Green Goddess Salad

You'll love our fresh and updated take on a classic Green Goddess Salad. You'll get the gorgeous green hue of the dressing from heart-healthy avocado and crisp fresh herbs, blended with tangy buttermilk. On a bed of fresh greens, we added both shrimp and chickpeas for satiating protein, cucumbers, tomatoes and celery to keep you hydrated and artichokes for salty brininess. Keep reading for our expert tips, including details on ingredients, preparation steps and serving suggestions.

Tips From the EatingWell Test Kitchen

These are the key tips we learned while developing and testing this recipe in our Test Kitchen to make sure it works, tastes great and is good for you too! 

• If your avocado is not ripe enough, slice it in half, wrap each half in plastic wrap and microwave them in 30-second bursts until soft. Then, submerge them in ice water to stop further cooking.
• Dark green celery stalks can be bitter. For sweeter celery, choose a bunch with very light green stalks and leaves. Make sure the celery looks fresh and feels firm to the touch—no wilting.
• One simple way to achieve really crisp salad greens is to prepare them a day in advance. First, wash the leaves thoroughly. Next, spread them out on a kitchen towel and gently roll the towel up into a tube. Wrap the towel loosely in plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator to chill.
• Any cucumber will work in this recipe, but you might want to consider a Persian or English cucumber if you want tender skin and fewer seeds than regular cucumbers.

Nutrition Notes

• An avocado forms the base of the green goddess dressing and adds creaminess and green color. Avocados are rich in healthy monounsaturated fats, fiber, potassium and folate—great for your heart. They also have inflammation-fighting antioxidant beta-carotene, and the nutrients lutein and zeaxanthin for good vision health.
• Shrimp is a high-protein food that also provides several micronutrients, like phosphorous, selenium, iodine and zinc. They even offer omega-3s and the antioxidant astaxanthin. Shrimp is considered high in dietary cholesterol, but research suggests that the cholesterol in the foods we eat has little effect on our cholesterol level for heart health.
• Chickpeas, aka garbanzo beans, are a type of legume—and like all legumes, they provide a wealth of nutrition. Chickpeas have an amazing combination of carbohydrates, plant protein and fiber. They also provide folate and iron.
• Green leaf lettuce doesn't get much love, but this crunchy salad staple is full of hydrating water and vitamin A, which are important for keeping your skin healthy, plump and vibrant. Your heart will also get a boost from the potassium in green leaf lettuce—potassium helps pull sodium out of the body, which can help lower blood pressure.

How Green Goddess Salad Got Its Name

The consensus is that the green goddess salad dressing was named after a popular 1920s play of the same name. The head chef at San Francisco's Palace Hotel, Philip Roemer, created the green-colored dressing for a starter salad in honor of the play's lead actor and hotel guest, George Arliss. The dressing is traditionally made with mayonnaise, sour cream and fresh green herbs. Our take on green goddess dressing is beautifully green and creamy with avocado, which is loaded with good-for-you fats.