In between the rich food and the travel accompanying the holidays, reaching for a healthy salad can feel just right. But it doesn’t have to be boring.
Leveling up your salads doesn’t mean you have to buy a million ingredients either.
Varying the kind of vegetables you use, adding some crunch and making your own dressing can transform your salads from boring to exciting. There are the tried and true salads like garden, Caesar, cobb and Greek. These are great. But they can also be modified to mix it up.
A good salad starts with the basics — spinning your greens (and using pepper and salt), even knife cuts and quality ingredients. Here’s your guide to yummy, not boring, salads.
Not boring salad guide
Salads are essentially a base with some toppings and some kind of dressing or sauce. To keep them from becoming boring, you can explore changing up these different ingredients and creating different flavor profiles.
The base: Just because it’s salad, it doesn’t mean lettuce is your only option. For one, there are other greens like mesclun, kale, bok choy and arugula. You could also use broccoli or cabbage or Brussels sprouts as the base. Still, you’re not limited to these as the base. Other options include corn or beets or zucchini or cucumber. Sliced tomatoes are a good place to start.
If you wanted to do a warm salad, you could start out with a warm cauliflower rice base or even quinoa or wild rice.
Herbs and seasoning: Salting your greens just a little bit can make a big difference. Salt and pepper are key ingredients to add to any salad. Most of the other spices will likely end up in the dressing, but you can also put fresh herbs in your salad, too.
The additions: Think about your salad in terms of components. Once you have a base, think of three to five ingredients to add. You could do more or less if you wanted to, but three to five can give you some variety. This is where you add carrots, cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, berries, apples and other fruits and vegetables.
One good way to look at what fruits and vegetables to add is through texture. You can add vegetables and fruits like cucumbers, carrots and apples for crunch, and then add roasted red peppers for a different, softer texture. Avocado can add creaminess.
It’s also worth it to think about it in terms of flavor, too. You can add a pepper for some spiciness and add strawberries for sweetness. Having a colorful salad is a good way to vary the nutrients you get in a salad.
Not all these vegetables need to be raw either. Throwing some squash into the oven or into a hot pan and then putting it on your salad is definitely one way to mix it up.
The last toppings: After you add your fruits and your vegetables, you might want a little pizzazz. Croutons are great, but they aren’t the only option. Nuts and seeds can be a good way to add crunch and a different texture. Crushed up tortilla chips may work in some cases, so can freeze dried fruit or rice cakes broken up into small pieces. Crispy chickpeas can add crunch and protein.
Speaking of protein, you can add chicken, steak, salmon, tuna, shrimp, beans, crispy tofu, pork and eggs to boost the protein content of your salad.
The dressing: Reaching for olive oil and vinegar is a classic way to dress a salad, so is picking up a bottle of your favorite ranch dressing. But you can also make your own dressings to help make your salad taste less boring. To get started, check out these 15 healthy salad dressings from Love & Lemons.
5 not boring salad recipes
Now let’s get into some more specific recipes to try for salads that won’t be boring.
1. Deconstructed wedge-ish salad
This idea takes its inspiration from a wedge salad, but adds some extra ingredients into the mix. Start by massaging some kale. Finely chop it with some romaine. Then dice cucumbers, carrots, broccoli, red cabbage, green cabbage and bacon. Toss it with a dressing of your choice — a chunky bleu cheese or a Greek yogurt ranch could be a good move. Top it with some green onions.
2. Chickpea Caesar salad
Romaine is a good base for a classic Caesar salad. So, start with that. Don’t forget to salt and pepper your romaine after chopping it. If you’d like to mix up the greens, you can add some green leaf lettuce, too. Use your air fryer to crisp up some chickpeas. Chop up some tomatoes and roasted red peppers. Shave some parmesan on top and drizzle some Caesar dressing over it. You can make your own — as usual, Bon Appetit’s recipe is a good one to use.
3. Strawberry quinoa salad
Start with some spinach. Chop it up finely along with some fresh mint. Cook and cool some quinoa. Dice some strawberries. Crumble up some goat cheese. Finely chop some walnuts. You can add some cannellini beans to this for some extra protein if you like. Add all the ingredients together and toss it in some olive oil, balsamic vinegar and the juice (and zest) of either an orange or a lemon.
4. Marry me chicken salad
Who doesn’t love marry me chicken? It’s creamy and sticks to simple ingredients. This salad is inspired by that chicken. Chop up a base of basil leaves and romaine lettuce. Cube some chicken breasts. Cook up the chicken with some diced sundried tomatoes and chopped garlic. Let cool a little bit as to not wilt the greens. Shave some parmesan over the top and use a dressing of your choice.
5. Twist on a panzanella
Cube up some Italian bread and toast it with olive oil until golden brown. Chop up cucumber, heirloom tomatoes, bell peppers, mozzarella, pepperoncinis, red onion, basil, artichokes and olives. Mix together with the bread, olive oil, red wine vinegar, capers and the juice and zest of a lemon. For the twist, add water chestnuts — might not be the most traditional ingredient, but they add a great crunch.