I’ll Never Stop Making Jennifer Aniston’s “Perfect Salad”

Jennifer Aniston’s “Perfect Salad” combines fresh herbs and fun-to-chew textures for a quick dish you can throw together any day of the week. And, unlike “The Rachel” haircut from “Friends,” these flavors are timeless.

I was a total fan of the show that made Aniston famous in the ’90s, spending the entire series imagining life in a sprawling New York City apartment funded purely by a coffee shop job, which must have sooo easily covered the rent.

While Courtney Cox has since copped to eating the same Cobb salad for lunch every day with Aniston and Lisa Kudrow while shooting “Friends,” this isn’t that salad. This is the one that went viral on Instagram when Aniston posted a salad snap with the vague recipe instructions, “My perfect salad.” (What is this, the technical portion of “The Great British Baking Show”?) Luckily, this tabbouleh-adjacent medley is simple to assemble—and even easier to eat.

How To Make Jennifer Aniston’s Perfect Salad

You can use leftover quinoa for this salad, but I was making it fresh, so I started on the stove. Hoping to max out the color wheel for my salad, I went for tri-color (or rainbow) quinoa completely based on looks. I also like that each of the colors appears to cook to a different consistency, lending a slightly seedy crunch.

Next, I put together the simple lemon, honey, and olive oil dressing. While I have visions of Julia Child merrily whisking emulsions in the French countryside, I love making a vinaigrette in a jar where you pour everything in, screw on the lid, and shake the crap out of it. I first learned this technique from an ex who worked in the food industry, but for the purposes of my future salad memoir, I learned it from Jamie Oliver.

For the veg, I halved an English cucumber, then scraped out the seeds with a spoon. Cucumber water is for the spa, not the bottom of my salad bowl. Rinsed chickpeas straight from the can offer the starch to soak up that beautiful dressing. A little creamy feta cheese, toasty roasted pistachios, and pungent red onions make each bite pure bliss.

I LOVE the mint, which takes this salad over the top. If you like fresh mint, you could definitely add a little more than suggested. I also didn’t incorporate all of the dressing or the full portion of quinoa. Instead, I made up for any missing seasoning by sprinkling in a little extra salt and pepper after I tossed everything together.

If you’re feeling it, warm, shredded roasted chicken or a handful of leafy greens could easily bulk up the veg or the protein. But this is one satisfying plant-packed salad I’ll be making until a “Friends: The One Where They’re ‘The Golden Girls'” episode comes out.