Green and Red Summer Sausage Salad

Tonight is New Year's Eve and I'm more excited for this holiday than I have been in years!

Nate and I haven't really celebrated since we had our first kid. For the last five years this day has mostly involved 8pm festivities with a fake Netflix countdown. Man, we sure know how to party like it's preschool! Tonight, we've rented a suite at a hotel overlooking the San Diego Bay so we can put the kids down in the bedroom and then safely enjoy our own little bash in the adjacent sitting room, complete with a balcony and small kitchen. We got an incredible deal on the spot, and we've invited a few friends to join in.

I'm going to serve snacks, of course, and this is the perfect opportunity for my favorite summer sausage salad!

Yield: 6 servings

Green and Red Summer Sausage Salad

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I usually serve this summer sausage salad during Christmas.

Prep Time 10 minutes

Total Time 10 minutes

Ingredients

• 1/2 pound Johnsonville Summer Sausage, removed from casing and diced
• 5 oz diced sun-dried tomatoes
• 3/4 cup baby spinach, diced
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp black pepper

Instructions

1. Toss the sausage, sun-dried tomatoes and baby spinach in a bowl.
2. Blend remaining ingredients to make the dressing.
3. Drizzle dressing over sausage salad and serve.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

6

Serving Size:

1 serving
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 361Total Fat: 30gSaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 21gCholesterol: 28mgSodium: 714mgCarbohydrates: 15gFiber: 3gSugar: 9gProtein: 10g

I usually serve this summer sausage salad during Christmas, but the grocery stores around us were totally out of Johnsonville summer sausage. Then, an awesome Johnsonville gift set showed up in the mail as a treat from a friend and my dilemma was solved! I now have plenty of cheese and crackers to serve at tonight's shindig AND the sausage needed for my summer sausage salad. I figure people are especially in the mood for salad after the binge-eating that occurs throughout December, and this will provide a protein-packed option for people who don't get a chance to have dinner before showing up for our late-night gathering.

When I'm transporting the salad to another location, I like to hold off on the dressing until just before serving. At a party, you can toss the sausage mixture with just enough dressing mixture to help it stick together, and then put the remaining dressing on the side with some small bowls. I'm going to bring along some drinks and games (Scrabble, anyone?) and we've got a party!

Those are really the only three things you need for memory-making: friends, food and fun.

Pin this summer sausage salad for later!

What are you doing for New Year's Eve?

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Johnsonville. The opinions and text are all mine.