Have you heard about the Jennifer Aniston salad? It’s a recipe she shared while doing an Instagram takeover for the Living Proof brand in 2015 (… how is that exactly a decade ago?!). I feel like this salad recipe surges in popularity every so often, and I can see why — it’s delicious, fairly easy to assemble and pretty healthy too!
This is the original recipe and while I’m sure it’s amazing, I made a few modifications for my personal preferences. The salad is very Mediterranean-inspired so that’s what you can expect from the flavor profile.
With the arrival of spring I am finally starting to crave more salads and this one felt like a good way to kick off the warmer season!
SALAD NOTES
Before I get into the actual recipe (which is admittedly more of an “assembly” situation 🤭), I wanted to share a few things about the choices I made for this salad:
— Regarding the grain, you could absolutely use farro or bulgur instead, but I believe quinoa is gluten free and more nutritious. I don’t have a gluten sensitivity, but I still thought it was worth noting.
— I’m not a big fan of red onions so I opted for a shallot instead.
— I find garbanzo beans to be kind of dry and mealy so I substituted with a different neutral bean.
— I think parsley is a bit bland and find mint to be too overpowering so I skipped those and added baby arugula instead for a leafy green component (plus, I love the peppery flavor profile!).
— I kept finding alternating recipes that either included garlic in the dressing or didn’t. I opted to add it because I love garlic, but feel free to omit it.
— I make my dressing separately because the salad stores better that way.
— It goes without saying that you should make this salad your own by adding whatever ingredients you prefer (even incorporating an additional animal or plant-based protein), adjusting the amount of ingredients, etc. Feel free to use this “recipe” as more of a starting off point to create your own variation.
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INGREDIENTS:
SALAD
1 cup Quinoa (cooked)
1 can Cannellini Beans
1 cup Arugula
1 cup Cucumber (finely diced)
1/2 cup Shallot (finely diced)
1/2 cup Feta Cheese (crumbled)
1/4 cup Roasted/Salted Pistachios (roughly chopped)
DRESSING
2 tbsp Olive Oil
4 tbsp Lemon Juice (freshly squeezed)
2 Garlic Cloves (minced)
1/2 tsp Salt (kosher)
1 tsp Black Pepper (freshly ground)
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DIRECTIONS:
Cook quinoa according to package instructions. Add to a large mixing bowl.
Dice cucumber & shallots; add to bowl.
Drain can of cannellini beans and pour into bowl.
Crumble 1/2 cup of feta cheese into bowl. *I highly discourage you from buying pre-crumbled feta cheese — buy the block stored in brine and crumble it yourself!
Roughly chop the roasted / salted pistachios, add to the bowl and toss all ingredients together.
Mince garlic and whisk dressing ingredients together until well integrated.
Pour dressing over salad and mix thoroughly when ready to eat.
Bon appétit!
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This recipe as it is makes enough for at least two portions, but if you add in additional protein, you may want to divide it up further. I store my salad dry (read: without tossing in dressing) and then dress it just before eating.
I hope you enjoy my version of the viral “Jennifer Aniston” salad!
Sending hugs —
xx, Natalie