33 fabulous summer salads
We eat a LOT of salads in the summertime. When it's really hot outside, a hot meal is often the last thing I want to make or eat, so enter the versatile salad. One of the meals we like best in the summer is a "salad plate". Simply serve any combination of salads (as few as two but as many as you like) along with some cold meat (leftover chicken, beef, ham or cold cuts) and a nice roll and maybe some cheese. A good rule of thumb is to have at least one carb-based salad, one salad with a mayo-based dressing, and one with a vinaigrette. You can definitely have more than one of each but it's best if they each have a different flavour. (For example, I wouldn't serve a standard coleslaw with Best Ever Broccoli Salad because they are too similar.) Simple and so, so good!
This is by no means a comprehensive list of every salad I've ever made, but it is definitely a "collection" of some of my favourites. I thought it might be nice to have a list of all the ones I've featured on the blog all in one spot. Enjoy, and please let me know which ones your family likes best.
This is one of my favourites - I like to add some some sweet pepper to the plate, along with the tomatoes and cucumbers. Although the recipe has you cook your own chicken, you can easily replace it with store-bought rotisserie chicken, leftover cooked chicken or even deli cold meat like turkey.
This is a beautiful, spinach and strawberry salad with a homemade poppy seed dressing So light and delicious. You can serve it with chicken in it or on the side - check out Sensational Spinach Salad from Greta Podleski's "Yum & Yummer".
Love this salad! I like to use cherry tomatoes instead of large ones and jarred olives instead of Nicoise since I don't seem to be able to get them locally. You can also use arugula instead of the butter lettuce. Super good.
This is another favourite summer salad of mine, although I rarely make it in a mason jar. I would never think of combining lemon juice with spinach, avocado, and Greek yogurt to make a dressing, but it works! I highly recommend that you don't skip the olives or the feta cheese. This salad is absolutely yummy and so light and fresh-tasting. It's also perfect for a Paleo or Keto diet, or for anyone trying to eat fewer carbs. Plus, don't you think it's the prettiest shade of green?
This combination intrigues me. I am certain that the homemade meatballs in this recipe would take this salad over the top, but you can totally substitute frozen ones if those are what you have on hand. Feel free to use a bottled Greek dressing if you have it (instead of making your own), and add in some pitas and tzatziki. We love these made with Trick's Creek Farm organic, grass-fed ground beef. Yum!
This pretty salad is good with sesame seeds or peanuts and it tastes amazing! If you don't have time to cook chicken breasts, pick up a rotisserie chicken instead. This salad recipe comes from Greta Podleski's "Yum & Yummer" cookbook and comes together quickly.
Although the linked recipe isn't actually for Greek Pasta Salad, it gives you the basics. That's why I love this recipe - it can so easily be adapted to whatever veggies or dressing you have on hand, or that your people like. I like to use Greek dressing and keep things simple with diced cucumber, halved cherry tomatoes, and black olives. I also like to add a little red onion and feta cheese. Any pasta shape will do. If you've never made pasta salad before, you really can't go wrong with this recipe. It's always a hit, especially with kids or teens.
This salad is just delicious! All the crunchy vegetables (love the cilantro and the julienned sugar snap peas especially) soak up the dressing and are so good. From Greta Podleski's gorgeous "Yum & Yummer" cookbook. Delicious with her Roasted Asian Salmon Fillets.
I found this recipe online a few years ago and tweaked it a bit to suit our tastes better. The recipe as written makes a very large salad - perfect if you're needing something different for a potluck. Chock full of yummy apples, raisins, carrots, beets, and kale, it is really tasty and good for you, too!
Love this recipe from Skinnytaste! Super simple and super delicious. Sometimes I like to add cucumber instead of avocado. We love the crunchy bacon and the way the mayonnaise thins out from the juices of the tomatoes and dresses all of the greens. Grab a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store or grill some on the barbecue if you don't have any cooked on hand, and dinner is served.
I've eaten lots of broccoli salad over the years, and lots of variations of it, but in my opinion, this is by far the best one.
12) Big Mac Salad
This carb-free salad is so, so good. The dill pickles add just the right tanginess and I really love the sweetness of the cherry tomatoes in this. You can use diced up hamburger patties instead of ground beef if you like.
13) Greek Salad
I've been searching for the "best" Greek salad for a long time, and I'm still looking. This recipe was tasty but I found that it had a little too much bite for me to consider it the "best". Still, it was good and worth adding to my list of summer salads.
14) Tortellini Pesto Salad or as I like to call it, Pesto Pasta Salad)
Years ago, I attended a work potluck at a co-worker's home, and she served this AH-MAZING pasta salad. She used farfalle rather than tortellini, and Queen olives rather than the regular (small) ones. She did not serve it on a bed of spinach, but you definitely can (although I usually don't). Typically I julienne the carrots and don't bother to blanch the broccoli. This is one of our absolute favourite salads, and my son requests it regularly. I've yet to meet anyone who doesn't like it. It's deliciously different! Thanks for sharing, Mary Ann!
I love this for lunch in the summertime. With a sprinkling of pine nuts, a can of chickpeas, and plenty of quinoa, it makes a hearty supper as well. You can serve cold meat or leftover chicken along with it for extra protein if you like. Instead of Kraft cracked peppercorn and sundried tomato feta cheese, I add some chopped oil-packed sundried tomatoes. Love! This salad makes a large batch, so feel free to halve the recipe for a smaller family. It keeps well for a couple of days.
This recipe is definitely my son's most-requested summer salad, so we make it regularly, with a few additions and one omission. I do not include the hard-boiled eggs, although I'm sure they would be tasty. I add in cubed cheddar cheese, a diced red onion, and lots of diced homemade dill pickles. This salad is basically no-fail! It keeps well for a few days and is definitely a crowd favourite.
17) Arugula with Grated Beets
A few simple ingredients make up this amazing salad. Top a bunch of arugula with some grated beets (regular or candy) and serve with a simple Dijon vinaigrette - combine 1 tbsp Dijon mustard, 1 tbsp white wine vinegar, 3 tbsp olive oil and some salt and pepper (makes 2 servings).
This is just a really good potato salad recipe that I've been making since the '90s. I skip the tomato slices and the second amounts of milk and mayo. I also add 1 tsp of regular mustard and 1 tsp of sugar to the dressing. I found my recipe in "Company's Coming - Barbecues" cookbook, but since I don't have permission to share that one, this is as close as I could get. Potato salad is one of those things that I make a few different versions of, but this one is always good and I always go back to it at least once each summer. I know some people argue that potato salad tastes better the second day, but I'm not 100% sold on that idea, at least with this one. It is definitely best well-chilled, but I find that the onion gets strong on day two, and I'm not always fond of that. (Using a Vidalia onion helps). Regardless, this is an "awesome" potato salad recipe and one I'm happy to share with you. I know some people like to add in radishes or pickles, and you can do that, too. Personally, though, I am a "basics" kind of girl - celery, onion, and hardboiled eggs topped with paprika.
This is not unlike a Nicoise Salad, but minus the potatoes. It is fast (even without a pressure cooker) and really yummy. Love how quick and light it is. From "Skinnytaste One and Done".
This savoury watermelon salad is so refreshing on a hot day. I omit the red onion and mint and serve it on a bed of arugula, topping it off with some toasted pumpkin seeds (thanks for the idea, Yolanda!) This is awesome - I love the salty feta with the sweet watermelon.
This attractive salad comes from "Yum & Yummer". I love all the pretty colours of the veggies ("eat the rainbow"!) and it's delicious.
This is a really tasty salad although I modify the recipe slightly. I omit the capers and don't make the lemon dressing since my son is not a fan, but I'm sure it would be good, too. I also add some sweet bell pepper and use canned artichoke hearts, not marinated ones. Instead of the original dressing, I make the dressing from this recipe, Orzo Salad and it was great! Don't skimp on the feta.
I adore this salad because it's so pretty and so yummy! I love fruit in a salad and the candied almonds take it over the top. This pairs well with just about any meat, but especially chicken, fish, or honey garlic sausage.
How pretty is this salad? My friend Yolanda first served us this a few years ago, and although she didn't make the melted goat cheese crostini, it was equally yummy topped with crumbled goat cheese. You could easily serve a sliced baguette on the side. If you feel like fussing a little or want to make the salad extra special, by all means, make the crostini. The dressing (not pictured, but it looks like a balsamic vinaigrette) is awesome, and although the combination of ingredients is a little unexpected, it's refreshing and delicious.
We totally love this salad. If you've never tried arugula, this is definitely the best way to eat it, at least in our opinion. It's great with pasta but would be good with any protein you like.
This salad did not disappoint - we love roasted cauliflower right now, although it means turning on the oven. I add in some extra veggies like halved cherry tomatoes, diced cucumbers, and diced red pepper. Totally delicious with them. The garlicky farro is a little bit crunchy, the veggies are refreshing and I am a big fan of the salty feta. I forgot to top it off with the sliced avocado for the pic, but it adds the perfect finishing touch.
This salad is very tasty. I highly recommend the drizzle of olive oil, balsamic glaze, and mayo on top. This is also very adaptable to whatever you have on hand - tomatoes, cucumber, peppers, avocado, beets, carrots, celery, cheese, etc. Just good!
If you're bored with the usual salads you make for your family, you'll want to give this one a try. It is absolutely delicious! I wouldn't have thought of adding asparagus to a Greek salad, but we love it. It's good with pork chops or chicken, or your favourite meat (grilled or otherwise).
Technically, this isn't a summer salad, but since you can purchase frozen rhubarb, I decided to include it. If you're looking for a unique way to serve rhubarb, this salad is it!
Unfortunately, I didn't get a photo, but this Italian-style pasta salad is amazing!! I use up mozzarella cheese instead of the provolone. Everyone loves it. The dressing is super flavourful and so, so good. I think this is one of those recipes that you could totally customize to whatever you have on hand or whatever your family prefers.
It's hard to go wrong with the beautiful flavours of mozzarella, fresh tomatoes and basil. Add in some bacon, and wow! This recipe is a summer favourite around here. To avoid cooking altogether, buy pre-cooked bacon or make your own on a day when it's cooler outside and freeze it to use later. This salad is light, fresh and so pretty!
This is surprisingly delicious and is still very good the next day. The dressing doesn't separate at all and the noodles maintain some crunch. Give this a try! It's tasty, cool and would pair well with so many main dishes.
When I made the linked recipe, I added in some mixed salad greens, but that isn't necessary at all. This salad is different and really good - a lovely way to take advantage of Ontario's asparagus season.
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