Easy Meal Sized Salad Recipes (2024)

By: Denise Bustard9 Comments
Posted: 4/30/16Updated: 12/17/20

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Easy Meal Sized Salad Recipes (1)

If you are looking for even more salad recipes, be sure to check out my Pinterest board {SALADS} and follow along for lots of great recipe ideas!

I have referred to myself on more than one occasion as a 'crazy salad lady'. I am a total salad addict, and we eat a big salad for dinner 2-3 times per week.

My dream salad has a mix of different textures (soft leafy greens and crunchy nuts) and flavors (sweet fruit and savory cheese), and it must have a protein (beans, meat, seafood). I love lots of goodies in my salads, like cheese, avocado, fruit and nuts. I have mixed feelings about lettuce, but I've decided that so long as it is outnumbered by the goodies in the salad, I can live with a bit of lettuce.

So crazy salad lady is verrrry happy to share these 24 easy meal sized salad recipes with you all today!

Let's dig in!

1.Grilled Chilli Lime Chicken Fajita Salad from Cafe Delites

Easy Meal Sized Salad Recipes (2)

2. Mexican Caesar Salad from Dinner at the Zoo

Easy Meal Sized Salad Recipes (3)

3. Kale, Barley and Feta Salad with a Honey Lemon Vinaigrette from Sweet Peas & Saffron

Easy Meal Sized Salad Recipes (4)

4. Thai Chicken Zucchini Noodle Salad with Sesame Vinaigrette from Joyful Healthy Eats

Easy Meal Sized Salad Recipes (5)

5. Soba Noodle Steak Salad from Dessert for Two

Easy Meal Sized Salad Recipes (6)

6. Kale and Strawberry Salad with Bacon and Grilled Cheese Sandwich Croutons from Floating Kitchen

Easy Meal Sized Salad Recipes (7)

7. Easy Salmon Salad with Greek Yogurt Dill Dressing from Fit Foodie Finds

Easy Meal Sized Salad Recipes (8)

8. Chicken Satay Salad from Sweet Peas &Saffron

9. Seasoned Chickpea Taco Salad with Avocado Ranch Dressing from She Likes Food

Easy Meal Sized Salad Recipes (10)

10. Rainbow Chopped Thai Chicken Salad from Tastes Lovely

Easy Meal Sized Salad Recipes (11)

11. Mediterranean Tuna Salad with Tarragon Vinaigrette from The View From Great Island

Easy Meal Sized Salad Recipes (12)

12. Chorizo, Tomato and Charred Corn Salad from The Mediterranean Dish

Easy Meal Sized Salad Recipes (13)

13. from Sweet Peas & Saffron

Easy Meal Sized Salad Recipes (14)

14. Power Salad with Lemon Chia Dressing from Two Peas & Their Pod

Easy Meal Sized Salad Recipes (15)

15. Buffalo Chickpea Salad with Cool Tahini Ranch from Kitchen Treaty

Easy Meal Sized Salad Recipes (16)

16. Crock Pot BBQ Taco Salad (Gluten-Free) from Cotter Crunch

Easy Meal Sized Salad Recipes (17)

17. Chicken Enchilada Salad with Caesar Dressing fromBaked by Rachel

Easy Meal Sized Salad Recipes (18)

18. Italian Chicken Panzanella from Swanky Recipes

Easy Meal Sized Salad Recipes (19)

19. Honey-Lime Shrimp Taco Salad from Sweet Peas & Saffron

20. Shrimp Summer Roll Salad from Avocado Pesto

Easy Meal Sized Salad Recipes (21)

21. Easy Balsamic Chicken Strawberry Salad from Sugar Dish Me

Easy Meal Sized Salad Recipes (22)

22. Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad with Light Caesar Dressing from Diethood

Easy Meal Sized Salad Recipes (23)

23. Southwest Chicken Cobb Salad with Chipotle Lime Dressing from The Creative Bite

Easy Meal Sized Salad Recipes (24)

24. Thai Chicken Meal Prep Bowls from Sweet Peas & Saffron

Easy Meal Sized Salad Recipes (25)

Meet Denise Bustard

Denise Bustard is the creator of Sweet Peas and Saffron, a meal prep-focussed food blog. With a PhD in biochemistry, Denise takes a scientific approach to perfecting her recipes. You can find Denise's work featured on Huffington Post, MSN, Self and more.

Read more...

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Reader Interactions

Leave a Comment

  1. Anamika @ Supplement Crunch says

    Oh wow!! These look perfect for my sweet tooth! Will make for the holidays!

    Reply

    • Denise says

      Hope you enjoy!

      Reply

  2. Liz @ Floating Kitchen says

    Ok, this is basically how I want every meal of my life to be. I just like to have one GIANT, fully loaded bowl in my lap that I can dig right into. I want all of these salads!

    Reply

  3. Annie says

    My husband wouldn't eat salads for a long time and now he CRAVES them! Last night I was going to make chicken tenders and he asked for a salad instead.......what?!?!
    I can't wait to try these!

    Reply

    • Denise says

      LOL! That's too funny! I feel like people think salads are just lettuce...I need a lot of goodies in my salad and NO lettuce!

      Reply

  4. Cheyanne @ No Spoon Necessary says

    I am definitely a crazy salad lady too, Denise! I eat my weight in salads on a pretty regular basis, so I am LOVING this round-up! I want ALLL of these beautiful salads all at once! #SaladDreams. Pinned!

    Reply

    • Denise says

      Yay team #crazysaladladies! He he. Thanks Cheyanne!

      Reply

  5. Gayle @ Pumpkin 'N Spice says

    I'm pretty much obsessed with salads! I could eat them just about every day, and I love having them for dinner. This is such a great roundup, Denise! I want them ALL!

    Reply

    • Denise says

      Yay! I'm not alone! Thanks, Gayle 🙂

      Reply

Easy Meal Sized Salad Recipes (2024)

FAQs

How do you make a meal sized salad? ›

Add at Least 2-3 Veggies

Grilled or roasted veggies add a nice charred, caramelized flavor while steamed or blanched veggies add a variety in texture. Pickled veggies are great for adding a hint of sweet/sour flavor while fermented veggies, like sauerkraut and kimchi, give you added probiotic benefits.

What are the 5 basic types of salads? ›

The five basic types of salad are green salads (tossed or composed), bound, vegetable, fruit, and combination. The five basic salads that can be served throughout the course of a meal are starter, accompaniment, main course, intermezzo, and dessert.

Can salad be meal prepped? ›

To meal prep a salad, keep these tips in mind: use firm salad greens, wait until any cooked ingredients are cooled before you add them to the salad, and keep the dressing in a separate container.

Is it OK to eat only salad for dinner? ›

Packed with vitamins, minerals, and fibre, salads are often considered a wholesome choice. However, the timing of our meals can significantly impact how our bodies respond to different foods. Contrary to popular belief, consuming salads at night might not be the optimal choice for everyone.

Is it OK to eat a big salad for dinner? ›

If you follow the healthy salad formula and ensure the meal has plenty of veggies, protein and healthy fat, then it can be a great breakfast, lunch and dinner option. Be cautious of eating salad that is exclusively greens or vegetables, as it may be too low in calories, healthy fats or protein to sustain you.

What is the portion size for a salad at a meal? ›

For salad and other raw greens, aim for portions that equal about two baseballs. With cooked vegetables like broccoli, each portion should be the size of about one baseball. Tennis balls are the visual aid of choice for fruit.

What size bowl for meal salad? ›

7-inch bowl easily serves one typical restaurant-size side salad. 8-inch bowl holds about twice as much for folks who make salad their main meal. 10-inch bowl easily serves 2 restaurant-size side salads or 1 large meal-size "Salad for Dinner." 12-inch bowl serves 3-4 side salads or 2 "Salads for Dinner."

How big should a salad meal be? ›

Meal-Size Salads Should Have Calories and Combinations

I recommend that no meal be less than 500 calories. 500 calories is the bare minimum and from there you can assess how satisfied you are with the meal you're having.

What is the most popular salad in the United States? ›

Caesar Salad

This may also have led to its immense popularity and its spot on many restaurant menus, including ours. Caesar salad is famous for its ingredients of romaine lettuce, olive oil, raw egg, garlic, Parmesan cheese, and Worcestershire sauce. Together, they make one of the most popular salads in the world.

What's in Millionaire's salad? ›

ingredients
  1. 1 (21 ounce) can cherry pie filling.
  2. 1 (8 ounce) carton Cool Whip.
  3. 1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk.
  4. 1 (16 ounce) can pineapple chunks, drained.
  5. 1 (11 ounce) can mandarin oranges.
  6. 1 cup seedless grapes (optional)
  7. 1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
  8. 1 cup mini marshmallows.

What is the most common salad? ›

World's Most Famous Salads
  • Salad Caprese.
  • Salade Niçoise.
  • Cobb Salad.
  • Ceaser Salad.
  • Waldorf Salad.
  • Larb Salad.
  • Tabbouleh.
  • Olivier Salad.
Apr 28, 2020

How to meal prep salads without them getting soggy? ›

Avoiding soggy salads is all in the assembly. The fix: Try prepping salads in a mason jar. Put the wet ingredients on the bottom and the dryer ingredients on the top to keep them separated. Then, dump the ingredients in a bowl or plate when you're ready to eat and the texture is perfect.

Can you put dressing on salad the night before? ›

Dress half your salad with half your dressing the night before, and pack the other half of the salad and the dressing for lunch.

How to make a salad for the week? ›

Salads that stay fresh all week use separate containers for toppings and dressing to keep crunchy foods crunchy. Prep the toppings and dressing so the entire salad will be ready to grab when needed – just mix the containers together before eating. Meal prep salad is a lot like building a salad you'd eat right away.

Can you get full eating salad? ›

Dark, leafy greens like spinach, kale and romaine are packed with fiber. Fiber is what makes us feel full, so be sure to choose salads that contain these greens. If you don't care for spinach or kale, you can stick to iceberg lettuce, but be sure to add protein to your greens.

Can you get full on salad? ›

Salads are naturally low in calories or kilojoules. This is because salads mostly contain vegetables, which have a high water content. This may mean you don't feel very satisfied after eating your salad – making it hard to stay full until your next meal.

How big should a salad be for a meal? ›

For salad and other raw greens, aim for portions that equal about two baseballs. With cooked vegetables like broccoli, each portion should be the size of about one baseball.

Can salad be an entree? ›

67.9% of respondents usually, always, or occasionally order entree salads when they go to a restaurant. This percentage includes people who habitually eat salad entrees as well as those who prefer entree salads over the other options.

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