Green Tomato Salad with Focaccia Croutons

This Green Tomato Salad is bright green, fresh and exactly what I want when I’m craving a light lunch that feels filling but also wholesome. It’s great to serve alongside crispy chickpeas or breaded beans, and then you have a big, delicious, and vegetable-packed lunch or dinner. The salad itself is designed to be as simple as possible, with a quick acidic vinaigrette forming the base, and then all the vegetables getting tossed in and topped with lightly toasted focaccia croutons and a salty, shredded ricotta salata.

The green tomatoes are the star of this recipe, and I use their vegetal, crisp flavor to play off of the white wine vinegar dressing. The dressing is so acidic that it almost quickly pickles the tomatoes, mellowing them out in a way that makes them ready to be eaten in green tomato salad form. The other ingredients are just a love letter to vegetable-forward salads, with cucumbers for their sweetness, a slightly underripe avocado for its richness and bite, and my favorite kind of lettuce to round everything out.

You can make the focaccia croutons with my genoa focaccia recipe, or you can just toast up any leftover bread you have lying around. Either way, something carby on top really helps turn this salad from amazing, to extra-extra delicious.

What ingredients do you need for this green tomato salad?

This recipe is simple, so here’s everything you need:

• 1/3 serving Genoa Style Focaccia
• 2 tablespoons parsley oil
• 3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
• 2 teaspoons honey
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• Diamond Crystal kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 2 small green tomatoes
• 2 Persian cucumbers
• 1/2 large avocado
• 2 cups butter lettuce or red leaf lettuce
• 2 ounces ricotta salata

How to prepare this salad recipe

The only cooking in this salad is the croutons – after that it’s a really quick assemble, almost too quick that it feels like you aren’t really cooking, but sometimes that’s the point, no?

To start this salad, cut the focaccia into 1 inch square pieces. Drizzle with the parsley oil and toss to coat.
Put a large pan over medium heat and toast the croutons, shaking occasionally, for 4-5 minutes or until all sides are evenly golden brown and crisp.

To make the dressing, whisk together the vinegar, honey, and olive oil. Add a large pinch of kosher salt (about a quarter teaspoon) and a few cracks of black pepper. Thinly slice the tomatoes and add them to the dressing, toss in the dressing and let this sit while you prepare the rest of the ingredients. The dressing is so acidic that it will almost quickly pickle the tomatoes.

Thinly slice the cucumbers and cube the avocado. Roughly tear up the lettuce. Add all of this in with the tomatoes and stir to combine.

Grate over the ricotta salata and give the salad another mix. Top with the focaccia croutons before serving. This whole recipe takes minutes, but I find it supremely satisfying.

Suggestions for substitutions in this recipe

I know you might not have all the ingredients on hand for something like this at all times, so here are some ways to spin it to what’s in your fridge!

• White wine vinegar – can be subbed for equal parts lemon juice.
• Green tomatoes – can be subbed with regular globe tomatoes or heirloom tomatoes, just make sure you have some good ones!
• Butter or red leaf lettuce – feel free to sub these for romaine, iceberg, arugula, or any other tender, leafy green that calls to you!
• Ricotta salata – sub this with parmesan or pecorino, both are salty and hold up really well!

Looking for other easy and wholesome salads?

You’ve come to the right spot – I’m a girl who really loves a salad. Here are some of my favorites from the blog:

And that’s it for this Green Tomato Salad recipe!

If you make it, please tag me on Pinterest or Instagram so I can see! It’s my favorite thing to scroll through stories and see what you all are making.

And of course feel free to leave any questions, comments or reviews! This is the best place to reach me, and I’d love to hear from you.