Healthy Salad Ideas For Dinner

Must Try

The Best Broccoli Salad Recipe

Healthy Salad Recipes For Dinner

If ever there was a salad recipe that unexpectedly knocked my socks off, its this one an easy, unassuming, broccoli salad. But dont let easy fool you, because this salad recipe is loaded with flavor. Its simultaneously crispy, creamy, sweet and savory. And did I mention bacon is involved?

When it comes to salad recipes most of us gravitate towards leafy greens. And Ill be the first to admit that spinach is my salad green of choice. So when youre looking for a little salad shakeup and want something thats perfect for potlucks, picnics and barbecues , give this broccoli salad a whirl.

Crunchy Breakfast Salad With Eggs

This breakfast salad has a crispy texture thanks to snap peas, radishes, and cucumbers, and adding walnuts is a great way to add healthy fats to your breakfast and curb cravings later in the day.

Get our recipe for Crunchy Breakfast Salad With Eggs.

The easiest way to make sure you’re eating a healthy dinner is to plan ahead. You can make meal prep even easier by buying a rotisserie chicken and using it in several different ways to create a nutritious plate, like with one of the easiest healthy salad recipes ever!

A gluten-free, vegan salad doesn’t sound too appealing or like it’ll keep you full for very long, but we challenge you to make this your main lunch course and become a convert. Kale gets slathered with a delicious tahini-based sauce, and crispy, spiced chickpeas offer a nice departure from the usual MO of using them bland, straight out of the can. You’re getting the superfood vitamins and antioxidants, the protein, and healthy fats. Vegan’s looking better and better, no?

Get the recipe from Minimalist Baker.

Get the recipe from Gimme Some Oven.

Get the recipe from Well Plated.

Salads With Chicken For Simple Dinners

Green Goddess dressinga mix of mayonnaise, sour cream, herbs, anchovies and lemonwas created at the Palace Hotel in San Francisco in the 1920s, as a tribute to an actor starring in a play called The Green Goddess. The creamy dressing is typically tossed with a green salad, but it’s also addictive in Melissa Rubel Jacobson‘s chicken salad, made with a rotisserie bird.

Also Check: Girard’s Spinach Salad Dressing

What Ingredients Are In A Greek Salad

The traditional ingredients include:

  • Olives
  • Feta

In Greece youll most often find large tomatoes used, but cherry tomatoes or grape tomatoes make for easy dicing. And for the feta, make sure to opt for a quality block of feta. I highly recommend you dont buy pre-crumbled feta, due to the anti-caking additives I mentioned on my Zucchini Fries recipes.

Once youve got your ingredients ready, its as simple as slicing and dicing them to about the same size. And large chunks are preferred over a fine dice. Then, drizzle your salad with a Greek salad dressing and give it a gentle toss.

If youre looking for another Greek recipe to serve alongside this salad, I highly recommend my Grilled Chicken Souvlaki or Greek Chicken Kabobs recipe.

Asparagus Salad With Feta

40+ Healthy Dinner Salad Recipes

Want a salad recipe thats as tasty as it is versatile? Enter: asparagus salad! Its got savory sauteed asparagus, cooked up in a hot pan for a few minutes then spritzed with lemon. Serve on a bed of greens and sprinkle with peppery radishes and feta crumbles. A zingy Dijon mustard dressing tops it off! Even better: you can serve as a side dish, or add cooked quinoa and make it a main dish salad.

Also Check: Spinach Salad With Hot Bacon Dressing

Fresh Spring And Summer Salad Recipes

This time of year is all about bright, farmers market fresh flavors. From cherry tomatoes to light leafy greens, theres tons of in-season produce to work with. And the best part is that you dont really need to prep a lot of meat for these salads. The veggies and dressings speak for itself.

  • Greek Salad: When it comes to simple, healthy salads, it doesnt get better than this classic salad tossed with my all-star greek salad dressing.
  • Mediterranean Chickpea Salad: Turn that last can of chickpeas sitting in your pantry into this super fresh and flavorful salad! Bonus its loaded with protein and fiber.
  • Shrimp, Asparagus, and Avocado Salad: Come asparagus season, toss fresh stalks with shrimp, avocado, spinach, and a lemon vinaigrette for ultimate spring vibes.
  • Cauliflower Rice Tabbouleh: This veggie packed salad loaded with herbs makes for the perfect side on a Mediterranean spread.
  • Taco Salad: This salad honestly works for any season. But once tacos are in full swing for outdoor parties, use some of those leftover ingredients for this hearty taco salad!

Italian Vegan Pasta Salad

This Italian pasta salad is full of zesty flavor, featuring lots of veggies, kalamata olives, capers, and crisp romaine. Its like eating pasta and salad all at once! Not only is it delicious, but the romaine and veggies helps you feel satisfied eating less pasta overall. Instead of relying on cheese for flavor, this one is tangy and salty without the dairy! Its one of our tried and true easy vegan salad recipes.

Want another bean salad? Try our Dill Bean Salad.

You May Like: Healthiest Salad At Wendy’s

Can I Prep This In Advance

Absolutely! You can prep many of the ingredients in advance and create a buffet-style salad bar as well. Ingredients you can prep ahead of time include the beef, salsa, taco seasoning, diced red onion, and beans.

Those items can be stored in the fridge for 4-5 days in separate containers. The rest can be pulled straight out of the fridge and prepped in under 10 minutes.

What Dressing Goes On A Broccoli Salad

healthy salad ideas for weight loss recipe easy salad recipes lunch & dinner

The typical dressing for a broccoli salad is a creamy, mayonnaise-based dressing. I dont add any extra sugar to my dressing, but I do up the creaminess by adding a little homemade yogurt to the dressing. It adds just the right sweetness and tang. And of course, I use my homemade mayonnaise as the starting point.

Don’t Miss: Easy Sweet Potato Salad Recipe

Cozy Fall And Winter Salads

Just because Fall and Winter revolve around comfort foods, that doesnt mean salads are out of the picture. Nope. It just means that its time to incorporate some of your favorite fall flavors into your salads. Think savory roasted veggies, winter fruits, and tender, flavorful meat!

  • Shaved Brussels Sprouts Salad with Cranberries and Apple: You cant do a winter salad without Brussels sprouts! This one is a favorite, tossed with apples, red onions, cranberries, almonds, and a lemon vinaigrette.
  • Kale Salad with Apples and Chicken: For a simple salad thats bursting with autumn flavors, this kale salad is always a winner. Its got shredded chicken, apple, cherries, onions, and walnuts tossed with my homemade apple cider vinaigrette.
  • Turkey Cobb Salad: This seasonal spin on a classic makes the most of your Thanksgiving leftovers! From roasted butternut squash to leftover turkey, toss it all in for a hearty, dinner-worthy salad.
  • Roasted Butternut Squash, Romaine, and Goat Cheese Salad: Speaking of roasted butternut squash, you can also throw it together with some chopped lettuce, goat cheese, and walnuts for a quick and easy salad!
  • Persimmon Caprese Salad: Persimmon is often an overlooked winter fruit, but its so dang sweet and tasty! Which makes it the perfect addition to pair with mozzarella and balsamic glaze for a winter caprese variation.

Shrimp And Spinach Salad With Warm Bacon

The word “spinach” creates a health halo for cooks and diners alike. People think that because the base of a salad is made with a superfood, the rest of the salad can be filled with whatever troubling toppings they like. That’s how we end up with dozens of 1,000-calorie spinach salads at chain restaurants. This rendition of the shrimp and spinach salad with warm bacon smashes the halo to pieces to give you a seriously healthy salad.

You May Like: Corelle Salad Bowl 20 Oz

Celery Salad With Apples

Heres a surprisingly delicious salad recipe 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.

Healthy Salad Recipes Youll Love

100+ Easy Summer Salad Recipes

Some of the links in this post might be affiliate links. This means that if you click on the link and make a purchase, Ill receive a small commission at no extra cost for you, which helps me cover the costs for this blog.

You can make most of these easy healthy salad recipes in under 15 minutes for lunch or dinner and youll actually be excited to eat them! This months 7-day challenge will be to eat a nutritious salad every single day. Were keeping things simple.

It might not actually feel like it, but summer is coming. And if youre anything like me, you probably love summer. The weather, the food, the lightness of being yourself without wearing a 60-pound coat that crushes your body in two. Did I mention the food? Does a rabbit eat its feces? The answer to both: Duh!

Food: summer for me is a season of salads. Of as many fresh and tasty salads as possible. Tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, herbs, zucchini, spinach its the best season to eat any of these tasty and healthy foods, even though we see them in stores all year around. So today by sharing these easy delicious healthy salad recipes I want to kinda start getting ready for summer.

Salads are easy to make, great to take to work, to share with the family at dinner, to whip up last minute or sometimes, even order when youre at a restaurant and you desperately want to eat something healthier.

Read Also: Tomato Mozzarella Basil Balsamic Salad

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.

How To Make A Salad

  • Wash your vegetables and fruit
  • Chop vegetables and fruit into bite-sized pieces and add them to a large bowl
  • Optionally: add something more filling like chickpeas, cheese, nuts, seeds, cooked quinoa, chicken, hard-boiled eggs or fish
  • Add olive oil and vinegar or lemon juice or another healthy dressing of your choice
  • Mix it all together, add salt and pepper to taste
  • Enjoy!

Now lets get to the salad recipes.

Also Check: Chuck E Cheese Salad Bar

Customize Your Own Taco Salad Recipe

Like all salad recipes, you can customize it to your liking. Ive mentioned a few tasty additions above. But if you have dietary needs, just swap or exclude a few ingredients.

  • Paleo: Simply remove the beans and add in more vegetables such as bell peppers or radishes.
  • Vegan: Instead of ground beef, create your own:
  • Mushroom walnut taco meat Just sauté diced mushrooms and walnuts in a pan for 4-6 minutes. Then stir in some tamari and taco seasoning. This will give it a savory and smoky flavor.
  • Lentil taco meat First, cook 2 cups of lentils. Sauté diced onion in a pan and add the lentils in with a bit of water. Toss everything in taco seasoning until its all well coated. Add in a bit more water if the lentils start to dry out.
  • Keto: Lucky for you, this recipe is pretty much keto. Just remove the tortilla chips.
  • Whole30: Keep this Whole30 by leaving off the chips, and cheese. Then, swap sour cream for cashew sour cream.
  • Shrimp With Grilled Citrus And Leek Relish

    Quick & Easy Greek Salad | Healthy Lunch or Dinner Idea | Healthy Grocery Girl

    Drew Curren, chef-partner of Elm Restaurant Group in Austin, cooks both the shrimp and the relish on a grill at his Texas restaurant. If the weather is mild enough for you to grill, live-fire cooking makes this dish even more delicious, adding a hint of smoky flavor. Roll the citrus between your palm and the cutting board before slicing and juicingit crushes the pulp a little and makes it easier to extract juice. The 16-20 count for shrimp refers to how many shrimp make a pound, which is helpful since the designations medium, large, and extra-large can vary from market to market. A quality, fruity, and grassy olive oil is best here to bring a touch of velvety richness to the dressing.

    Don’t Miss: Avocado Chicken Salad Wendy’s

    Classic Green Salad Recipes

    • Simple Butter Lettuce Salad . Composed of tender butter lettuce leaves, briny green olives and salty slivers of aged manchego, our butter lettuce salad is a feast for the eyes and the palate.

    • Mediterranean Wedge Salad. Iceberg lettuce, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers and pickled onions make this Mediterranean-inspired riff on a classic wedge salad recipe fresh and delicious.

    • Butter Lettuce Salad with Honey Mustard Vinaigrette. In this simple butter lettuce salad, vibrant lettuce leaves live their best lives, dressed in a tangy homemade vinaigrette and accompanied by creamy avocado and crisp radishes.

    • Simple Italian Salad. If youre just discovering this classic Italian salad recipe for the first time, congratulations! Meet the perfect side salad to accompany all your Italian pasta, chicken or fish dinners!

    How To Make Caprese Salad

    Once your tomatoes and mozzarella are sliced, just alternate them in layers on a plate. Then, pluck some of your fresh basil leaves and place them under a few of the layers. Drizzle the olive oil and balsamic reduction on top and sprinkle with salt and pepper before serving it up. How easy is that? And if you want to enjoy with a beautiful bottle of wine, by all means go for it!

    If you want to enjoy caprese salad in the fall or winter, make sure to whip up my Persimmon Caprese Salad. Its a spin on this classic recipe that Im confident youll love.

    Want a finger-food caprese appetizer? Try my caprese skewers.

    And if youve got an abundance of fresh tomatoes, give my Zucchini Noodle Caprese, or Greek Salad a try!

    Don’t Miss: Mango Wood Salad Bowl Set

    Add Fruits Or Berries

    I am a big fan of adding fresh fruit to salads. They add that touch of sweetness, freshness and dimension that many bland and boring salads are lacking.

    • Mixed berries: blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, strawberries
    • Slices of: apples, pears, peaches, mango
    • Pomegranate arils, raisins, dried cranberries

    Easy Side Salad Recipes

    Mediterranean Salad with Lemon

    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.
    • 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!

    Read Also: Ingredients For Tuna Fish Salad

    + Easy & Healthy Salad Recipes

    by Lisa Bryandisclosure policyJump to Recipe

    These easy and healthy salad recipes make the best of fresh seasonal produce. Theyre filled with bright flavors and a variety of delicious textures. Whether youre looking for a snappy lunch salad or a large dinner party salad, this list has something for everyone.

    Butternut Squash Pasta Salad

    If you’re looking for easy, healthy recipes, but you’re tired of lettuce-based salads, this butternut squash pasta salad recipe will be a game-changer. Like other Mason jar salads, this recipe can be made in advance, and it’s packed full of nutritious veggies

    Get our recipe for Butternut Squash Pasta Salad.

    Recommended Reading: Gluten Dairy Free Salad Dressing

    Best Kale Salad Recipes

    • Kale Caesar Salad. Caesar salad isnt something we eat for its health-consciousness or nutrition-density. Unless, of course, were eating this kale Caesar salad recipe, which is Whole30 compliant and full of nutrients.

    • Kale Salad with Apples and Pumpkin Seed Clusters. A colorful, healthy kale salad recipe thats loaded with crisp apples, goat cheese and pumpkin seeds, then tossed with creamy apple cider vinegar dressing.

    • Tropical Kale Salad. Piled high with crunchy veggies, sweet mangos, macadamia nuts and tossed with the creamiest coconut curry dressing, this kale salad recipe is a cheery rainbow of a meal.

    Cucumber Salad With Vinegar

    Quick & Healthy Salad Ideas for lunch & dinner | Chicken Salad | Chickpea Salad | Two Salad Recipes

    This cucumber salad with vinegar is everything summer! Its perfect for potlucks to patio barbecues to picnics. The thinly sliced cucumbers and onions are salty, tangy, and lightly sweet all at once, and totally addicting. This cucumber salad is vegan, plant-based, and gluten-free, so it works for lots of diets too. Also try: Creamy Cucumber Salad

    Recommended Reading: What Is The Best Salad To Eat To Lose Weight

    Popular Articles

    More Recipes Like This