Our Editor's Favorite Ready-to-Eat Lettuce Just Released Salad Kits, So I Had to Try Them

Here are my thoughts.

Salad kits can be the easiest way to enjoy a crunchy lunch on-the-go. We love some of the offerings at Trader Joe's, Costco, Aldi and Target, so it's safe to say that we're salad kit enthusiasts at EatingWell.

There are two new salad kits on the market created by the ready-to-eat lettuce brand Little Leaf Farms. Our associate editorial director Victoria Seaver, M.S., RD is a huge fan of their lettuce, and I recently asked her why.

"There's nothing like a crisp, crunchy salad! That's why I love Little Leaf Farms lettuce," Seaver said. "I love the convenience of pre-washed spring mix or baby spinach, but I much prefer the taste and texture of bibb, iceberg or green and red leaf lettuces. And even though the latter only requires a quick chop and wash before using, as silly as it sounds, sometimes that feels like too much effort as I prep my lunch in the morning before running out the door or as I try to get dinner on the table at the end of a busy workday. So the fact that Little Leaf Farms offers the pre-washed versions of my favorite greens in a convenient clamshell means I'm much more likely to actually eat a salad."

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OK, with that kind of rave review, I knew I had to try out these new kits. The two salad kit varieties—Crispy Caesar and Southwest—were released just last week, and I was able to get my hands on them. Here's what I thought about each salad.

Crispy Caesar Salad Kit

Let me start off by saying, I absolutely love Caesar salad. It's my side salad go-to, and I love adding steak on top for a complete meal. So I was definitely excited to try the version from Little Leaf Farms.

This salad includes the brand's Baby Crispy Green Leaf lettuce, garlic croutons, shredded Parmesan cheese and Romano Caesar dressing. The croutons, cheese and dressing are individually wrapped, so all you have to do is open the packets and dump it all into the large container. Give it a good shake and it's ready to enjoy.

The container is perfect for shaking all of your ingredients in, and I found that the amount of salad made for a nice-sized light lunch. The flavor of the dressing and the lightly seasoned croutons brought a savory tang to the subtle sweetness of the lettuce.

The most noteworthy aspect about both of these salads is the perfectly crisp lettuce. It's so fresh that I definitely understand the hype from Seaver. If you like big pieces of lettuce in your salad, then leave as is. For me, I broke up some of the larger pieces with my hands before adding the rest of the ingredients because I prefer a smaller bite.

Overall, this was a solid Caesar salad, and I would be excited to shake it up again for a future easy lunch.

Related: We Taste-Tested 19 Caesar Salad Kits—Here Are Our Favorites

Southwest Salad Kit

In this kit, the same Little Leaf Farms lettuce variety was used, this time with toppings like Mexican-style cheese blend, chili-lime tortilla strips, corn and avocado ranch dressing. Prepared the same way, all you have to do is incorporate all the ingredients before mixing or shaking everything together.

As I said before, the star of the salad is the lettuce, but I also liked the crunch of the tortilla strips and corn in each forkful. While the chili-lime flavor wasn't too noticeable, these two ingredients paired well with the shredded cheese.

However, I am glad I tried the avocado ranch dressing before adding it in the salad. While creamy, the flavor to me was off-putting. I believe it was the spices that were overpowering because it did not taste like ranch dressing or avocado—even to my family's ranch lovers that gave it a try with me. Luckily, I just used a light ranch dressing that I had on hand for this salad, and it ended up tasting nice.

The salad's fresh flavors are worth the try, I would just recommend tasting this dressing before adding it to your salad. Who knows: you may like the dressing!

The Bottom Line

If you're looking for easy, ready-to-eat salad kits, then the new Little Leaf Farms kits are delicious options. I preferred the Crispy Caesar over the Southwest and will definitely be buying the former again and again. The average price of these kits are $5.49 each, and they're now available at select retailers in the Northeast with more availability across the U.S. expected in 2024. Check where you can buy the kits here.

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Read the original article on Eating Well.