Salads are perfect as a side dish or an appetizer and can easily be upgraded to a healthy lunch if you add protein. Best of all, they’re made with wholesome and easy–to–find ingredients, making them perfect for families and serving as healthy side dishes. You’ll find vegan, gluten–free, and vegetarian options, as well as suggestions for upgrading your salads to meals with healthy protein.
1. Tomato cucumber onion salad
Cucumber tomato salad is refreshing and colorful! Enjoy this crunchy and easy recipe as a summer side dish, add some protein, and upgrade it to a quick and healthy main. The beans are coated to perfection, making this salad indulgent and healthy at the same time.
3. Easy avocado salad
Avocado salad is creamy, crunchy, and refreshing. This 10–minute salad is all you need for a quick lunch (add chickpeas) or light dinner during the hot summer.
5. Quick side salad
Our side salad is a simple recipe for most main meals. It’s easy, crunchy, fresh, and colorful and goes well with any main.
6. Tomato salad
We combine the tomatoes with thinly sliced onion and basil, then season them with extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar. This tomato salad is tasty, refreshing, nourishing, and the perfect side dish for most meals. Adding a bit of feta cheese is a delicious, colorful, and nutritious meal.
10. Chickpea salad in 20 minutes
This 15-minute chickpea salad is an easy and nutritious dish. Make it in 15 minutes with simple, fresh ingredients and a refreshing lemon vinaigrette.
11. Zucchini salad
Fresh, bright green, and crunchy, this zucchini salad is the ultimate summer salad. It’s perfect for potlucks and as a side dish for BBQs and summer dinners. Garnish with pomegranate seeds, pine nuts, and fennel fronds for a restaurant–worthy side dish.
13. Watermelon salad with feta
This watermelon salad with feta is a delightful summer salad sprinkled with pistachio nuts and lime. It’s a cooling and tasty appetizer or side salad for hot summer nights, putlocks, or BBQs.
14. Rice salad
This rice salad is the perfect summer dish. It’s easy to prepare in advance and great for meal planning. Once the rice is cooked, it will take you 10 minutes to mix this wholesome and vegetarian grain bowl.
15. Pasta salad
Pasta salad is the ideal lunchtime meal because it’s quick to prepare and delicious. It’s also great to make in advance to have as a ready–to–go salad to eat at any time.
16. Quinoa salad
Chickpeas and quinoa are combined to create a simple and healthy chickpea quinoa salad with fresh, seasonal veggies and a simple lemon vinaigrette.
17. Quinoa lentil salad
Quinoa lentil salad is an easy, tasty, and protein-rich recipe for a quick lunch, side dish, or healthy dinner. You’ll love the textures and flavors of tender sweet potatoes, earthy lentils, and fulfilling quinoa hugged by a creamy, tangy mustard dressing. And if you want to add extra protein, this noodle salad is delicious with grilled tofu. Follow our step-by-step recipe for a meal–prep–friendly dish ready in 20 minutes.
20. Macaroni salad
This is a lighter macaroni salad with a creamy yogurt–mayonnaise dressing. Add carrots, bell pepper, and green peas for perfect crunch and added protein.
Protein-rich salads
You don’t have to worry about hunger after eating these protein-packed salads! We use wholesome plant–based protein to make nutritious and satiating salads that you can serve with bread and a sprinkle of fresh herbs.
21. Vegan egg salad
Try this vegan egg salad for a great, quick, fulfilling vegan lunch or snack idea. It’s great on a sandwich made with tofu, vegan mayo, and herbs.
21. Tofu salad
This tofu salad recipe is a crunchy, healthy bowl perfect for lunch or dinner. Low in calories, high in flavor, and satiating with a velvety creamy tahini dressing. Lentil salad is an excellent make–ahead meal for potlucks and picnics.
23. Vegan tuna salad
Vegan tuna is a quick and easy recipe made with mashed chickpeas. It’s the perfect replacement for tuna in a sandwich, to fill a baked sweet potato, or as an appetizer.
25. Black bean salad
This black bean salad with roasted sweet potatoes, corn, green or red bell pepper, creamy avocado, and a cilantro lime dressing is a winner. We love this protein–rich salad for lunch and as a post-workout dinner.
Mediterranean salads
26. Moroccan eggplant salad
Zaalouk is a delicious cooked eggplant salad with tomatoes, garlic, cumin, and olive oil. Learn how to make it in one pot in about 30 minutes.
27. Couscous with vegetables
Couscous with vegetables is a delicious way of enjoying couscous. You can make This easy recipe in less than 30 minutes with seasonal veggies and herbs. It is a perfect appetizer for summer and a delightful side dish for an easy dinner. We make a creamy old-fashioned one, grandma’s style, with shredded carrots, raisins, and mayo, and a modern one with orange juice, raisins, and without mayo.
30. Caponata (Sicilian eggplant salad)
Caponata is an Italian eggplant salad with a delicious sweet and sour flavor. We make it with roasted eggplant (instead of deep-fried) in less than 40 minutes. Serve it as a starter, side dish, or light lunch with a slice of bread or warm homemade focaccia.
32. Lentil sweet potato salad
This salad is the perfect make-ahead meal. You can enjoy it as a quick and fulfilling lunch at the office or a wholesome dinner and quickly bring it to potlucks.
33. Mediterranean farro salad
This Mediterranean farro salad is tasty and fulfilling and excellent as a healthy lunch idea. We make it with chewy Farro, roasted veggies, crumbled feta, and an irresistible cumin dressing.
34. Shirazi salad
Shirazi salad is a refreshing Iranian dish made with chopped cucumber, tomatoes, and onion and seasoned with dried mint. It’s lovely with Mediterranean spreads and dips on a mezze platter, stuffed vegetables, or grilled foods.
35. Greek salad
Greek salad is a simple, tasty, refreshing dish made with ripe tomatoes, crunchy cucumbers, tangy red onions, crisp bell peppers, and savory and creamy feta cheese.
36. Creamy cauliflower salad
Simple and incredibly easy, our cauliflower salad has no bacon, mayonnaise, or dairy. We roast the cauliflower florets with olive oil and toss them in a creamy, dreamy tahini and lemon dressing.
38. Mediterranean cauliflower salad
Protein-rich, with earthy lentils, roasted cauliflower, and a cumin dressing, this putlock-friendly cauliflower salad is great for autumn and winter.
39. Lentil tabbouleh
This lentil tabbouleh recipe is easy to make, and you can serve it as a starter or a side dish. It’s a perfect side salad with Mediterranean or Middle-Eastern dishes such as hummus and eggplant dip.
40. Red cabbage salad
It’s a perfect holiday salad side dish and a healthy lunch idea. This crunchy red cabbage salad, with juicy orange wedges, mixed green leaves, and nutty pinto beans, is colorful and vibrant.
41. Pear salad with orange
This pear salad is fruity, fresh, crunchy, and delicious. It is excellent as an appetizer or side salad for a special dinner or holiday dish.
42. Kale quinoa salad
Leafy greens, roasted pumpkin, and a creamy mustard dressing meet in a wholesome grain bowl. Make this kale quinoa salad a healthy lunch, or add tofu to upgrade it to dinner status.
43. Arugula salad
This Arugula side salad and appetizer idea is a 5-minute quick and delicious green side dish. Try it with walnuts and slices of red apple for a fruit, nourishing, and crispy salad serving.
44. Butternut squash salad
This apple and butternut squash salad is packed with leafy greens, pecan nuts, and dried cranberries, perfect for autumn and winter.
45. Tahini salad
Velvety creamy tahini sauce, crunchy chickpeas, and fresh veggies come together in this Middle–Eastern–inspired salad bowl. This salad is quick and easy to make. You can customize it to your taste and serve it as a side or main dish with warm pita bread, falafel, hummus, and more.
Easy salad dressings
Italian salad dressing Homemade Italian dressing is a simple vinaigrette recipe to add flavor, freshness, and aroma to many salads, such as Italian pasta salads, big Italian salads, or simple side salads. Tahini sauce Rich, creamy, nutty, and incredibly nutritious, tahini sauce is a favorite drizzle-on-everything sauce. It adds umami, creaminess, and a silky mouthfeel to any dish. Chipotle sauce Chipotle sauce is a spicy, smoky, savory condiment made from chipotles in adobo (smoked jalapeño peppers). Learn how to make homemade vegan, dairy-free chipotle sauce. It’s a great way to spice up tacos, burritos, salads, and more. Chimichurri Chimichurri is a quick, delicious, bright sauce that can be used as a topping for many dishes. The main ingredients are olive oil, parsley, garlic, vinegar, and red pepper flakes. Carrot Ginger Dressing is a simple recipe for a vegan, dairy-free, gluten-free, and egg-free salad dressing made with fresh ingredients in only a few minutes. Cilantro lime dressing for Mexican-inspired salads and bowls You can make this cilantro lime dressing in 5 minutes with seven ingredients in a blender. This recipe is healthy, dairy-free, vegan, gluten-free, and perfect for brightening your favorite meal. Green goddess dressing is a creamy salad with plenty of fresh herbs. Learn how to make this delicious dressing at home easily. Chili oil The Italian “olio al pepperoncini” inspired our quick chili oil recipe. This is a classic condiment around the Mediterranean and is often added to pizza and grilled dishes. These seven flavor affinities are a good guideline for making delicious salads but also work as a checklist for putting together a tasty and satiating meal.
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Our aim is to help you and your family eat more veggies through delicious recipes with simple ingredients. Easy right? Comment * Name Email Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Notify me when Louise or Nico reply to my comment.
Δ Our aim is to help you and your family eat more veggies through delicious recipes with simple ingredients.
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