I tried Jennifer Aniston's official go-to salad – it's as hearty as she says it is, but lacks a tasty dressing

Those on TikTok will remember that 2022 was the year Jennifer Aniston's supposed go-to salad recipe went viral. At the time, food bloggers such as @themodernnonna were sharing videos of how to make the salad Aniston was rumored to have eaten every day on the set of "Friends." 

Despite the recipe going viral, it turned out the leafy-green recipe wasn't actually Aniston's go-to. The actor herself chimed into the discourse in a June 2022 interview with Shape, saying that her real recipe was totally different.

"I feel like I'm disappointing everybody, but that's not my salad," Aniston said. "It looks delicious, but it's not the salad I had on 'Friends.'"

A whole year later and Aniston is finally giving the people want they want: her official salad recipe.

During a recent appearance on Today discussing her new partnership with Pvolve, a low-impact, light resistance-based online workout, the actor shared the ingredients that make up her go-to salad. Naturally, I put it to the test.

The ingredients Aniston's salad calls for include: 

• Butter lettuce
• Mushrooms
• Sprouts
• Tomato
• Avocado
• Kalamata olives
• Sliced parmesan, pecorino, or feta
• Sliced almonds
• Sunflower seeds
• Chopped or poached egg
• Vinaigrette, oil and vinegar, or ranch dressing.

I'm also not fussed about having a super chopped salad so I tend to just break up the leaves using my hands. 

Aniston didn't specify any quantities for the ingredients in her salad but I like egg, so I decided to boil two to top off my greens. 

I couldn't find any sliced almonds at my local grocery store so opted to roughly chop some whole ones up.

I'm also not a huge fan of raw mushrooms as I think they lack taste and have a rubbery texture, but Aniston didn't say she cooked hers so I decided to keep them uncooked for the purposes of staying true to her recipe.

This part of the salad prep took the most time. If I were to make this salad again during a lunch break, I probably would opt for buying olives that were already pitted in order to have my meal ready quicker. 

This also meant the eggs weren't at a boiling hot temperature in my salad. 

These included sunflower seeds, sprouts, and crumbled feta cheese. Aniston said she goes for either feta or sliced parmesan and pecorino. I chose feta because I find it to be a lot more flavorful and I could just crumble it up using my hands. 

There's something about adding sprouts and sunflower seeds, which aren't typical ingredients I source for my everyday salads, that made this meal look restaurant-worthy. 

This part of the recipe had me skeptical from the outset. For a dressing, Aniston said she simply adds either vinaigrette, oil and vinegar, or ranch "if it's the weekend."

For me, a dressing is a make-or-break part of a salad because that's where you can experiment with the seasoning and flavors. Mixing together just oil and vinegar seemed like a bit of a lackluster ending to what I thought looked like a delicious salad otherwise. 

I loved the crunch of the seeds, the texture of the beansprouts, and the saltiness of the feta, but for me personally, I needed a bit more flavor. Without it, I wasn't a huge fan of the raw mushrooms and lettuce.

Because I made quite a big portion, I ended up sharing the bowl with my sister who had similar views. She said she could get a hint of citrus from the vinegar but otherwise agreed that seasoning or a flavor-packed dressing would've really nailed the recipe.

Aniston's salad does really do the trick. It's filling and hits most of the food groups that dietitians say are needed to make a satiating salad.

That said, I love seasoning and after trying a few bites of the salad per Aniston's guidance, I couldn't help but sprinkle some salt, pepper, and some additional chili flakes on top for a bit of spice. 

And if I do make it again, I'll be sure to follow my own preferences and add a dressing, which usually consists of olive oil, balsamic vinegar, honey, soy sauce, lemon juice, salt, and pepper – because for me, the more flavor, the better.