A simple chopped salad bursting with flavor and crunch, topped off with a super easy homemade garlic dill ranch dressing.
Ok, you guys. I’m not the type of girl to get excited over a salad.
I mean, I eat salad. I like to pack as much “good stuff” and as little lettuce as humanly possible in my salads so that they’re out of this world with flavor.
Like, kinda healthy, but a little sinful. I like a sinful salad.
This mostly healthy, sinfully tasting salad comes right in the nick of time for the new year.
Let’s be honest, the holiday’s get us eating all of the sweet things, and now it’s time to get back to being good….at least most of the time, right?
It’s easy to be good most of the time with super easy salads like this. There is no headache involved in this salad, and you can easily customize it to your veggie preferences.
This salad is equally as good with fish, or crispy chickpeas instead of ham if you want a vegetarian option, or don’t have ham laying around.
The one thing that I have to say is that in my personal opinion, the french fried onions are a MUST. I’m kind of obsessed with that crunchy/salty goodness. Don’t skip them!! You’ll thank me, I promise.
The garlic dill dressing is my favorite part of this salad for sure…..maybe second favorite next to the crispy onions.
Or third, next to the cheese?
Either way, it’s SO GOOD, you can of course use your fave bottled dressing. But, if you haven’t had homemade salad dressing, I just so wish you would give it a try.
It takes less than 5 minutes to make, and even though this is a creamy dressing, it just tastes “cleaner” than any bottled salad dressing can.
I like to make my own, I see what I’m putting in there. Packet of ranch dressing/dip mix and all! Again, totally customize-able. If you like your dressing really ranch-y, throw more in, major garlic fan, add extra. Me, I’m a dill lover and I pile a ridiculous amount of it into my dressing.
I hope you enjoy this salad as much as we do! We find that it’s hearty enough to still be satisfying, even in these cold winter days!
~Nichole
Ham & Cheese Chopped Salad with Garlic Dill Ranch
Ingredients
- Salad:
- 6 Cups chopped romaine lettuce
- 2 Large Eggs boiled and sliced
- 1 Cup diced ham
- 1/4 Cup french fried onions
- 1/2 Cup sliced cherry or grape tomatoes
- 1/2 Cucumber diced
- Cubed cheddar and swiss cheese
- Dressing:
- 1/2 Packet dry ranch dressing mix
- 1/2 Cup plain greek yogurt or sour cream
- 1 Cup buttermilk
- 1 Teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 Tablespoons baby dill chopped
Instructions
- Dressing:
- Mix all ingredients together in a small jar or container with lid. Shake or stir well to combine and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving.
- Salad:
- Place chopped romaine in a large serving bowl.
- Arrange rows of ham, tomatoes, french fried onions, cucumber, cheese, and eggs over the top of the lettuce.
- Serve with dressing as desired.
What made this recipe for me is that ranch dressing. I used only 1 TSP of dried dill instead of fresh dill and I just didn’t imagine that adding dill would make ranch dressing so much better.