This creamy corn salad is so fresh you’ll be surprised that we use some canned veggies. It’s the perfect balance of textures and flavours!
I love a leafless vegetable salad and this creamy corn veggie salad is at the top of my list. It’s simple to prepare and uses simple ingredients. What’s not to love?
Don’t be alarmed by all the chopping. The pieces do not have to be perfect, just as long as they’re relatively small you’re all set.
The flavours and textures in this salad are all intentional to balance each other out. But, that doesn’t mean you can’t play around with it, especially if it contains an ingredient you don’t like.
Don’t be afraid to try something different!
Preparing Creamy Corn Salad
Ingredients
Cucumber: Cucumbers are the fruit of a creeping vine plant. They are often grown on trellises, in cool climates in greenhouses and as a field crop in warmer areas. There are many different varieties of cucumbers, with the smaller varieties most often used for pickling. Hence the name pickling cucumber.
Red bell pepper: The sweetness of red bell pepper is unbeatable in this recipe. Red peppers are the more mature version of the more bitter and earthy green pepper. Though they are technically a fruit, bell peppers are typically used as a vegetable in cooking. Red bell peppers are high in vitamins C and A.
Mushrooms: Button mushrooms are immature fungi that come in two colours – white and brown. These mushrooms are one of the most popular mushrooms around the world and as such have many different names. Button white and cremini are the names I’ve come across most often here in Canada. These are most commonly found canned which is what we call for in this recipe. They are cooked before they are canned so all you have to do is drain and chop them.
Corn: Canned corn is ideal for this recipe because it is already cooked and ready to go without compromising on flavour. If fresh corn is in-season where you are I recommend grilling the corn for about 2 minutes on all sides to get a bit of char on them. Then run your knife along the cobb to slice off the corn kernels for this salad.
Mayonnaise: Mayo is made from eggs, oil and usually vinegar or lemon. When mixing these at high speeds you will get a white creamy texture like you find in a jar on the grocery store shelves.
Dijon mustard: Made from spicy brown and black mustard seeds it is the perfect way to give any meal a little kick. It has a tangy sharp taste that some consider being spicy.
Lentils: Green lentils are a legume and are a seed of the lentil plant. These are typically the variety that you find canned whish is what is recommended in this recipe. They hold their shape well when cooked and add fiber, protein, vitamins and minerals to this dish.
Parsley: Parsley is a dark green herb that is used as a garnish or as a flavouring. The two varieties that are most common are flat-leaf and curly parsley. They are very similar in flavour however their leaves and texture are different. As the names suggest, flat-leaf parsley has flat leaves that are very similar to cilantro, whereas curly parsley has rougher and curly-looking leaves. Both are very rich in vitamins C and K and antioxidants, among other nutrients.
How to Make Creamy Corn Salad
The order of the steps doesn’t matter one bit. Since there is no cooking there is no time to be saved or wasted.
You will need to open and strain the canned veggies. The mushrooms will need to be diced.
Next, you need to get the fresh ingredients prepped. Wash, peel and dice the cucumber, although the peeling is optional.
Wash and dice the red pepper.
And finally, wash and finely chop the parsley.
Add all of the ingredients to a medium bowl and gently toss to combine.
Substitutions
This salad is super easy to augment because of the many flavours. The key thing you want to keep in mind is replacing ingredients with similar textures.
Cucumber: You can replace the cucumber with sour pickles. I know the flavours aren’t similar at all but trust me, it works!
Lentils: The lentils are the protein in this dish so if you want to skip them I do recommend you add another high-protein ingredient. Try replacing the lentils with a hard-boiled egg or canned or cooked sweet peas.
Serving Creamy Corn and Vegetable Salad
This salad is very versatile. I like it best all on its own as a snack or add a carb to make a delicious lunch. I recommend a fresh baguette on the side.
My toddler loves this salad on crackers either for a snack or for lunch. It gets a bit messy but I think that’s half the fun.
You can also serve this creamy corn and veggie salad as a dip. It’s great with tortilla chips or freshly baked pita chips making it an excellent party appetizer.
Let us know in the comments if you have any other questions. And if you like this recipe be sure to leave us a five-star rating below.
Are you looking for dinner ideas? Check out our recipes:
Creamy Corn and Vegetable Salad Recipe
Equipment
- Knife and cutting board
- Medium bowl
- Can opener
Ingredients
- ½ cup cucumber
- ½ cup red bell pepper
- ½ cup can mushrooms
- ½ cup canned corn
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp pepper
- 2 tbsp mayonnaise
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- ¼ cup canned lentils
- 1 tbsp fresh parsley
Instructions
- In no particular order, peel and dice the cucumber, wash and dice the red bell pepper, and wash and finely chop the parsley.½ cup cucumber, ½ cup red bell pepper, 1 tbsp fresh parsley
- Next open and strain the canned corn, lentils and mushrooms. Dice the mushrooms into small pieces. Ideally, all the veggies should be approximately the same size as the corn kernels.½ cup can mushrooms, ½ cup canned corn, 1/4 cup canned lentils
- Add all the veggies and parsley to a medium bowl with the mayonnaise, mustard and salt and pepper. Stir everything until well combined and serve.¼ tsp salt, ¼ tsp pepper, 2 tbsp mayonnaise, 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- Serve on its own, as a dip or on crackers.
