I made 3 of Ina Garten's salad recipes —the best felt the fanciest but was the easiest to make

Moriah HouseJul 29, 2024, 19:54 IST

I made three of Ina Garten's salads to find the best summertime side dish.Moriah House<ul class="summary-list"><li>I tried three of Ina Garten's <a target="_blank" class href="https://www.businessinsider.com/saladworks-vs-sweetgreen-salad-which-is-better-review-2024-2">salad recipes</a> to find the tastiest one.</li><li>Making bacon for the Cape Cod chopped salad was a bit too time-consuming.</li></ul>I love pairing a delicious <a target="_blank" class href="https://www.businessinsider.com/best-chef-recipe-for-pasta-salad-reviewed-photos-2021-5">summer dinner</a> with a great side salad. My standards are simple: I want something that feels a step above bottled dressing and bagged lettuce but comes together easily on a weeknight.As <a target="_blank" class href="https://www.bls.gov/charts/consumer-price-index/consumer-price-index-by-category-line-chart.htm">grocery prices start to come back down</a>, cooking at home is more appealing and even a little cheaper. So, I decided it was finally time to see if I could find a salad recipe that fits my needs and is packed with flavor.I'm a fan of <a target="_blank" class href="https://www.businessinsider.com/making-ina-garten-quick-easy-lunch-tuna-melt-recipe-2024-7">Ina Garten</a>, so I made and reviewed three of her salad recipes to find my new summer favorite. Turns out, sometimes unlikely combinations come out on top.

I started by making Garten's Cape Cod chopped salad.

The Cape Cod chopped salad called for arugula, bacon, apples, cranberries, and blue cheese.Moriah House

Next, I cooked bacon and tossed it with the rest of the ingredients.

I tossed the finished cooked bacon with the other salad ingredients once it was prepared.Moriah House

The dressing was easy to make, which I liked.

The dressing called for ingredients like maple syrup, orange juice, and apple-cider vinegar.Moriah House

The final salad was pretty basic but still tasty.

I wasn't blown away by the finished Cape Cod chopped salad, but I still liked it.Moriah House

Next, I made Garten's maple-roasted-carrot salad.

The maple-roasted-carrot salad required arugula, goat cheese, cranberries, and orange juice.Moriah House

Roasting the carrots was the most time-consuming part of this recipe.

I roasted carrots for about 35 minutes total.Moriah House

I brought the cranberries and orange juice to a simmer in a small pot.

The orange juice made the cranberries sweet and plump.Moriah House

As the dish came together, I appreciated that the salad and dressing required only a few ingredients.

I liked that the maple-roasted-carrot salad didn't require too many ingredients.Moriah House

The final salad was tasty but took over an hour to prepare.

I enjoyed the maple-roasted-carrot salad, but it took a while to make.Moriah House

Finally, I made Garten's tricolore salad with oranges.

The tricolore salad with oranges called for olives, arugula, radicchio, and endive.Moriah House

I macerated the shallots, which didn't take long at all.

Macerating the shallots was a pretty simple step.Moriah House

I made the dressing with five simple ingredients.

The dressing for the tricolore salad with oranges was pretty simple.Moriah House

I tossed everything together in a large bowl and finished the salad with a sprinkle of salt.

I wasn't sure how everything would taste, but the salad looked beautiful.Moriah House

The final salad was both delicious and beautiful.

I loved the combination of purple radicchio and green arugula.Moriah House

Garten's tricolore salad was the winner.

I liked all three salads, but the tricolore salad with oranges was my favorite.Moriah House

I tried the signature burgers from McDonald's, Wendy's, and Burger King. I found the Big Mac underwhelming.

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I made 3 of Ina Garten's salad recipes &mdash;the best felt the fanciest but was the easiest to make