Large Party Salad Recipe

Wash all lettuces and greens thoroughly under cold running water. Spin or pat dry until very dry to prevent watering down the salad.

Trim romaine, chop into bite-sized pieces and add to a very large catering bowl or two hotel pans. Add baby greens and shredded iceberg to the same container and toss gently to combine.

Wash and prep vegetables: halve cherry tomatoes, slice cucumbers into 1/4-inch rounds, thinly slice red bell pepper, shred carrots, thinly slice red onion and radishes.

Evenly distribute the prepped vegetables over the bed of mixed greens in an even layer so guests can see the colorful toppings.

If using proteins, ensure cooked chicken is cooled to room temperature and diced or shredded. Dice ham or turkey if using.

Scatter proteins across the salad in separate sections or mixed, according to service preference. Sprinkle crumbled feta and shredded cheddar evenly across the top.

Roughly chop and toast nuts lightly in a dry skillet over medium heat for 3–4 minutes until fragrant; cool completely before adding to the salad (to prevent wilting).

Add croutons and dried cranberries in small piles on top so they remain crisp until service.

Chop parsley and julienne basil. Sprinkle herbs over the salad for freshness and aroma.

Portioning dressings

Using prepared store-bought dressings, pour into six 5-oz food-safe containers: 3 containers ranch (3 x 5 oz = 15 oz), 2 containers balsamic vinaigrette (2 x 5 oz = 10 oz) and 1 container honey mustard/Italian (1 x 5 oz = 5 oz). Seal and refrigerate until service.

Label containers clearly (type of dressing, use-by time) and pack alongside the salad chilled.

Taste a small sample of the assembled salad base (without dressing) and sprinkle 2 tsp kosher salt and 2 tsp black pepper evenly if needed; this helps season lettuce and vegetables ahead of service but use conservatively to avoid over-salting once dressings are added.

Just before service, add croutons and nuts if not already added, toss gently if serving pre-dressed portions, or leave tossed components separate for guests to dress themselves.

Arrange lemon wedges around the serving tray or in a small container for guests to squeeze as desired.