Easy Leafy Greens Salad With Air Fryer Croutons

Leafy greens with croutons is a great way to making an impressive yet super simple salad. This crunchy salad has happiness written all over it! Air fryer cheesy croutons with a hint of chili, lettuce, rocket (arugula), ripe tomatoes, fresh cucumber, carrots, pomegranate arils with a zesty dijon mustard salad dressing!

Simple Salad

If you know me or my recipes and style of cooking, then you know that because I am anosmic, color, freshness, taste and presentation are my focus every day that I cook and eat.

This leafy greens with croutons salad started off as a lazy salad - a couple dark lettuce leaves, rocket and tomatoes and that was it. Then the idea of cheese came to mind like shaved parmesan cheese would be good right? That didn’t happen. I went with an olive cheddar cheese instead giving the parmigiana a rest😃

Things took a speedy turn because I went from lettuce, rocket tomatoes to adding a peeled and thinly shaved carrot. Carrots are nice and sweet and add great texture and color and so do pomegranate arils so those went in too.

In terms of lettuce, you can go with one type of lettuce but using a bunch of colorful leaves is a great idea. Any type of lettuce will go well. I've gone with dark baby lettuce leaves because they are tender, a few green lettuce leaves and rocket.

Leafy Greens Crouton Salad

This is where things went from a fresh beautiful salad to the best crispy croutons in a salad on any given day!  The air fryer was once again a convenient kitchen appliance especially in summer. The pieces of bread crisped beautifully.

Salad Dressing

A good salad needs a good salad dressing, here I went with a zesty homemade dressing - extra virgin olive oil, garlic, fresh lemon juice, salt, black pepper, honey and dijon mustard. 

How to Make Leafy Green Salad with Homemade Croutons

Make the croutons: Spray the air fryer basket with cooking spray and preheat for 5 minutes. Tear small pieces of bread into a bowl, then drizzle with olive oil, add sea salt, red pepper flakes, and grated cheese. Mix with your hands and place in the air fryer basket. Air fry at 200°C for 5-7 minutes, shaking halfway through. (Parchment paper makes cleanup easy!)

Make the dressing: Whisk the dressing ingredients together in a small bowl or shake in a mason jar until combined.

Prepare the greens: Rinse the lettuce and rocket, then shake or pat dry. Salad spinner is great here!

Assemble the salad: Layer the greens on a platter or in a large bowl. Add tomatoes, cucumber, shaved carrots, pomegranate arils and top with croutons.

Serve: At the table, mix the croutons into the salad, pour the dressing over, and gently toss.

Side Note: It’s best to start with a little dressing and add more to taste, as you can always add, but can’t remove once it's on.

Recipe Notes:

• Dressing: Make the salad dressing up to 3 days ahead. Store in an airtight container in the fridge and bring to room temperature before using. Shake well to re-emulsify.
• Croutons: Best served fresh for crispiness, but you can make them a couple of days ahead and reheat to crisp up again.
• Bread: Stale bread works best for croutons. These were made with day-old bread and hold up well in the air fryer without getting soggy from the dressing.
• Oven Method: If you don’t have an air fryer, bake the bread cubes on a baking sheet at 200°C until golden brown - about 10 minutes.

Variations For Leafy Greens with Croutons

• Vegetables: Try adding red onion, bell peppers, swiss chard, collard greens, mixed greens, kale, or romaine lettuce.
• Dressing:  Switch to a vinaigrette instead of a dressing for something lighter. 
• Lemon:  Freshly squeezed lemon juice is best for salad dressings. 

Serving

Serve this salad with grilled chicken, baked eggplant, caprese sticks, or any type of fish or seafood.

Storage

Freezer: Not recommended.

Refrigerator: Leftovers can be stored in a sealed container for up to 2 days.

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