16 Fabulous Salad Recipes

Hello friends! Do you love a good salad? During the summertime invariably menus turn to lighter fare. There’s nothing better than a fresh, crispy salad in my book. Today I am sharing 16 fabulous salad inspired recipes for you to indulge yourself, family and friends. Come on in and join me.

Some of these salads are prefect as a main dish, while others definitely fit into the side dish category. There are also a couple of super delish fruit salads, which can be a summertime dessert, a snack or even an appetizer. Hope some of these sound yummy to you so you can incorporate them into your menu planning and share with family and friends.

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Freshness is Key in Salad Recipes

My favorite lettuce varieties are Butter Lettuce and Arugula. We are fortunate to grow our own, allowing us to harvest some for super fresh summertime salads. There’s nothing better than to snip your own fresh veggies before prepping your salad ingredients.

If you can’t grow your own produce, which is totally understandable, always try to buy the best quality and freshest products you can find in your area. I recommend farmer’s markets and small organic grocers, if possible, to create fabulous salad recipes every time.

We’ve already enjoyed some of the lettuces and herbs this season. The rain we had all winter really conditioned the soil well, because everything is doing amazing this year. Of course you should always amend your soil with good nutrients before you plant. You can read about that here {how to prep your home vegetable garden}.

You can get more details with recipes and additional pictures by following links below images to original post

Green Leaf Salads

I. Easy Arugula Salad

A simple arugula salad with parmesan cheese and pignoli nuts tossed in a lemon vinaigrette is a super easy recipe, which is full of fabulous fresh flavors .

The lemon vinaigrette dressing pairs well with the peppery arugula leaves. The toasted pine nuts and the sharp parmesan cheese add great layers of flavor and texture. 

I prefer to eat this salad as a starter as opposed to as an accompaniment to a meal. The flavors are strong from the peppery arugula to the sharp cheese to the tart lemon vinaigrette, so I like the salad to stand alone rather than compete with the flavors of a meal.

II. Butter Lettuce and Corn Salad with a Lemon Vinaigrette

This salad has crunch and tenderness plus sweetness with acidity. All the flavor and textures makes for a complex dish with just a few ingredients. 

This is a great way to use any left over corn. If you use already cooked corn you have on hand, this recipe is a super fast and easy recipe to put together. Perfect for a fast week night dinner.

Since the corn can be considered a starch plus you have the leafy greens all you have to do is pair it with a protein of your choice to complete a main dish. Again this is a fabulous healthy meal you can whip up quickly. It’s super fresh and fairly easy to put together.

III. Basic Italian Mixed Salad

We actually call this the Materazo salad. It’s a basic side salad we have with most entrees. We serve it along side most meals, but we tend to eat it after the meal as they do in many parts of Italy. This salad is inspired from my father-in-law, who is sometimes called the “salad man”. He grew his own vegetable garden back in Bedford, NY when I started dating my husband. Grandpa, which is how I call him now, made the salad most nights.

The basic salad consists of lettuce, tomatoes and red onion. Through the years we have added Persian cucumbers and radishes, preferring to keep it as simple as possible. I use my favorite greens of butter lettuce and arugula. When I can use the cherry and pear tomatoes from the garden is my favorite time of year.

The salad dressing consists of S&P, garlic powder, lemon pepper, extra virgin olive oil, and red wine vinegar. I do not measure any of it, I simply just do it by habit. Seasonings I recommend by preference. For the EVOO, I go about 3 times around the bowl and 2 times with the vinegar. This serves as a side salad for our family of four.

Mixed Veggie Salads

IV. Corn, Avocado & Tomato Salad

Or what I like to call left over corn salad. I created this dish after having some BBQ corn left over. Simply cut the corn off the cobb and add some diced fresh avocado, cucumber, tomatoes and red onion.

I dress the salad with a simple vinaigrette of extra virgin olive oil, red wine vinegar, and salt&pepper, which is my go to dressing for many salads. You can include vegetables that you and your family prefer or use whatever you have on hand. This is a great way to use left overs or take advantage of using veggies that are hanging around.

It’s a great weekday salad |side dish option. It’s quick to make, using ingredients you hopefully already have on hand. It’s also a crowd pleaser, making it a fabulous choice to bring to a pot luck.

V. Potato & String Bean Salad

I love traditional potato salads but this is a much lighter version. The non-mayonnaise based dressing plus the added string beans make this a healthier version than normal potato salads shared at many Amercian BBQs.

When we enjoy this salad at the dinner table it makes an appearance as a side dish. But I can have this as my lunch with nothing else. Well…, maybe with a crunchy piece of baguette.

The tang from the red wine vinegar is a wonderful contrast to the creaminess of the potatoes. The crunch of the string beans is also a great yin to the yang of the soft potato texture. 

VI. Traditional Caprese Salad

During the summer we eat a ton of Caprese salads. We grow tomatoes and basil in the garden so it’s a no brainer around here. We grow a variety of small tomatoes like, the pear and cherry sized varieties. I love to use the Ciliegine sized mozzarella balls, which are similar in size to the tomatoes. The tomatoes and mozzarella sliced in half are a perfect match.

Julienned fresh basil leaves adds the perfect compliment of herbaciousness to the salad. I simply use a light sprinkle of salt & pepper and toss it in extra virgin olive oil and red wine vinegar. Voila!

This basic Caprese salad is the base for many dishes throughout the summertime around here.

Pasta Salads

VII. Caprese Pasta Salad

I love to play with the Caprese ingredients and come up with fun alternatives. By adding pasta to a Caprese salad it provides a heartier dish that can be used as a side for a dinner entree or a light main dish. You can also add a protein if you would like a heartier fair.

My favorite way to doctor up a Caprese pasta salad is to fold some antipasto ingredients into the dish. Sliced salami, olives, roasted peppers, and marinated artichoke hearts include some yummy options.

I also love to fold in some tender greens from the garden like arugula, butter crunch, parsley and oregano to name a few.

VIII. 3-Layer Salad

I debated if I should include this in the protein section or the pasta section. Either way it’s a hearty dish, which can be adapted in so many different ways. You can lighten it up for an easy lunch or beef it up for a main dinner entree. There’s a ton of versatility and you can adapt it to your family’s preference.

The bottom layer here includes farfalle {bowtie} pasta, which constitutes the base of the dish. The middle layer is a bed of greens, which provides the freshness of the dish. The top layer is a protein salad. Here I have a mayonnaise based chicken salad, which I made from left over grilled chicken.

I am very light handed with all the condiments since each layer gets its own dressing. It’s the melding of all these different flavors that makes this layered salad have such great depth of flavor and dimension.

Protein Salads

IX. Protein Mixed Green Salad

One of my favorite meals, especially during the warmer months, are mixed green salads with a protein of choice. This is a super easy meal, super fresh and super delicious.

Some of the favorites around here are grilled chicken Caesar salad or arugula mixed greens salad with grilled flank steak & blue cheese. But really, the possibilities are endless and it makes for a very lean dinner.

You can get more details with recipes and additional pictures by following links below images to original post

X. California Style Nicoise Salade

Nicoise salad is a traditional French salad, consisting of olives, hardboiled eggs, spring beans, tomatoes and new potatoes. Nicoise customarily includes tuna fish, which can be adapted with other fish options like salmon or trout.

To inject our California style into the traditional French Nicoise salad, we use seared Ahi tuna and avocados. It rounds out the salad beautifully! 

The dressing is a basic vinaigrette. If you would like the recipe I use, you can find it by following the link above to the original post.

XI. Caprese Salad Antipasto Salad

This is a fabulous way to elevate the caprese ingredients to a new level. Add your favorite antipasto ingredients to a basic caprese salad to create a super delicious grazing platter.

It’s a great appetizer tray when you are entertaining or it makes a great side accompaniment for lighter meals. For this particular platter, I surrounded a traditional caprese salad with prosciutto ham, mediterranean olives, fresh avocado and roasted peppers. 

Other options you could include are salami, coppa ham, marinated artichoke hearts and marinated mushrooms to name a few. It’s like combining a charcuterie board, antipasto platter and Caprese salad all in one.

XII. Shrimp Lettuce Wraps

Ok, so some might argue this is not technically a salad since it’s called a wrap, but it’s shrimp salad wrapped in a leaf of lettuce. That says salad all the way to me.

You can find the recipe with all the details by following the links to the original post. It’s a pretty simple recipe, where the key to the dish is the freshness of all the ingredients. Crab or lobster meat are also great alternatives for this recipe.

These can be served family style, where guests can help themselves to as many helpings as desired. Or you could also serve them individually at everyone’s place settings. I like to use a large lettuce leaf, which I wrap tightly around the shrimp salad, and tie close with a chive strand. 

Fruit Salads

XIII. 3 Melon Salad

Nothing is more refreshing than melon during long hot days. This 3 melon salad with a hint of lime & mint is a simple recipe with a burst of flavors.

All you need is watermelon, honeydew, and cantaloupe melons plus a lime and some mint leaves. The melons have enough sweetness, which is counterbalanced with the citrus from the lime and the mint adds additional freshness and herbaciousness.

It’s a sophisticated yet simple fruit salad. It is great for entertaining or to bring to share at a pot luck. The presentation is beautiful, plus the flavors burst in your mouth. It its always a crowd pleaser.

XIV. Prosciutto Melon Salad

The classic grouping embraces the flavor combination of sweet melon and salty prosciutto. This mouthwatering combo requires no-cooking and literally three ingredients with a little mint garnish if desired.

The combination provides a hearty yet light faire, which is a perfect appetizer in my book. 

It also lends itself as a make ahead dish, which is super helpful when you are serving a sit down dinner. Timing is always very important in this type of setting so make ahead dishes are low maintenance and stress free.

Party Favorites

XV. Caprese Salad Skewers

One of my go to pot luck appetizers to bring for summertime soirees are Caprese skewers. They are super easy to make and always super popular during gatherings and get togethers.

I love how low maintenance they are. The mini skewers make them easy for folks to grab and devour, while still holding a beverage and mixing & mingling with friends. There are no additional utensils needed, which makes them easy.

Every time it’s time to go home, the tray is empty which makes it super easy to take home rather than dealing with left overs. I always use my enamel tray for these, which is very light, so the whole experience is low maintenance all around. You can read all about my enamelware obsession here {metals III – enamelware}.

XVI. Prosciutto & Melon Skewers

As an easy adaptation from the wedge configuration aboveI, bite size skewers make a great party treat. Skewers are fantastic in a party setting as per all the reasons described above for the Caprese skewers.

Cube sized melon pieces wrapped in prosciutto ham make. great bite. On the serving platter squeeze some lime on them plus garnish serving dish with more lime wedges for the guests to add more if desired.

Bite size skewers are always perfect for soirees where folks are mingling about. The key is to provide a burst of flavor in a small bite. This fits the bill.

Closing Thoughts on the Fabulous Salad Recipes

I hope you enjoyed these salad recipes and ideas, incorporating some into your menu planning for your own family. Although we eat salads all year round, there’s something about summertime, which prompts the freshest and brightest salad dishes. Fruit salads during the summer months goes without saying.

I have some new recipes I will be sharing soon. If you want the new posts delivered to your in-box simply sign-up below. Bon Appetit!

Get Ready to Make Fabulous Salad Recipes

• This wooden salad bowl is worthy of a fabulous salad.
• I love the handles on this wooden salad bowl.
• This is a great salad set for entertaining.
• This salad set is a similar look, but smaller and with paddles.
• This is the type of dispenser I use for my EVOO and vinegar.
• This cruet set is really pretty if you want something special to bring to the table.
• I have a few salad servers but I have been wanting a set of paddles, and I love the look of these.
• I believe a salad spinner is indispensable, I use mine every time I make a green leaf based salad.
• I haven’t used a vegetable chopper, but am always tempted.

Other Good Summertime Recipes

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“Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is knowing not to put it in a fruit salad.”

Brian O’Driscoll

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sharing @ between naps on the porch