as cherry, grape, or pear, quartered lengthwise
• 1/2 of a small vidalia onion, quartered lengthwise and thinly sliced
• 1-3 garden fresh peppers, (hot, mild or sweet) such as banana, jalapeño, cubanelle, bells, etc., halved lengthwise, seeds and membranes removed, and thinly sliced
• ripe pitted olives, halved lengthwise
• italian dressing to coat, homemade or purchased
• [br]

Cheeses That Work Well:

• feta
• queso blanco or queso fresco
• cotija
• chihuahua
• shaved parmesan cheese
• diced fresh mozzarella (stir in)

Instructions

Place all vegetables and olives into a serving bowl. Add in diced mozzarella if desired.

Pour enough dressing over salad to lightly coat.

Cover and chill.

To serve, garnish with any of the other cheeses on top if not using mozzarella.