Lunch Salad with Corn, Mozzarella, and Avocado

My lunch salad recipe strikes a perfect balance between goodness and flavor. It mixes crunchy corn and cucumber, juicy tomatoes, and creamy avocado on a bed of mixed leaves. Milky mozzarella, candied nuts, and sweet balsamic drizzle add a gourmet touch to this fresh salad.

I call it my lunch salad because it’s really fast to prepare and as such, I often make it for lunch when I’m having a busy day. You just need a few minutes to chop up the tomatoes, mozzarella, cucumber, and avocado. Optionally, you can make candied nuts or just use regular store-bought roasted nuts

Ingredients

To make two servings of my lunch salad, you’ll need the following:

• Salad Mix – 2.8oz (80 grams) arugula babyleaf salad mix (or your preferred salad mix)
• Tomatoes – 1 cup grape tomatoes or cherry tomatoes
• Cucumber – 1/2 English cucumber
• Avocado – 1 avocado
• Mozzarella – 8 oz (225 grams) fresh mozzarella
• Corn – 1 cup canned sweet corn
• Balsamic Glaze – 2 tbsp or to taste
• Nuts – 1/2 cup walnuts
• Sugar (optional, for candied nuts) – 2 tbsp granulated sugar
• Salt – to taste
• Pepper – to taste

Ingredient Notes

The beauty of this salad is that it’s so customizable to your preferences!

Salad Mix – For the salad mix, pretty much anything with arugula thrown in the mix will work well.

Nuts – Instead of walnuts, you can use pecans, almonds, hazelnuts, or macadamia nuts.

Cheese – Instead of mozzarella, you can use burrata or goat cheese.

Salad Dressing – In addition to the balsamic glaze, you could add some high-quality extra-virgin olive oil. Or, you could substitute the balsamic glaze with a vinaigrette made from extra-virgin olive oil, lemon juice (or white wine vinegar or cider vinegar), and a touch of honey.

Additional Ingredients – You can also other of your favorite ingredients to this salad. I’ve made this before with marinated artichoke hearts, olives, and roasted veggies.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1 (Optional) – Make the candied/sugary nuts. To a pan over medium heat, add the sugar (in an even layer) and nuts. Let it melt for a couple minutes and mix the nuts around. Transfer to a small plate to cool.

If not making candied nuts, simply use store-bought roasted nuts. For an added touch of sweetness, you could use honey-roasted nuts.

Step 2 – Chop the tomatoes, avocado, mozzarella, and cucumber.

Step 3 – Plate up the salad mix and add the corn on top of it.

Step 4 – Add the chopped tomatoes, cucumber, avocado, mozzarella, and nuts (candied or roasted).

Step 5 – Add the balsamic glaze and salt and pepper to taste.

Serving Suggestions

You could also just toss everything together and serve as a tossed salad in a large salad bowl or divided. Serve it with crusty bread or crostini to add some crunch. You can also add some protein by topping it with sliced grilled or roast chicken.

This is a salad that’s all about speed and convenience, hence the name. I know how hard it can be to find time in the day to cook because life gets so busy.

With this salad, you get veggies, along with sweet and savory flavors. Adding the nuts and cheese gives you the protein and a filling dish, while you can easily pack this up if you’re in a rush.

Recipe Card

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