Easy Salad Recipes For Lunch

Easy Mint And Basil Green Salad

Is summer on the way? Then you need to make this mint and basil green salad!

This salad is big on flavor with ingredients like ginger, garlic, and lime, and its super fresh and crunchy.

Plus, its super quick to prepare.

This easy salad is the perfect combination of quick, easy, fresh, healthy, and flavorful. Youll love every single bite!

This apple spinach salad is classic and super easy to make.

Just toss together spinach, apples, toasted walnuts, goat cheese, cranberries, and red onion.

Then, drizzle it with a quick apple cider vinaigrette.

Its great as a side salad, or you can add some grilled chicken or farro to make it a heartier meal.

Its perfect for crisp fall days. Enjoy!

Quinoa Types Of Salad Tips

Quinoa is a gluten free, plant based superfood full of fiber and nutrients! This ancient grain is great for meal prep plus so versatile in salads and more!

• Perfectly cooked quinoa: A good grain salad starts with fluffy quinoa, not overcooked and not undercooked. Make perfect quinoa every time using my how to cook quinoa on the stovetop.
• Color and texture: Add lots of fresh crunchy vegetables to give your quinoa salad extra special taste.
• Flavorful dressing: On its own quinoa doesnt have much taste, use your favorite dressing to give it some zing.
• One pot meal: While great on its own, feel free to add your favorite protein, leftover grilled chicken, steak,turkey or even tofu. You could also add quinoa to lettuce wraps or tacos!
• Out of quinoa?: But still want one of these salads? Most can be made with brown rice, just note that the protein content will change.

Tips For Storing Salad

• Make ahead instructions: Almost all of these salads can be made ahead of time. My biggest suggestion is to store the ingredients separately from the dressing, and toss when ready to serve. To prep ahead of time, you can chop up all the ingredients and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
• How to store: If you do have leftovers, most salad can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Refer to the specific recipe post for complete storing instructions.
• How to customize. Most salad recipes are versatile and completely customizable. You can add in different vegetables or add in extra protein such as grilled chicken, grilled shrimp, salmon, or tofu.

Read Also: Best Dressing For Broccoli Salad

Best Vegetable Salad Recipes Tips

• Use the freshest ingredients: While stir fry is great for cleaning out the fridge, a good vegetable salad tastes best with the freshest produce!
• Chop vegetables into small pieces: Easier to chew and you are able to get a variety on your fork, then into your mouth for maximum taste.
• Fresh herbs: Really make your salad pop, use fresh cilantro, parsley, dill, thyme, oregano, basil or your favorite.

Quick Black Bean And Corn Salad

Here’s a hack to make a kickin fresh black bean and corn saladin just 5 minutes, no chopping required. Sure, its a bit of a shortcut. But if this shortcut gets you to eat more vegetables and plant-forward meals: how could it be bad? Well admit: were wary of recipes that claim to be the easiest, best thing youve ever tried.

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Quick And Easy Side Dish Salads

Short on time doesn’t mean short on flavor. A fresh, crisp salad is always a welcome side dish to any meal from a casual lunch to the most formal dinner. But with all the time it takes to prep a meal, the last thing you need is a side dish salad that’s complicated and time-consuming to make. Have we got a solution for you! Here are 15 quick and easy side salad recipes that’ll come in handy, whether for a potluck, holiday, or just another weeknight.

“Crisp and sweetly delicious, this salad is a wonderful addition to any summer picnic. May serve immediately or cover and refrigerate up to four hours before serving for enhanced flavor,” recipe creator Ginny Maziarka says. A fresh, flavorful blend of delicate flavors that we highly recommend.

Reviewers attest that this salad truly lives up to its name. It fits in just as well at a barbecue as it would at at an upscale restaurant. The classic creaminess and rustic croutons are always reliably delicious.

Some of our home cooks have swapped certain ingredients for others, like strawberries for mandarin oranges and walnuts for almonds. Others make this sweet, tangy salad as it is. Do as you pleasethe poppy seed dressing speaks for itself.

“Very nice salad. We liked it with our Thanksgiving dinner because it was light and tasty,” Julie Burke says. Perfect for adding to a holiday spread when guests are on their way and you’re feeling the all too familiar kitchen fatigue.

Everyones Favorite Salad Recipes

Lets start with some of my top salad recipes that everyone always comes back to. Theyre crazy good, perfect for any occasion , and are so darn easy to make.

• Broccoli Salad: This is everyones go-to salad, no matter what time of year it is. Its perfect as a Thanksgiving side dish or summer barbecue salad. Plus, it holds up well in the fridge as the perfect meal prep salad.
• Tuna Salad: If you love my chicken salad, this tuna version is a no brainer. And all you really need is canned tuna, mayo, dijon mustard, and some fresh greens and herbs.
• Salmon Salad: Swap tuna for juicy baked salmon! Large flaky chunks get mixed with crisp celery, red onion, radishes, herbs and a creamy, lemon dressing.
• Chicken Salad: When the warm weather hits, this chicken salad is a must. Its deliciously creamy, crunchy, fresh, and will convince you to never buy store-bought chicken salad again.
• Caprese Salad: Ill gladly eat layers of fresh tomato, mozzarella, and basil on repeat. Just drizzle a little balsamic glaze for a summer classic that never fails to please.

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Tortellini Chicken And Arugula Salad

Quality meets convenience in this speedy springtime main. This salad fits right into your weekday lineup with minimal effort and maximum flavor. Prewashed greens let you grab a handful and go. Build a salad, wilt into sautés, or blend into a pesto. Look to Buitoni pasta packs for quick meals on their own or to help you elevate salads and soups. Rotisserie chicken is one of your best supermarket allies for fast and fresh weeknight meals.

Springy Easy Salad Recipes

• Radish Salad with Yogurt Dill Dressing. Blushing radishes, cool cucumber and smoky roasted chickpeas make this gorgeous butter lettuce and radish salad with yogurt-dill dressing an absolute celebration of all things crispy-crunchy.
• Spring Salad With Barley and Lemon Chive Vinaigrette. Dressed with a chive vinaigrette, crunchy sunflower seeds and tart cranberries, this barley salad is an edible celebration of the cusp of spring, and makes a wonderful, hearty vegetarian dinner, too.
• Easy Fennel Salad. This sophisticated raw fennel salad is dressed simply with bright citrus, good olive oil, a sprinkling of parmesan and fresh mint to let the lightly anise-like flavor of the shaved fennel shine.
• Chopped Salad With Herb Yogurt Dressing. This fresh, crunchy chopped salad recipe is studded with bacon, dates and feta then doused in a yogurty, herby salad dressing. If you make it you might have a hard time not eating the whole bowl yourself.

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How To Build The Best Salads

The term salad doesnt just mean some lettuce drizzled with a dressing or vinaigrette. Instead, think of it as a meal that has multiple layers of flavor , texture , and color . Honestly, salads are the most wonderful blank canvas to let your creativity run wild. So have fun with it. Heres a few ideas to get you started.

• Build layers of flavor. Start with a vegetable base, mix in seasonal ingredients, add filling protein, toss in some healthy fats, and drizzle a tasty dressing or sauce.
• Get creative with textures. Aim for a variety of textures with every bite it makes the salad more interesting! For example, start with a soft spinach base, then toss it with crisp bell pepper, juicy tomatoes, and crunchy nuts and seeds.
• Make your salad colorful. While green may form the base of your salad, remember that nutrient variety comes from color variety. So try to make your salad as vibrant as can be. The more color the better!

Delicious Cobb Salad Recipes

• Classic Cobb Salad with Buttermilk Dressing. Crispy chicken, crumbled bacon, creamy avocado, jammy eggs and sharp blue cheese all on a bed of Romaine topped with a pour of homemade buttermilk dressing. Meet the ultimate, official TMP Cobb salad recipe.

• Southwest Style Cobb Salad with Smoky Chipotle Dressing. A smoky chipotle mayo and a little time on the grill transform classic cobb salad ingredients into our new favorite summertime dinnera hearty Southwest-style Cobb salad.

• Spring Cobb Salad. Organic lettuce, peas, radishes, asparagus and everything else that spring has to offer makes this riff on Cobb salad absolutely light and delicious.

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Tips For The Best Bean Salad

• Use from scratch beans: While the convenience of canned beans is nice, you will be amazed at the taste difference when you make your beans from dried! Try making beans in the Instant Pot or on the stovetop.
• Add dressing to warm beans: It will help absorb the flavor of your dressing better! If you are starting with cold beans, warm them quickly in the microwave or on the stovetop, then add dressing.
• Make it the night before: Bean salads are the perfect make ahead salad for dinner the next night! The flavors will meld together, producing a very flavorful salad. If the recipe calls for diced avocado or fruit, add right before serving.
• Bold flavors: Fresh, fresh, fresh salad ingredients like herbs, vegetables, garlic, onion, freshly grated cheese all taste best etc!

Easy Side Salad Recipes

These quick and easy side salads will complement just about any meal. And bonus, most of them only require 10 minutes to make cant beat that!

• Easy Cucumber Salad: This light, cooling salad is as easy as slicing up some cucumbers and red onions, and tossing them with fresh dill, and a lightly sweetened vinaigrette.
• Massaged Kale Salad: Wonder how to get your kale super soft in a salad? Just massage it with olive oil! Then pair it with some lemon juice, salt, and fresh parmesan for the perfect winter side salad.
• French Carrot Salad: Dig into a pile of grated carrots tossed with green onions, parsley, and a spiced honey Dijon dressing.
• Israeli Salad: Inspired by my travels to Israel, this vibrant, fresh salad is always my go-to for a summer side. Its a mound of fresh tomatoes, cucumber, bell pepper, onion, and loads of fresh herbs. Just how I like it.
• Lentil Salad with Cucumber: This throw-together salad is a combo of fresh veggies and lentils, with hints of sweet dates. A sweet and savory combo!

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Did You Make Any Of These Salad Recipes

Please leave a comment and rating below, and let me know what you thought of this round up of easy salad recipes at home. Be sure to snap a picture and tag me on Instagram @aheadofthyme or share it on the Pinterest pin so that I can follow along.

HUNGRY FOR MORE? Don’t forget to sign up for my email newsletter so that you don’t miss any recipes. You can also follow along on and for more recipe updates.

• Total Time:5 minutes

Massaged Kale Salad With Winter Fruit

This Massaged Kale Salad is perfect for fall and winter when seasonal produce is scarce. Pomegranate, orange and toasted almonds coated in delicious orange ginger dressing. I make this salad idea often at the holidays with sirloin tip roast.

Massaging kale softens the tough fibrous leaves, which can often be a turn off when people try it. Try massaging it a few hours before you plan to eat it, one of the best things about kale is its ability to stay fresh even after dressed!

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Mixed Green Salad With Pecans And Honey Mustard Vinaigrette

This mixed green salad is full of tasty ingredients. Its chock-full of pecans, dried cranberries, goat cheese, and red bell pepper.

Its tossed with a delicious honey mustard balsamic vinaigrette. Feel free to get creative and use all kinds of extra toppings.

I love baby spinach, butter lettuce, orange segments, and walnuts.

Its a versatile and tasty salad that you can customize to your liking. Give it a try!

Once you try the homemade Caesar dressing in this recipe, youll never want to go back to store-bought dressing again!

This salad is made with romaine lettuce, garlic, Parmesan, and homemade croutons made from toasted baguette slices.

Those homemade croutons are seriously addictive. This salad is sure to please just about everyone!

Celery Salad With Apples

Heres a surprisingly delicious salad idea that deserves a spot on your plate: celery salad! The name doesnt have quite the ring of say, potato salad. But this unique salad is so refreshing, youll become a convert from the first bite. Crunchy celery pairs perfectly with sweet apple, Parmesan shavings and a tangy vinaigrette. Its bright, its crunchy, its hydrating: it works for summer, and its perfect in the winter too.

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Healthy And Hearty Salad Recipes For Dinner Tonight

If you think salad is just a boring side dish, let us change your mind. We’re here to make the case that tossing together a salad can be one of the easiest shortcuts to a stunning weeknight supper. Healthy, filling, and utterly delicious, these hearty salads will become your family’s new favorite weeknight suppers. Lighten up your dinner while still delivering maximum flavor with these all-star salad recipes, which all come together in no time.

If you want something hearty and filling, choose a salad with protein, like our Grilled Steak Salad with Green Tomato Vinaigrette or our Steak, Sweet Potato, and Blue Cheese Salad. Our Kale and Sweet Potato Salad with Chicken highlights beautiful fall produce, while our Grilled Salmon Panzanella Salad belongs on your barbecue spread. All of these salads are substantial and fillingand come together lightning-fast. As an added bonus, any leftover salad will make a great lunch to pack for the next day.

A Salad Blog With Easy Salad Recipes And Family Friendly Recipes

Here on Salads for Lunch not only will you find lots of healthy and easy salad recipes like this Heart Healthy Five Bean Salad, but you will also find family friendly dinner recipes like this One Skillet Mexican Inspired Rice and Beef Casserole, and this Instant Pot Chicken Broccoli and Rice Casserole.

Youll also find easy soup recipes like this Creamy Gnocchi Soup to keep you warm in the winter.

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Best Tips For Building A Pasta Salad Recipe

• Rinse pasta after cooking: This helps stop the cooking process immediately.
• Cook to al dente: I talk about this alot in healthy pasta with pesto recipe, and its super important when making a cold pasta salad, too! If your pasta is overcooked, as the dressing soaks into the salad, you will end up with soggy noodles.
• Use the right pasta shape: Short pasta shapes are best, as the dressing will soak into all the nooks and crannies, plus they are small and easy to eat.
• Add salt to pasta water: Salting your pasta water adds flavor to your pasta!
• Dress while warm: Add some dressing while your pasta is still warm, then the remainder before serving. Warm pasta absorbs the dressing better making for a more flavorful pasta salad recipe!

Why These Are The Best Healthy Salad Recipes

• Easy recipes: In many of these salads, even a healthy salad dressing recipe is dumped into the same bowl. I do not love extra steps. We never did in Ukraine and look, I turned out just fine.
• Simple ingredients: We are talking about superstore grocery basic avocado, greens, tomato, pasta and quinoa ingredients. However, I encourage you to buy local, seasonal and pesticide free whenever possible.
• Meal worthy and nourishing: Most salad ideas are good as a healthy meal or will make you a potluck super star. Full of vitamins and nutrients rather than loaded with saturated fat, sugar and sodium, these salads are perfect for as salads for lunch or dinner.
• Tasty: I have compiled a collection of salads I would truly enjoy eating like healthy no bake cheesecake. What is the prettiest salad worth if it tastes like kale?!

Read Also: What Are The Best Potatoes For Potato Salad

Salad Recipes For A Healthy Packed Lunch

Helen Salter

Lets be clear, were advocates of food which is both nutritious AND delicious good food, full of sustenance and without the slump, is a concept we can definitely get behind . Thats why weve sniffed out 17 of our best-ever salad recipes, perfect for a healthy packed lunch which will leave you satisfied and onlookers nothing short of envious.

From punchy jerk chicken and caramelised squash to freekeh, feta and red onion, these salads are bountiful, flavourful and full of nourishment. Have a scroll and see for yourself!

1. Jerk chicken with cauliflower rice and peas

If you were looking for a salad with a difference, youve come to the right place. This salad adds a streak of Caribbean flavour to your lunch with jerk chicken, cauli rice and peas, perfect for when youve got a bit more time on your hands .

Its time you started feeling excited for your packed lunch again. If you havent yet used miso, the fermented soya bean paste, its wonderful for adding rich umami flavour to all kinds of dishes wed add it to everything if we could. Try it with roast sweet potato, beetroot and red onion for a salad brimming with gooey, Japanese-inspired flavours.

3. Roast squash, freekeh and feta salad

5. Quinoa, tenderstem broccoli, avocado and tuna salad