• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Salads with Anastasia logo
  • Home
  • Recipes
    • Salad Index
      • 10 Minute Salads
      • Dinner Salads
      • Fruit Salads
      • Gourmet Salads
      • Green Salads
      • Make Ahead Salads
      • By Diet
        • Low Carb
        • Paleo
        • Vegan
        • Vegetarian
      • By Season
        • Spring Salads
        • Summer Salads
        • Autumn Salads
        • Winter Salads
    • Dressing Index
    • Spices & Condiments
  • Salad Tips & Tools
    • How to Guides
    • Salad Tools
    • What's in Season?
    • Measuring Cups and Spoons Worldwide
    • Liquid vs Dry Measures – what’s the differences?
  • Let's Shop!
  • Nav Social Menu

    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
menu icon
go to homepage
  • A Seasonal Produce Guide
  • Vegetable Dictionary
  • Spring Salads
  • Summer Salads
  • Autumn Salads
  • Winter Salads
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
  • search icon
    Homepage link
    • A Seasonal Produce Guide
    • Vegetable Dictionary
    • Spring Salads
    • Summer Salads
    • Autumn Salads
    • Winter Salads
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
  • ×

    Home » 10 Minute Salads

    Famous French Green Salad with French Vinaigrette

    Filed Under: 10 Minute Salads, Autumn Salads, Featured, Gourmet Salads, Low Carb, Vegan

    Share1
    Pin981
    Tweet
    Share

    This loaded French Green Salad with a classic French vinaigrette will be a welcome addition to your salad arsenal. It is quick and easy to put together and goes with absolutely everything you can imagine. 

    Jump to Recipe Jump to Video Print Recipe
    FRENCH GREEN SALAD IN PORTRAIT

    In our loaded version of this classic French Bistro Salad, we have combined fresh leafy greens, cool refreshing cucumbers and healthy fat avocado and smothered them in our super delicious classic French vinaigrette for a salad that suits anything and everything. 

    Not the green salad you had in mind? Then pop over to our Ultimate Green Salad Collection for even more inspiration.

    Table of contents

    • The ingredients in French Green Salad
    • Avoid Soggy Salad
    • You Will Need
    • It Easily Makes a Meal
    • 3 Easy Steps to Making this Salad
    • Need some serving ideas?
    • Pointers for making ahead
    • Common Questions (FAQs) & Tips
    • A couple of our green salad favourites
    • Recipe Card
    • Pin Me Now & Save for Later

    The ingredients in French Green Salad

    • Mixed Salad Leaves - we have used a mesclun mix (also called spring mix) for its various colours and textures.  Feel free to use any soft leaf lettuce such as an oak leaf, baby Gem lettuce or a Boston/Bibb/Butter lettuce. 
      I prefer to use the soft lettuce varieties for this salad because they suit the delicate French vinaigrette but if you would like to use a Romaine/Cos lettuce then finely shred it.
    • Persian or Lebanese Cucumbers - or any small seedless cucumbers are ideal for this salad you could also try English or Kirby cucumbers. Regular cucumbers have tough skins and seeds that contain a lot of water, which will make your salad soggy and dilute the dressing.
    • Avocado - I like it here for its soft creamy texture also the healthy fats in the avocado will keep you feeling fuller for longer. 
    • Vinaigrette - this wouldn’t be a French Green Salad without this delectable dressing the only change I would make is to leave out the shallot if you don’t like onions. Or swap the vinegar with some citrus instead - try a combination such as lemon, orange and pink grapefruit. But keep in mind it will not keep as long in the fridge.
    • Consider adding - a variety of nuts, soft herbs (basil, mint, tarragon, dill), cheeses (feta, goats cheese, parmesan), some tanginess (baby capers or chopped green olives) or for a some sweetness try adding some dried cranberries, cherries or currants

    Avoid Soggy Salad

    • Make sure that your salad leaves are completely dry before adding to your salad. Either by draining them in a colander and then patting them dry with a clean kitchen towel.
    • Or, my absolute favourite method is to spin the leaves dry in a salad spinner; this way, the French vinaigrette will stick to the salad leaves without watering down the dressing.
    • Add the vinaigrette to the salad just before serving to prevent it from going soggy.

    You Will Need

    INGREDIENTS FOR FRENCH GREEN SALAD

    It Easily Makes a Meal

    While French salads make ideal sides to almost anything (we have some serving ideas below for you), this French classic can easily be transformed into a meal adding some protein such as:

    • For pescatarians try it with some BBQ shrimp prawns
    • For poultry lovers try Grilled Chicken
    • For carnivores try it with Pulled Pork or Seared Skirt Steak
    • For vegans and vegetarians you can't go wrong with some Crispy Tofu.

    3 Easy Steps to Making this Salad

    1 - PREPARE YOUR GREENS

    Wash your salad leaves, remove any wilted or damaged ones, either pat dry with a clean kitchen towel or spin dry in a salad spinner. 

    Wash your cucumber, trim, then peel, leaving alternate green strips. Then cut into rounds.

    Wash and peel your avocado, dice and squeeze some lemon juice on top to prevent browning.

    • WASHING-SALAD-LEAVES
      WASH YOUR SALAD MIX
    • MIXED-LEAVES-IN-SALAD-SPINNER
      EITHER PAT OR SPIN DRY
    • A04-CUTTING-PEELED--CUCUMBERS-INTO-ROUNDS04-SLICING-CARROTS-ON-MANDOLINE
      CUT YOUR CUCUMBER INTO ROUNDS
    • 04-CUTTING-AVOCADO-INTO-CHUNKS
      DICE AVOCADO & ADD LEMON JUICE

    2 - SHAKE UP YOUR DRESSING

    Finely dice your French shallot, place in a glass jar with the remaining vinaigrette ingredients, season with some sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.

    Shake your dressing until it emulsifies (that just means that everything is well combined). 

    • FRENCH VINAIGRETTE INGREDIENTS IN A GLASS JAR
      ADD INGREDIENTS TO JAR
    • SHAKE FRENCH VINAIGRETTE IN JAR
      SHAKE UNTIL EMULSIFIED

    3 - ASSEMBLE YOUR SALAD

    Place your salad ingredients in a large mixing bowl, pour the dressing over the salad, season and toss well to combine. Taste and adjust seasonings according to your liking. 

    Arrange in a salad bowl and serve immediately. 

    • INGREDIENTS FOR GREEN SALAD IN A MIXING BOWL
      ADD INGREDIENTS TO MIXING BOWL
    • TOSSING FRENCH GREEN SALAD
      TOSS WELL TO COMBINE
    • French green salad in a black bowl with a mint linen napkin at the bottom and dressing in a small black bowl in the top right corner.
      SERVE IMMEDIATELY & ENJOY!

    Need some serving ideas?

    This is such a simple salad, full of nutrients and suits just about everything. 

    We served with our French Green Salad for a casual dinner with friends. But it is elegant enough for a lavish dinner party, casual enough for a BBQ or potluck and makes a quick and easy side for weekday dinners (a great partner to a store-bought charcoal chicken). 

    I have served it with herb-crusted chicken, a prime rib roast, vegan asparagus risotto, and so much more. 

    Pointers for making ahead

    To make this salad several hours ahead of time for a party:

    • Wash and completely dry the salad leaves and keep in a dry bag in the crisper section of your fridge. If your leaves aren't completely dry then bacteria could form.
    • Cut the cucumbers, pat them dry and place them in a covered container in your refrigerator. 
    • Cut the avocado and add plenty of lemon juice to prevent browning and keep it in a covered container in the fridge (only 1-2 hours in advance).
    • Make the dressing and store in a sealed glass container in the fridge.
    • Then when your guests arrive, simply put it together, shake the dressing before pouring over your salad, then toss and serve!

    Common Questions (FAQs) & Tips

    How can I store French Green Salad?

    Once the salad has been dressed, it really does not keep well in the fridge (unless, of course, you like soggy salad).
    You can take out the lettuce, and the cucumbers and avocado will be okay the next day. Add some fresh salad leaves and a can of tuna for a quick lunch.

    Recommended Equipment

    I highly suggest using a salad spinner to spin your salad leaves dry. This makes for a tastier salad as the vinaigrette will not be watered down.

    Dietary Information

    This salad is suitable for most diets provided that you use vegan, paleo, whole30 compliant mustard.
    It is great for keto and low carb eaters as it only contains 3 grams of net carbs!

    A couple of our green salad favourites

    Healthy cucumber salad in a white bowl.
    HEALTHY CUCUMBER SALAD & ASIAN DRESSING
    ITALIAN CUCUMBER SALAD IN A WHITE BOWL WITH FRESH BASIL ON THE SIDE
    ITALIAN CUCUMBER SALAD

    Recipe Card

    French green salad in a black bowl with a mint linen napkin at the bottom and dressing in a small black bowl in the top right corner.

    French Green Salad with French Vinaigrette

    This simple French Green Salad with a classic French vinaigrette will be a welcome addition to your salad arsenal. It is quick and easy to put together and goes with absolutely everything you can imagine.
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe Rate this Recipe
    Prep Time: 10 minutes
    Cook Time: 0 minutes
    Total Time: 10 minutes
    * Times are an estimate and will depend on your skill level
    Course: Salad
    Cuisine: French
    Keyword: avocado, French vinaigrette, green salad
    Difficulty: Easy
    Diet: Suits all diets and eating styles
    Servings: 4 as a side
    Calories: 219kcal
    Equipment
    • Salad Spinner
    Ingredients
    For the salad
    • 4 cups mixed leaves (approximately 120 grams / 4.23 ounces)
    • 1 medium Lebanese or Persian Cucumber (approximately 120 grams / 4.23 ounces)
    • 1 large avocado (approximately 300 grams / 10.6 ounces))
    For the French Vinaigrette
    • 2 tablespoons finely chopped French shallots (also known as eschallots)
    • 2 tablespoons red- or white-wine vinegar
    • 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
    • 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
    • Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
    Metric - Imperial
    Instructions
    • Wash the salad leaves and either pat dry or spin dry in a salad spinner.
    • Wash, trim and peel your cucumber leaving alternate green strips then cut it into rounds. Peel and dice your avocado.
    • Finely dice your shallot and place in a glass jar with the remaining dressing ingredients. Season and shake until emulsified.
    • Add all the ingredients to a mixing bowl, pour over the dressing, season and toss until combined.
    • Taste and adjust seasonings according to your liking.
    • Arrange in a salad bowl and serve immediately.

    Video

    Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.
    Calories: 219kcal | Carbohydrates: 7g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 22g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Sodium: 44mg | Potassium: 350mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 542IU | Vitamin C: 15mg | Calcium: 11mg | Iron: 1mg
    Tried this recipe?Mention @salads_with_anastasia or tag #salads_with_anastasia!

    Pin Me Now & Save for Later

    PINTEREST - FRENCH GREEN SALAD
    Share1
    Pin981
    Tweet
    Share
    « Lemon Capellini Salad - Angel Hair Pasta
    Recipe for Italian Tomato Salad Made with Fresh Basil »

    About Anastasia

    Anastasia is a home cook introduced to cooking at a young age (8 years old) and hasn’t gotten out of the kitchen since! She had her own coffee shop and ran her own catering business for over a decade. Her love of salads developed as she was always the one responsible for making the salads for family get-togethers and friends functions.

    Reader Interactions

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    Primary Sidebar

    Welcome

    ANASTASIA FROM SALADS WITH ANASTASIA

    Hi, I’m Anastasia,
    Let me show you how to transform your salads from boring and limp to bright, fresh and exciting using in season fresh produce.

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube

    Looking for a recipe?

    Cheesy Salad Collection

    Various salads with cheese and a text overlay.

    Greek Salad Collection

    NARROW PICS OF VARIOUS GREEK SALADS WITH A TEXT OVERLAY

    Green Salad Collection

    VARIETY OF GREEN SALADS WITH TEXT OVERLAY

    Asian Salads

    ASIAN SALAD COLLECTION WITH TEXT OVERLAY

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • Terms & Conditions
    • Privacy Policy
    • Accessibility Policy
    • Site Credits
    • Contact Me

    Sign-up for new salad recipes!

    Recipes & Tools

    • Salads
    • Dressings
    • Spices & Condiments
    • Salad Tools
    • What's in Season
    • Let's Shop!

    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright © 2020 · Salads with Anastasia · All Rights Reserved

    This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Cookie settingsOKAY
    Privacy & Cookies Policy

    Privacy Overview

    This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are as essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
    Necessary
    Always Enabled
    Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
    SAVE & ACCEPT