There’s a shift that happens every year—right around the moment daytime temperatures eclipse 75 degrees—when our preferences switch gears from hearty comfort food to lighter, mainly fresh-veggie-based fare. Salads are the obvious choice, more specifically, ones that offer a little more substance by way of added proteins or carbs (don’t worry, what little heat cooking is involved is straightforward). Here, seven salads to add to the rotation.
Grilled BLT Salad
Who doesn’t love a BLT, especially when it includes avocado? This, our hearty salad version of the classic sandwich, makes a really satisfying dinner or post-workout lunch. Plus the dressing is killer—really delicious spread on sandwiches or used as a dip for crudité.
Blackened Mexican Shrimp Salad
We like our shrimp nice and charred, as it really brings out the natural sweetness. This is great as a composed salad at home, but also works really well as a packed chopped salad to-go. If you want to pack it, simply cut up the shrimp into bite size pieces, arrange all the ingredients in a container (trying to keep them separate so they maintain their freshness), and pack the dressing on the side.
Grilled Salmon & Avocado Chopped Salad
Full of protein and healthy fats, this chopped salad is one of our go-to lunches.
Zucchini and Chicken Lettuce Cup Salad
This filling Chinese-inspired lettuce cup salad involves mostly veggies, a little protein, and a ton of flavor thanks to a hoisin-y sauce that’s drizzled over everything. We could eat this one every single day for a week.
Buckwheat Soba Noodle Salad
This salad is pretty quick to put together, and sits well, which makes it a perfect packed lunch for work. Add grilled chicken or steamed fish for a heartier meal.
Summer Panzanella
Make this, grab a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store, and call it a day. Be sure to use stale baguette for texture, or toss torn fresh baguette in a hot pan, oven, or toaster oven to crisp it up a bit.
Tomato Salad with Tuna, White Beans & Salsa Verde
We could eat salsa verde on pretty much anything, and it’s particularly good on this tomato and white bean salad. Serve with crusty bread to sop up all of the juices.
