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I could eat a salad for lunch and dinner every day. Salads are super versatile and with summer here, your options are endless with all of those beautiful fresh fruits and veggies in our markets and farm stands. When the heat of the day has the best of you, salad for dinner sounds a lot more inviting than a hot and heavy meal. Most salads can be assembled earlier in the day, so all you have to do is pull them out of the fridge for dinner. Then, any leftovers can be packed up for lunches the next day.
I consider myself really fortunate to have some awesome food bloggers as a resource! They’ve graciously provided links to their favorite healthy summer salads. The variety is incredible. There is something for everyone here!
Veggie Salads
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Shaved Broccoli Salad |
Ranch Salad Dressing from Taste Love & Nourish
Sesame Crusted Tofu Salad with Spicy Peanut Dressing from Savory Simple
Sweet and Spicy Slaw from An Edible Mosaic
Caprese Salad from Poet in the Pantry
German Cucumber Salad from The Culinary Life
Heirloom Tomatoes Caprese Salad from The Culinary Life
Open Faced Shaved Beet Sandwiches from Farm Fresh Feasts
Pickled Beet Goat Cheese Arugula Salad with Beet Vinaigrette from Once a Month Mom
Local Produce on the Grill from Cooking in Stilettos
Sweet Corn Guacamole from Tikkido
Grilled Romaine Salad from The Creekside Cook
Summer Corn Salad from What’s Cooking Chicago?
Cucumber and Tomato Summer Salad from Peanut Butter and Peppers
Grandpa’s Greek Salad from Mother Would Know
Composed Fennel Salad with Mushrooms and Parmesan from Mother Would Know
Green Bean Tomato Herb Salad from Mother Would Know
Potato Salad from Mother Would Know
Grilled Corn Salad with Avocado Tomato and Lime from Liv Life
Wildflower Salad from Masala Herb
Modern Greek Salad from The Mom 100
Japanese Restaurant Salad Dressing from The Mom 100
Grains, Beans and Pasta Salads
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Red Quinoa and Mango Salad |
Harvest Grains and Veggie Salad from Taste Love & Nourish
Beluga Lentil Salad with Hearts of Palm and Avocado from Taste Love & Nourish
Tex-Mex Quinoa Salad with Cumin Lime Vinaigrette from A Zesty Bite
Curried Quinoa Salad from The Culinary Life
Ten Minute Chickpea Salad with Feta and Basil from Shockingly Delicious
Quinoa Tabbouleh from Cooking in Stilettos
Chickpea Cucumber and Tomato Salad from nestMeg
Broccoli and Quinoa Salad with Asian Vinaigrette from Overtime Cook
Sensational Summer Pasta Salad from This Mama Cooks
Salads with Summer Fruits
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Baby Kale Salad with Strawberry and Avocado |
Mandarin Beet Salad with Mandarin Poppyseed Dressing from Taste Love & Nourish
Kale and Pear Salad from Taste Love & Nourish
Peach and Basil Salsa from Rock Recipes
Summer Fruity Romaine Salad with Sweet Onion Poppy Seed Vinaigrette from Once a Month Mom
Chicken and Strawberry Salad with Strawberry Dressing & Walnuts from Cravings of a Lunatic
Summer Salad (Fruit and Veggies!) from Dizzy Busy and Hungry!
Berry Almond Salad with Chia Seed Vinaigrette from Dinners, Dishes and Desserts
Endive Salad with Fruits from Chile from the Hungry Goddess
California Quinoa Strawberry Salad from Liv Life
Salads with Seafood, Chicken or Beef
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Tropical Crab Salad |
Curried Chicken Waldorf Salad from Taste Love & Nourish
Mediterranean Chopped Salad with Seared Scallops from Taste Love & Nourish
Bonnie Powell’s Easy Chicken Salad Recipe from The Culinary Life
Smoked Trout Arugula Salad with Grapes and Blueberries from Shockingly Delicious
Chickpea, Quinoa Salad with Anchovies from Kopiaste
Maple-Glazed Salmon Salad from All Day I Dream About Food
Lobster Roll Salad from Willow Bird Baking
5 Tips for Creating the Perfect Salad
- After chopping your greens, soak them in your salad spinner with cold water while you chop the other ingredients. They’ll perk up and become nice and crisp. Drain and spin when you’re ready to assemble.
- Make your own dressing, (it’s easier than you think) and make twice as much as you think you need. You’ll have plenty to use the rest of the week. Just store it in a jar with a tight fitting lid in the fridge.
- When making dressings, go bolder than you think you need to. Once dressing combines with your greens and other ingredients, the flavors can get a bit “diluted”.
- When washing and chopping greens, prepare enough for a few meals. Store washed greens in a container lined with a sheet of paper towel. Pop the lid on and it’ll be fresh for a few days.
- When creating new salads, think of combining different colors, textures and flavors. Summer is a great time to find all sorts of colorful veggies and fruits. Make it pretty! Try to add something crunchy (like nuts or broken pita chips), something creamy (how about crumbled goat cheese or bits of avocado?), and something crispy (try using different types of lettuces). I also like to combine bits of sweet and salty too. With all of these elements in one bowl, a salad can become the most satisfying meal!
Caroline, this is a great collection of summer salads. Now I think I am all set for the rest of the season! :-) Thanks for including my Fruit and Veggie Salad!
Thanks for helping make this a great collection, Kristin! Your salad is beautiful! :)
I could seriously eat salad every single day! Awesome round up!
Thanks so much Kelli! Me too!
what a healthy recipes. these look delicious. i would try these essentially as i m much concious about my health n often use to seach recipes like this.
What a great resource for salads! I want to try out some of the ones that include beans. I have been trying to include more of them in our daily diets.
I love that type of salad too, Jennifer! They are so filling and can become the whole meal! Thanks so much for stopping by!
Such an awesome roundup!
Thanks to great recipes like yours Jen! Your Sesame Crusted Tofu with that Spicy Peanut Dressing sounds like my kind of salad! Hmmmm…that may become dinner tonight actually! :)
Caroline,
Thanks for including my beets! Much appreciated.
Your round up looks so lovely–I’ve seen so many salads I’d like to try.
Thanks!
Thanks goes to you, Kristen! Those beets look so, so good! I am really looking forward to making them…I love the sandwich idea a lot!
This is the most beautiful salad post ever, both your own work and the recipes you curated. Pinning and bookmarking now Caroline!
Awww…that was the sweetest compliment, Toni! Thank you so much! I am so lucky to have had so many great bloggers contribute! You made my day!
Wonderful round up and your tips will come handy. I have to confess, I should play more with colors when creating salads. I grew up with green salads with every meal and there is always a mustard vinaigrette around. I prefer heavier salads as a stand alone dish and of course I like to discover new salad idea. Thank you for compiling this useful list!
Thank youHelene for your creative Wildflower Salad! Looking forward to trying that!
A lovely roundup which I will consult frequently.
Ivy
Thank you so much Ivy! I’m looking forward to trying your Chickpea Quinoa Salad!
Thank you so much for including 2 of my salads! What a fantastic roundup!
Thanks so much to you, Dorothy, for contributing them! They are both so creative!
Thank you so much for including my salad in your line-up. Everything looks amazing!!!!!!!! Your tropical crab salad looks out of this world!
Thank YOU Jennifer! I love your Cucumber and Tomato Salad! It’s exactly like the yummy salad my Mom always made…I love all of those Mediterranean flavors!