A Guide to Salad Greens

With this fresh greens guide you can determine which type of greens you might like, what they taste, like and ideas on how to enjoy them.

Arugula

This spiky dark green leaf will add a peppery spice of flavor.  Arugula is cruciferous, so that means it scores high in nutrient density.  Its bold taste is often found in Mediterranean cuisine.  You can use it on its own or mixed with a variety of other greens in salads, tossed with pasta or on a sandwich.

Beet Tops

Yes, these are harvested from the top of beets!  They have a dark leaf with deep red stems running through.  I would say the flavor is medium when comparing it to bland or bold, and it has a hint of beet flavor.  It has a medium texture on a scale of tender to crunchy. These are delicious sauteed or in salads.

Bok Choy

A Chinese cabbage with great crunch!  Its name comes from the Chinese word for soup spoon, because of its shape.  It looks like romaine on the top and celery on the bottom.  The flavor leans a little toward bold. Roasted, sauteed, or in stir fry, you can’t go wrong with bok choy.

Boston, Bibb and Butter

These delicate lettuces grow in loose, pale green heads.  Their heads tend to be smaller and darker with a sweeter taste.  They have a cup shape leaf that make pretty beds for bean or grain salads, such as quinoa.  They are also a great alternative to tortillas when making wraps.  Handle these gently and eat them quickly after purchasing them.  They have medium flavor and are more on the crunchy side.

Cabbage

A pale, leafy green that’s available in many varieties including red cabbage, Napa cabbage, brussels sprouts, and savoy.  No matter what type you buy, look for cabbage heads that feel heavy for their size, except Napa cabbage.  Cabbage is a bit on the bold side with a crunchy texture. Enjoy in soups, stews, or sauteed as a side dish.

Chard

A deep green leaf with large, thick stalks of many colors.  The stalk is edible and is many times prepared separately from leaf.  The firm leaves are somewhat mild, sweet, earthy, and slightly bitter, but milder than spinach.  I think it’s best sauteed with garlic and used as a side dish.

Chicory and Frisée

(Curly Endive)

Though these names are many times used interchangeably, frisée generally refers to a cross between chicory and green leaf lettuce that is a bit less bitter than chicory.  Chicory has slender, spiky leaves with a bitter, peppery flavor. Frisée has frilly, loose, feathery leaves.  Delicious mixed in salads.

Endive

Endive has a unique, oval shape with very pale green tips.  The taste is bitter and is commonly used in with a mix of greens in a salad.  Individual leaves can be used as a scoop for appetizers.  It can be enjoyed both raw or cooked.  When raw, endive is crisp and bitter.  When cooked, their sharp flavor softens into a mellow nutty sweetness.

Escarole

This broad-leafed endive looks like butter lettuce with slightly crumpled, jagged leaves.  The more mature leaves are typically used for soups or stews.  It also pairs nicely in vinegar-based bean salads to balance out its bitter notes.

Iceberg Lettuce

A very popular, refreshing, light green type of crisp lettuce head.  Iceberg may be the bestselling lettuce in America, but it has the lowest nutrient density of all the lettuces.  It’s crunchy, but has little flavor.  Shop for heads that are tightly packed and feel heavy for their size.  Iceberg lettuce makes a great fresh salad or use the large leaves in place of a bun on your burger or stuff and roll it as you would a wrap.

Kale

Of all the super healthy greens, kale is king.  It’s one of the healthiest and most nutritious plant foods available.  Kale is loaded with all sorts of beneficial compounds, some of which have powerful medicinal properties.  As a member of the cabbage family, kale comes in many varieties.  You can eat it raw or cooked.  It tastes delicious in salad, soup or baked into kale chips.

Mesclun

If you’ve seen this, it actually means it’s a mix of tender, baby lettuce leaves.  It’s very popular in France and was just introduced to the United States a few decades ago.  The mix varies according to season and grower but typically contains loose-packed leaved lettuces, frisée, and radicchio.  These fresh greens are wonderful mixed with a light vinaigrette or topping off a sandwich or burger.

Oak Leaf

This variety comes in both green and red and grows as individual soft, ruffly leaves, shaped like oak leaves.  The taste is sweet and mild, comparable to Boston lettuce. Use on its own for a salad or mixed with other greens to bring in another green color contrast.

Radicchio

Ok, technically this isn’t a green, but it’s commonly used in salads, so I’m going to include it.  It’s often confused with red cabbage because of its bold flavor, but it’s much more tender.  Whole leaves can be used to hold dips or salads.  Radicchio also holds up well to cooking.

Red Leaf and Green Leaf

These loose-leaved lettuces grow in large, open heads with many ruffly, deep colored leaves and crisp stems.  Leaf lettuce has more flavor than head lettuces, and the red leaf adds a nice color contrast to a salad.  With a medium bold flavor and crisp texture, this is a popular leaf in salads and topping a sandwich.   

Romaine

A crisp, distinctive lettuce used in the classic Caesar salad.  The flavor is slightly bitter, and the leaves are very crunchy.  It keeps well in the refrigerator for a week or longer. Use in a salad, as a wrapper for sandwiches and burgers, or cut in half, drizzle with balsamic and toss it on the grill.

Spinach

This dark leafy green is commonly consumed fresh in salads, layered on sandwiches, or added to soups and stews.  You can purchase it fresh, frozen, dehydrated or like popeye used to eat it, canned!  This tender leaf tastes different depending whether you’re eating it fresh or cooked.  It’s delicious sauteed with a splash of balsamic right before serving.

Watercress

Another nutrient dense leafy green.  It has a bright, peppery flavor and works well in salads as well as slightly wilted, such as in Asian soups and stir fry.  You can even make watercress pesto.  However you decide to enjoy it, do so quickly before the leaves turn yellow and wilted.