Hearty, Healthy Salad Recipes

By The editors of MidwestLiving.com
Updated September 03, 2020

Turn to ingredients such as lentils, quinoa, chickpeas, brussels sprouts and wild rice to add good-for-you flavor and texture to your salads.

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Harvest Lentil Salad

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Packed with healthy nutrients, this dish is perfect for any occasion. Serve as a side with a pork tenderloin roast or turkey breast or as a meat-free dinner salad with warm, crusty wheat rolls.

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Winter Tabbouleh with Fennel and Cranberries

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This delicious and healthy twist on a traditional Middle Eastern parsley salad features protein-rich quinoa, cranberries, sunflower seeds and crisp fennel.

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Shaved Cabbage Salad with Apples, Ham and Mustard

Brie Passano
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Ham adds just enough smoky richness to chef Abra Berens' vibrant salad to elevate a simple slaw to a lunch-worthy meal or a potluck stunner. Find other great salads in her book Ruffage: A Practical Guide to Vegetables.

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Lentil and Rice Summer Salad

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This is a fab potluck salad. If you make it for dinner at home, try it topped with a salmon fillet or, for a vegetarian entree, served over spinach or other salad greens. (A word of warning: Don't substitute a different rice. Arborio, the type used in risotto, definitely works best.) The recipe comes from the blog A Couple Cooks.

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Green Salad with Chicken and Marinated Peas

Brie Passano
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In her book Ruffage: A Practical Guide to Vegetables, Abra Berens called this recipe Green Salad with Marinated Peas and Yesterday's Chicken because she makes it the day after roasting a chicken. A supermarket rotisserie bird makes things even simpler.

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Sesame Chard Slaw

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Swiss chard is usually cooked, but we keep it raw in this lightly sweet, Asian-inspired slaw that's packed with good-for-you ingredients.

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Quinoa Salad with Roasted Zucchini, Almonds and Feta

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You could make a meal of this dish: caramelized zucchini, crunchy almonds, salty cheese and hearty quinoa, all dressed in honey-basil vinaigrette. The recipe comes from Little Eater, in Columbus, Ohio.

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Waldorf Salad with Grapes and Wild Rice

Blaine Moats
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This salad is all about balance—sweet vs. tart and crunchy vs. chewy. Take it to a potluck or serve it at the holiday table.

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Celery and Apple Salad with Walnuts

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Imagine a Waldorf salad, but lighter and more refreshing, with a tangy lemon-thyme vinaigrette. This salad would go beautifully with roast pork or turkey.

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Sweet and Spicy Cabbage and Peanut Slaw

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Fresh ginger and red pepper flakes add welcome zing, but the real surprise here is napa (aka Chinese) cabbage. Cara Mangini, of Little Eater in Columbus, Ohio, likes it for slaws because it's more tender than ordinary cabbage but still holds up better than lettuce.

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Roasted Kale, Tomato and Chickpea Salad with Wheat Berries

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Our hearty salad tastes equally good warm from the pan, cold from the fridge or even at room temperature, so it's perfect for make-ahead meals and leftover lunches. Other grains, such as barley, faro or wild rice, also work well in this salad.

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Nuts and Berries Winter Slaw

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Crisp, shredded Brussels sprouts, toasted hazelnuts and tangy cranberry-orange dressing provide a burst of fresh flavor to balance a rich holiday roast. We like the hearty texture of raw Brussels sprouts, but if you prefer them a bit softer, blanch them first and then plunge them into cold water and pat dry.

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Baby Spinach Salad with Cumin Couscous and Bulgur

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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.

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Dilly Chickpea and Radish Salad

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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.

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Smoked Turkey and Citrus Wild Rice Salad

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This main-dish salad is just what the doctor ordered after the holidays, bursting with color and fresh flavor. The recipe comes from The Birchwood Cafe Cookbook (University of Minnesota Press, $29.95). (Note: You'll end up with extra dressing, but that's just fine ... stash it in the fridge to wake up any salad.)

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Shaved Asparagus Salad

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Uncooked asparagus might sound strange, but this is essentially an elegant take on slaw-slicing a firm vegetable like cabbage or carrot thinly to break down its cell walls and allow a tangy dressing to soak in.

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Kale, Cranberry and Root Vegetable Salad

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This festively red-and-green salad actually tastes better dressed hours ahead and served at room temperature, so it travels beautifully. Fresh cranberries and an assertive, gingery dressing balance rich meats and sides. And it's hearty enough to keep vegetarians at the table satisfied. Sold yet?

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Moroccan Carrot Slaw

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Combining cinnamony pumpkin-pie spice with fresh mint lends North African flavor in a flash. Try this simple salad as a side dish to grilled chicken.

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Superfoods Salad

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Load up on antioxidants with this colorful, berry-delicious salad.

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Orange Chicken Coleslaw Salad

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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. 

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By The editors of MidwestLiving.com