Italian Garden Medley Salad

Serves: 4–6 | Prep Time: 10 minutes

This vibrant, crisp salad is loaded with texture and protein. By using Italian Dressing as the base, the artichoke hearts and garbanzo beans marinate in those signature herbs, creating a bold flavor profile that stays fresh for days.

Ingredients:

• 1 English cucumber, diced
• 1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
• 1 can (15 oz) garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 jar (12 oz) marinated artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
• 1/2 cup CMM Zesty Italian Dressing (or more to taste)
• Garnish: Freshly shaved or shredded Parmesan cheese
• Optional: 1/4 red onion, thinly sliced or diced

Instructions:

1. Prep your vegetables by dicing the cucumber and halving the tomatoes. If you are using the red onion, slice it thinly now.
2. Place the cucumber, tomatoes, garbanzo beans, and artichoke hearts (and optional red onion) into a large mixing bowl.
3. Pour the CMM Zesty Italian Dressing over the vegetables.
4. Toss everything thoroughly until the vegetables are evenly coated in the dressing.
5. Let the salad sit for at least 20–30 minutes in the refrigerator. This allows the garbanzo beans and cucumbers to soak up the lemon and herb flavors from the dressing.
6. Just before serving, toss once more and garnish with a generous sprinkle of Parmesan cheese.