{"id":149331,"date":"2025-05-30T20:27:45","date_gmt":"2025-05-30T20:27:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pizzatoday.com\/?post_type=topics&p=149331"},"modified":"2025-08-21T09:21:41","modified_gmt":"2025-08-21T09:21:41","slug":"salads-make-a-perfect-summer-entree","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pizzatoday.com\/news\/salads-make-a-perfect-summer-entree\/149331\/","title":{"rendered":"Salads make a perfect summer entr\u00e9e"},"content":{"rendered":"

One of the most basic yet essential rules of owning a restaurant is: Have something for everyone. While many pizzerias have the capacity to offer a broad range of items, expanding the menu can seem intimidating if your shop is limited to pizza and a few other dishes. Add to that the number of dietary restrictions and food allergies that people seem to have these days, and things can get tricky. However, there is one simple solution: salad. It also just happens to be the perfect complement to pizza. A salad can add both flavor and lightness to a pizzeria menu as a starter, side or even a main course.<\/p>\n

With many customers looking for a lighter meal option as the days get warmer, summer is the perfect time to up your salad game. (Yes, I\u2019m talking about all you dads trying to slim up for swimsuit season.) Now is a great time to elevate your salads and turn them into stand-alone dishes. There are a plethora of fresh fruits and vegetables to get creative with, and often you can even cross-utilize pizza ingredients. In my shop, we put spinach, kale and arugula on pizza and in salad. The only green we buy just for salads is romaine, although you could turn that into a pizza special by doing a post-bake twist on Caesar salad.<\/p>\n

Salads as Entr\u00e9es<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The way to transform a side salad into a main course is all about rounding out and up.<\/strong> A side salad is there to break up the meal with acidity and crunch but not necessarily fill you up. A side salad also can get away with simply greens, dressing and perhaps some shaved Parmesan, whereas a main-dish salad should have depth and heartier ingredients. You can accomplish this by adding different textures and flavors. While meats and cheeses might be the first things that come to mind, there are plenty of ways to make plants the star of the show. Instead of just tossing everything in raw, shift things around by roasting, pickling, marinating and frying. For me, putting together a stellar dish is all about the contrast of flavors and textures.<\/p>\n

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Standard Summer Salad<\/div>\n
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Recipe Type<\/span>: Salad<\/span><\/div>\n
Author: Audrey Kelly<\/span><\/div>\n
(Makes 2 servings) Think of this as your guide to making any summer salad. It is packed with peaches, pumpkin seeds, farro and dressed with cilantro vinaigrette \u2013 but you can easily switch out the fruit, seeds, cheese, grains, greens and herbs to suit what you have on hand and what you\u2019re craving.<\/div>\n
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Ingredients<\/div>\n