Sensational Salad Recipes

This hearty salad from Chef Sarah Russo of Chicago-based Salad Club is plenty filling without the chicken, so leave it out if you like. The chickpeas can be prepared ahead and stored in an airtight container with a paper towel at the bottom.

Related: Hearty, Healthy Salad Recipes

Heap a platter with butter lettuce, poached chicken, green beans, avocado, berries, chives and basil. (The cooked components are easily made ahead.) Admire your creation, then douse it in berry-pink vinaigrette.

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This salad is a sleeper hit. You may not have thought to put these ingredients together before now, but here's your new favorite lunch (or breakfast) meal.

Related: Easy Work-From-Home Lunches You'll Make on Repeat

Our test kitchen loved this creamy, whole-grain salad earned raves in our test kitchen. It's hardy enough to be a meatless main, or enjoy it as a festive side dish or cold-weather potluck star.

Chef Sarah Russo of Chicago-based Salad Club uses bitter greens in this salad to balance the sweet fruit and rich fish. If you prefer, swap in more mild-mannered kale, lettuce or spinach.

Related: 20 Favorite Salmon Recipes

Fattoush—popular in Lebanon and Israel—is a crunchy, lemony combo of toasted pita, herbs and vegetables. This  quick version showcases spring vegetables like snap peas and radishes.

Think of this as a welcome update on three-bean salad, with radishes and celery adding color and crunch to wholesome garbanzo beans. It travels beautifully and is great for potlucks and picnics.

Simple and perfect are the only way to describe this fabulous salad from chef Michael Ollier of Certified Angus Beef in Wooster, Ohio. The steak, blue cheese and garden-fresh veggies meld beautifully with the honey-sweetened balsamic dressing.

This healthy no-cook potluck salad is full of fruit and vegetable goodness. Feta adds a tang to the sweetness of honeydew melon. With only 20 minutes of prep time before an overnight chill, this recipe is great for parties.

A backyard garden's worth of colorful summer veggies fill this beautiful potluck salad. The toasted bread chunks absorb the dressing and juices from the tomatoes; you won't believe how delicious they taste! 

We call this chicken salad "basic," but thanks to lemon juice and fresh green onion and parsley, it's anything but boring. 

Related: Chicken Salad 5 Ways

Kale is a nutritional powerhouse and much heartier than regular lettuce. This salad has lots of colorful veggies and a zesty Asian dressing. Pair it with a whole wheat roll for a satisfying light supper.

Lean and tender steaks crown a bright, lemony salad made with asparagus, peas and couscous. The recipe comes from chef Michael Ollier, of Certified Angus Beef in Wooster, Ohio. He calls for generous 8-ounce steaks; for budget or dietary reasons, you may want to use a more modest 4-ounce steak. Just reduce the grilling time accordingly.

Italian for "little trifles," fricos are lacy wafers of crispy fried cheese. They're made by cooking small piles of finely shredded cheese in a skillet until the cheese starts to bubble and brown around the edges. Sometimes a bit of flour or herbs is mixed in. They are absolutely delicious on salads or soups. Here they're made with Manchego, Spanish sheep's-milk-cheese. Parmesan or cheddar work as well.

Grain salads can sometimes be a bit heavy, but this one is surprisingly light-tasting, thanks to a tangy yogurt-mint dressing, crisp apple chunks and fresh spinach.

This sweet, radish-studded potato salad recipe was handed down from a Cosmos, Minnesota, grandmother to her twin granddaughters.

Nuts and fruit add crunch and color to cabbage tossed in a homemade vinaigrette. This beautiful twist on traditional coleslaw is best served right away for maximum crispness, but it will hold for up to 24 hours.

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Protein-rich edamame makes this salad a nutritious meal, especially when paired with whole-grain bread.

Related: Recipes for Fresh Tomatoes

A Cleveland reader makes this potluck salad the day ahead and refrigerates the dressing and vegetables separately. When it's time to serve it, she tosses everything together. Bacon, sunflower kernels and raisins make a crunchy and flavorful side dish.

Avocado adds luscious richness to this bright, citrusy chicken salad. Be sure to toss the ingredients gently so the avocado doesn't blend in completely.

Related: Easy Rotisserie Chicken Recipes

Lean flank steak, whole wheat pasta and crisp vegetables make this Asian-inspired salad a healthy choice. Ditching that time-consuming (and all-too-easy-to-forget) step of marinating the meat makes it genius.

This easy summer salad pairs the textures and flavors of buttery, slightly sweet and crisp Boston lettuce with grilled warm peaches and crunchy nuts.

Cilantro Ranch Dressing tops a flavorful blend of jicama, multigrain tortilla chips, avocado, black beans, queso fresco and greens. 

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Olives and feta give salty punch to this pasta salad from Surdyk's Liquor and Cheese Shop in Minneapolis. 

Related: Scrumptious Pasta Salad Recipes

This creamy potato salad is full of tender new potatoes, sweet pickles, crisp celery, and chopped hard-cooked eggs.

This lower-calorie pasta salad features roasted vegetables, whole wheat penne pasta and homemade pesto. To turn it into a main dish, stir in a can of rinsed and drained white beans or add chunks of grilled chicken.

Discover the savory potential of watermelon in this five-ingredient salad.

Combine two potluck staples to create this yummy potluck salad. Expect classic deviled egg flavor with a little zing from the Dijon-style mustard and salty pickled onions.

Pick up a rotisserie chicken and a few veggies on the way home from work, and in 20 minutes, you can serve this colorful, crowd-pleasing salad for dinner.

Homemade Grapefruit Vinaigrette tops a juicy salad of grapefruit sections, kiwifruit, sliced fennel and crumbled bacon.

This unusual recipe combines orange marmalade and soy sauce to make a sweet-and-salty dressing for chicken, cabbage and crunchy ramen noodles. Serve the mixture over a bed of fresh spinach for a nutrient-packed meal.

Goat cheese and chives top golden skillet-cooked mushrooms and cooked carrots in this recipe from Sarah Stegner of Prairie Grass Cafe in Chicago. Homemade honey-mustard vinaigrette adds a pleasing tang.

Related: Simple Salad Dressing Recipes

Toss juicy blackberries with shredded mint leaves, tangy feta and pickled onions for a surprisingly delicious combination. The salad pairs perfectly with grilled meats.

Do you have a bounty of herbs in your backyard? Use them to make simple herb-infused vinegars. They're great for salad dressings and marinades and make wonderful gifts.

Chili powder and cumin flavor this hearty, nutritious Tex-Mex dish from The Spice House in Milwaukee.

Creamy avocado, bright clementines, tangy red onions and crisp greens create a colorful bed for hummus-yogurt dressing.