Insalata Russa – Easy Russian Salad

Insalata Russa – an easy Russian Salad made with peas, carrots and potatoes and mixed with a sour cream, mayo dressing that’s tangy and delicious. Enjoy this Russian salad on sandwiches or with your summer BBQs.

Russian salad is everywhere in Italy and it’s extremely popular. I first tried it when I was travelling and volunteering over here a good few years ago. Needless to say, I absolutely loved it and quite possibly ate my weight in Russian salad the whole time I was over here which in fact did come with the inevitable consequences.

This is such an easy Russian salad recipe. It takes around 20 minutes to make and will keep in the fridge for a couple days (if it’s not demolished straight away). My all time favourite way to eat it is on sandwiches, uggh it makes the best sandwiches, ever!

I make monster sandwiches to take on picnics or for a cheeky weekend lunch and this Russian salad is always a must. Big crusty fresh rolls, Russian salad, arugula/rocket, juicy ripe tomatoes, cheese, meat such as mortadella or prosciutto cotto and ahem…more russian salad.

That my friends, pretty much makes up the ultimate killer sandwich.

In Italy this easy Russian salad is normally served as an antipasto, spread on bread or crackers and served with drinks. It’s also great along side barbecued meats such as sausages or steak, think of it like coleslaw except better!

How to make this easy Russian salad

First of all chop some carrots and potatoes into small cubes, add them to a pot of salted boiling water until soft. Add the peas last minute then drain and run under cold water until the vegetables are cold. Pat them dry and set them aside.

To make the dressing finely chop some capers and gherkins (even if you don’t like capers you’ll love this). The capers and gherkins give the dressing a slightly tangy and pickliness which I love. Add some sour cream and mayonaise with a pinch of salt and pepper and mix to combine. You can also add some parsley or basil which I do from time to time to change it up a bit but most of the time I love it just as it is.

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5 from 4 votes

Insalata Russa - Easy Russian Salad

Easy Russian Salad recipe made with peas, carrots and potatoes and mixed with a sour cream, mayo dressing that's tangy and delicious.

Course Appetizer, Side Dish

Cuisine Italian

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 15 minutes

Servings 6 people

Calories 156kcal

Author Emily Kemp

Ingredients

• 8.4 oz (240g/2 large) carrots
• 8.6 oz (245g/1 medium) potato
• 2/3 cup (100g) peas frozen
• 1/8 cup (30g) capers
• 2 baby gherkins
• 2.8 oz (80g) mayonaise (good quality)
• 2.6 oz (75g) sour cream

Instructions

• Bring a pot of salted boiling water to a boil. Finely chop the potato and carrots into small cubes. Boil until soft then add the peas for 1 minute until cooked then drain. Run the veg under cold water until completely cold, pat dry and set aside.
• Finely chop the gherkins and capers together to as fine pieces as possible. Add them to a bowl with the mayo, sour cream and a pinch of salt and pepper. Mix to combine. 
• Add the veg to the creamy dressing and mix everything together. Serve as a side, on sandwiches or as an antipasto.

Notes

Please note this recipe was tested and developed using metric measurements all imperial measurements are approximate.

Nutrition

Calories: 156kcal

Helpful Info for All Recipes

• I always use extra virgin olive oil in all of my recipes unless stated otherwise
• When I use canned or jarred tomatoes of any kind I always use this brand for the best results and flavour
• All vegetables are medium sized unless stated otherwise
• All recipes are tested and developed using a fan oven
• Find out more about how nutrition is calculated here
• Check out our must have Italian Pantry Staples here
• You can also find all our Essential Kitchen Tools for Italian Cooking here

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