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Easy-Easy Artichoke & Tomato Salad |  |
Whole Food, Simply Prepared, Fresh & Inventive. Just Seven Ingredients, Mostly If Not Entirely from the Pantry. Mere Minutes to Make An Easy, Healthy Side Dish. Hearty & Filling. Fun Picnic Food. Not just easy, Summer Easy. Budget Friendly. Great for Meal Prep. Potluck & Party Friendly. Scales from Small Plates to Large Platters. Easy DIY. Low Carb. Low Fat. Weight Watchers Friendly. Vegetarian. Naturally Gluten Free.
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that I'm adding it to a special collection of easy summer recipes
published every summer since 2009.
This is the first new recipe for 2023 but
watch for new "summer easy" recipes all summer long!
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COMPLIMENTS!
- "I just love this salad, I think I'll have a little more." ~ My husband's middle son, not usually a vegetable guy.
The Salad of the Year
This simple chopped salad was born of 2020. Remember 2020? (Of course you do.)
For the first few months, it wasn't that grocery stores ran out of food, per se, just that certain foods disappeared from the shelves.
Our favorites and staples? Many just weren't available. Remember yeast and flour shortages? (Of course you do.)
Anyway.
Somehow, an enormous jar of artichoke hearts ended up in my pantry during those early months of 2020. I started to mix cooked rice with artichokes and feta, that's the wonderful Greek Rice Salad with Artichokes & Feta. I made a big batch of hummus with artichokes, Chunky 'Choke & Chickpea Chow.
But then what? Once open, a big jar of artichoke hearts requires, well, commitment.
Did I mention it was an enormous jar?
Enter a simple, adaptable fresh salad that just might knocks your socks off, or, well, you know, make them droop a bit, if you're into salads and stuff.
Ever since? I keep a jar of artichokes in the pantry at all times. It's a new favorite, a new staple. And just like smart chefs, I can use it in several recipes, not just one, just see all the ideas included with the artichoke recipes at A Veggie Venture, my food blog about vegetables.
About This Recipe
- This is a simple chopped salad of fresh vegetables plus bits of cheese, herbs and dressing of your choice.
- Distinctive Ingredients = the artichoke hearts + the tomato + the dressing of choice
- It takes about 10 minutes to chop-chop the salad into a bowl, then a couple of hours in the fridge before serving.
- With a clear dressing, the salad's colors are bright and vibrant. With a creamy dressing, the colors become more muted.
- This is pantry-friendly recipe, all the ingredients are ones easy to keep on hand and use in other dishes.
- This is a calorie-friendly recipe, lots of veggies, just a little dressing and a little cheese.
- This is a budget-friendly recipe, it leans on ingredients you may already keep on hand.
- Not into artichokes? You just might love Old Liz's Old-Fashioned Cucumber & Tomato Salad.
What's In This Easy-Easy Artichoke & Tomato Salad? Pantry Ingredients!
In all my recipes and most well-written recipes, every ingredient serves a purpose. Each one matters. Each one contributes to the overall dish. It's not that an ingredient can't be substituted by something else but when choosing the substitute, it's important to understand why the original ingredient was present in the first place.
- Plants artichokes hearts (packed in water, not marinated) + mini tomatoes + a little onion + another vegetable of your choice + a few fresh herbs of your choice
- Dairy a little cheese of your choice
- Pantry salad dressing (homemade or purchased)
- Seasoning salt & pepper
How to Make Easy-Easy Artichoke & Tomato Salad
The detailed recipe is written in traditional recipe form below but here are the highlights in three easy steps. You can definitely do this!
- DRAIN THE ARTICHOKES, then cut into halves or quarters, you know, easy bite-size pieces.
- PREP and combine all the ingredients. Stir in the drained artichokes.
- REFRIGERATE for a couple of hours, this lets the flavors meld and blossom.
For Best Results
For my weekly column in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, I interviewed chefs and translated their restaurant recipes for home kitchens. The most illuminating question? "How can a home cook ensure the same results?" So now I ask that question of myself, too, for my own recipes. Have another question? Ask away, I'll do my best to answer!
Do Refrigerate Before Serving It takes just ten minutes to throw this salad together but then, sorry, if you dig in right away, you'll wonder why make it again. That time really truly does make a difference!
Hungry Yet?
An Easy Summer Menu
(leaning Mediterranean)Easy Garlic-Herb Mediterranean Chicken ("Med Chicken")
Easy-Easy Artichoke & Tomato Salad
(recipe below)
made with olives, shaved Parmesan, Italian parsley & Italian dressing
Orzo with Spinach
Easy-Easy Jam Tart
Summer = Salad Season!
In my kitchen, every day is a salad day but come summer, oh, we relish one summery salad after another. Here are our favorites!
- THE COLLECTION Favorite Summer Salad Recipes From sides to suppers, make-ahead to eat-it-now, simple to sumptuous, all special for summer.
- AND ANOTHER Favorite Summer Soup Recipes
You'll Love This Salad If ...
Why would anyone go to the trouble of making such a simple salad from scratch? Here are a few reasons. Why do you make it? Let me know in the comments!
- You're always wondering what to make with those big jars of artichokes from Sam's Club and Costco, how even a small household might use them up.
- You appreciate recipes that give you a head start, a push of encouragement, a germ of inspiration, but also invite creativity and adaptation.
- Ready to get started? Here's your recipe!
Bookmark! PIN! Share!
How do you save and share favorite recipes? recipes that fit your personal cooking style? a particular recipe your mom or daughter or best friend would just love? If this recipe for such a simple, satisfying salad inspires you, please do save and share! I'd be honored ...
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EASY-EASY ARTICHOKE & TOMATO SALAD
Time-to-table: 2 hours
Makes about 3 cups
A couple of hours in the fridge moves this salad from easy to extraordinary.
-
THE SIMPLE BASE
- 2 cups (262g) artichokes hearts from a jar (packed in water, not marinated), drained, then halved or quartered
- 4 ounces (112g) mini tomatoes, halved crosswise
- 2 tablespoons (15g) slivered onion (white, yellow, red, shallot)
-
MAKE IT YOUR OWN
- 4 ounces (112g) another vegetable (avocado, cucumber, raw asparagus, celery, raw corn, pickled mushrooms, etc.)
- 2 ounces (56g) cheese bits (feta, Parmesan, fresh mozzarella, etc.)
- 2 tablespoons fresh chopped herbs (parsley, cilantro, basil, dill, etc.)
- 2 - 8 tablespoons salad dressing (homemade, bottled, etc.)
- Salt & pepper, to taste
MIX THE BASE Drain the artichokes. While they drain, collect the remaining ingredients in a medium bowl. Halve or quarter the artichokes and gently stir in.
MAKE IT YOUR OWN Stir in another vegetable, cheese and herbs. Add just enough dressing to wet the vegetables. Season with salt and pepper.
REFRIGERATE Let the salad rest in the fridge for a couple of hours, stirring a couple of times. That time in the fridge makes all the difference, taste-wise.
SERVE cold or at room temperature within three or four days.
LEFTOVERS are great! The salad is quite sturdy, it stays fresh for several days.
FOR THAT THIRD VEGETABLE Aim for a vegetable that has a different shape, color or texture. It's totally fun to play around here!
And maybe it doesn't have to be a vegetable at all. I keep thinking it would be fun to add some capers. Would dried beans work too? Yes! Just rinse and drain well. How about some olives? some chopped arugula? even some cooked tortellini?
FOR THAT DRESSING So far, I've stuck to three different dressings, wow, each one creates such a different salad. You'll find your own favorites but I love a feta-rich version of My Everyday Creamy Herb Salad Dressing, especially when lacing the salad with feta. I also tried a bottle of Italian dressing (non-fat, left over from Easy-Easy Grilled Mushroom Appetizer). A real favorite was a sweet Italian vinaigrette from a St. Louis brand since 1931, Hendricksons. If you'd like to find a bottle, check the store locator.
When appearance is essential, avoid a creamy dressing, it coats the vegetables, covering up their lovely summer-y colors.
Late in summer, do use good garden tomatoes, chopped up and pretty.
FOR MORE INFO If you "skipped straight to the recipe," please scroll back to the top of this page for ingredient information, ingredient substitutions, tips and more.
If you print this recipe, you'll want to check the recipe online for even more tips and extra information about ingredient substitutions, best results and more. See https://www.kitchenparade.com/2023/05/easy-easy-artichoke-tomato-salad.html .
Seasonal Cooking: Late Spring, Across the Years
Sweet-Corn Soup with Shrimp Alice Waters' Coleslaw Lemon Chive Chicken Salad Strawberry Salads Old-Fashioned Lemonade Homemade Egg McMuffins Green Mayonnaise Easy Skinny Turkey Roll-ups with Fresh Veggies Rhubarb Custard Pie Rhubarb Muffins Deep Mexico Fruit Salad Lime Crema Peanut Butter & Jelly Smoothies Mexican Rice
- THE RECIPE Greek Rice Salad with Artichokes & Feta Inexpensive rice packed with vegetables. (PIN This)
- ANOTHER TAKE Tomato & Rice Salad A refreshing summer salad, just leftover rice and tomato.
- THE RECIPE Big Cajun Chopped Salad Don't skip the olives!
- ANOTHER TAKE Summer Black-Eyed Pea Salad Looks like, tastes like summer, any time of year.
- THE RECIPE Chunky 'Choke & Chickpea Chow Hummus meets artichoke dip.
- TRY THIS FIRST How to Cook Dried Chickpeas Especially for Hummus aka "Jerusalem Chickpeas" For extra-smooth, extra rich hummus.
Shop Your Pantry First
(helping home cooks save money on groceries)~ artichoke recipes ~
~ tomato recipes ~
~ feta ~
~ Italian dressing recipes ~
~ All Recipes, By Ingredient ~
~ How to Save Money on Groceries ~
Kitchen Parade is written by second-generation food columnist Alanna Kellogg and features fresh, seasonal dishes for every-day healthful eating and occasional indulgences.
Quick Suppers are Kitchen Parade favorites and feature recipes easy on the budget, the clock, the waistline and the dishwasher. Do you have a favorite recipe that other Kitchen Parade readers might like? Just send me a quick e-mail, you'll find my current address in the FAQs. How to print a Kitchen Parade recipe. Never miss a recipe! If you like this recipe, sign up for a free e-mail subscription. If you like Kitchen Parade, for more scratch cooking recipes using whole, healthful ingredients, you're sure to like my food blog about vegetable recipes, too, A Veggie Venture. If you make this recipe, I'd love to know your results! Just leave a comment below.
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2023
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Thank you for taking a moment to write! I read each and every comment, for each and every recipe. If you have a specific question, it's nearly always answered quick-quick. But I also love hearing your reactions, your curiosity, even your concerns! When you've made a recipe, I especially love to know how it turned out, what variations you made, what you'll do differently the next time. ~ Alanna