The internet was first introduced to “life-changing lettuce” by Baked by Melissa, and since then it has racked up 496,000 likes. Now, TikTok is awash with users trying the super-simple recipe for themselves. There appears to be two camps – one that says, ‘Oh yes, this really is game-changing salad’ and another that believes it’s just basic salad dressing, nothing to write home about.
One user said: “Italians have been making salad like this forever. Congrats for discovering how to make salad,” while another defended the recipe, writing: “I don’t understand the hate. I wouldn’t have thought of putting these ingredients together. I saved it, tried it and IT IS DELICIOUS OMG. I love it.”
I thought I’d just have to make it and decide for myself…
Life-changing lettuce recipe:
Iceberg lettuce
Lemon
Olive oil
White vinegar
Garlic
Salt
Pepper
Life-changing lettuce steps:
Chop up the lettuce into shredded pieces
Add the juice of one lemon
Add two circles of olive oil (Melissa is keen to stress no real measuring should be done here, just hit and hope)
A dash of white vinegar
One clove of garlic
Half a teaspoon of salt
Pepper to taste
I rate the recipe – it’s worth a go!
I’m no culinary whizz so I have to admit, it was the ease of this dish that drew me in. I’ve got a toddler and a busy life, so I don’t have time to be whipping up extravagant dishes from scratch, so a throw it altogether kind of salad had me sold. I also love the fact that the ingredients are all things you probably already have in your house, no venturing to a niche supermarket for some obscure spice or ultra-rare leaf.
As you can see from the video, it was easy-peasy as advertised – the only real task being the big mix up at the end. So, did it live up to the hype?
The verdict
Am I shouting it from the rooftops? No, unlikely. Will I be trying it again? Absolutely. It’s the sort of no-fuss recipe that can totally trick your mother-in-law into thinking you’re a domesticated queen and also impress your pals during a bring-a-bowl evening. It’s one you’ll be glad to have in the locker for a multitude of occasions. I will say, thanks to the amount of liquid, it doesn’t keep very well so use it the same day or it will go soggy. But, overall, it’s a yes from me.
Dining and Cooking