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  1. Midwest Living
  2. Food
  3. Salad Recipes
  4. Sumptuous Salads

Sumptuous Salads

By Midwest Living editors Updated January 03, 2023
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Arugula-Lentil Salad with Poached Eggs
Credit: Carson Downing

Our side-dish and main salads tempt with ingredients such as roasted kale, lentils, Gorgonzola cheese, wheat berries, root vegetables and persimmons.

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Arugula-Lentil Salad with Poached Eggs

Arugula-Lentil Salad with Poached Eggs
Credit: Carson Downing
View Recipe this link opens in a new tab

When you're not in the mood for lentil soup, put the quick-cooking pulse to good use in this nutritious, meat-free salad.

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Winter Bean Salad with Fennel and Clementines

Winter Bean Salad with Fennel and Clementines
Credit: Blaine Moats
View Recipe this link opens in a new tab

Turn a humble can of beans into this impressive salad. It's already a main dish, but you can make it heartier by adding seared salmon or sizzled shrimp.

Related: Great Recipes for Canned or Dry Beans

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Oaxacan Bean Salad

Oaxacan Bean Salad
Credit: Carson Downing
View Recipe this link opens in a new tab

Chef Sarah Russo of Chicago-based Salad Club uses roasted plantain to add a delicious and unexpected starchy sweetness to this salad. Be sure to choose a ripe one—more black than yellow, but not totally black.

Related: Hearty, Healthy Salad Recipes

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Fruit, Nut and Feta Chopped Salad

Fruit, Nut and Feta Chopped Salad
Credit: Jacob Fox
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This healthy, colorful salad is filled with feta, pistachios, juicy clementines and crisp apple, and gently softened by homemade salad dressing—a warm shallot vinaigrette. 

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Beet and Orange Salad with Walnuts

Beet and Orange Salad With Walnuts
Credit: Brie Passano
View Recipe this link opens in a new tab

Honey and orange juice boost the natural sweetness of beets. We couldn't resist adding goat cheese, but the salad's equally good without.

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Grilled Watermelon and Arugula Salad

Grilled Watermelon and Arugula Salad
Credit: Brie Passano
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Two things make this grilled watermelon amazing. High heat draws out moisture and intensifies watermelon's sweetness, and the rub creates additional caramelization for even deeper flavor notes.

Related: Summer Salad Recipes

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Smoked Turkey and Citrus Wild Rice Salad

Smoked Turkey and Citrus Wild Rice Salad
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This main-dish salad is 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.)

Related: Homemade Salad Dressings

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Citrus-Date Salad

Citrus-Date Salad
Credit: Paul Lowe
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This fresh and colorful salad is a perfect side to grilled chicken or pork tenderloin. As you eat, the citrus juices mingle with the oil, so you don't even have to mix up a dressing.

Related: Date Recipes—Plus, What You Need to Know About This Fruit

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Smoked Salmon Salad with Everything Bagel Seasoning

Smoked Salmon Salad with Everything Bagel Seasoning
Credit: Brie Passano
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Turn breakfast into dinner! This salad is loaded with all the flavors of your favorite bagel shop—smoked salmon, avocado, cucumber, jammy eggs, bagel chip "croutons" and creamy dressing.

Related: 20 Favorite Salmon Recipes

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Harvest Lentil Salad

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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Shaved Cabbage Salad with Apples, Ham and Mustard

bowl of Shaved Cabbage Salad with Apples, Ham and Mustard
Credit: 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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Roasted Kale, Tomato and Chickpea Salad with Wheat Berries

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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Mexican Citrus Salad with Avocado

Mexican Citrus Salad with Avocado
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It's not just a salad—it's a crunchy, juicy, sweet, salty, tart, buttery, nutty potluck dazzler.

Related: Delicious Potluck Salad Recipes

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BLT Salad

BLT Salad
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Turn a classic BLT into a main dish salad. The favorite combination of bacon, lettuce, and tomato are added to a mix of vegetables and toasted bread to make a delightful meal. Creamy mustard dressing makes the perfect topping.

Related: Smoky, Sizzling Bacon Recipes

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Herbed Lamb Meatball Salad

Herbed Lamb Meatball Salad
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The red pepper dressing is a revelation, well worth making for any lettuce salad. You can use beef instead of lamb if you like.

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Roasted Pork and Beet Salad

Roasted Pork and Beet Salad
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Heart-healthy walnuts and lean pork tenderloin make this dinner salad as nutritious as it is colorful. You can pop a package of whole-grain take-and-bake rolls in the oven after you remove the pork. By the time you've assembled the salad, the rolls will be ready.

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Sweet and Spicy Steak Salad

Sweet and Spicy Steak Salad
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Sirloin strips marinated in raspberry-chipotle vinaigrette get caramelized edges on the grill. Pile skewers on mixed greens with goat cheese and veggies, then pass the tongs and dressing.

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Spiced Pecan Apple Salad

Spiced Pecan Apple Salad
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Pecans, feta cheese, a Red Delicious apple and zesty vinaigrette combine for a memorable salad. 

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Wheat Berry Waldorf Salad

Wheat Berry Waldorf Salad
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Apples, dried cranberries and grapes meet crunchy celery and wheat berries in this colorful salad tossed with apple-cinnamon dressing.

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Moroccan Carrot Slaw

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.

Related: Fresh Slaw Recipes

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Italian Rice Salad

Italian Rice Salad
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Italian Rice Salad includes fragrant, nutty-tasting brown basmati rice, bell peppers in a variety of colors, red onions and plenty of garlic. "It's kind of soft, kind of crunchy, a little sweet and a little tangy," says Ohio cooking school expert Bev Schaffer, who gave us the recipe.

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Nuts and Berries Winter Slaw

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.

Related: Brussels Sprouts Recipes

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Apple and Couscous-Bulgur Salad

Apple and Couscous-Bulgur Salad
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Apple cider and lemon juice add a touch of pucker that keeps this hearty grain salad from tasting too sweet. For a nutritional boost, use whole wheat couscous.

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Kale, Cranberry and Root Vegetable Salad

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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Butternut Squash and Apple Salad

Butternut Squash and Apple Salad
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Sweet squash and apple pair with sharp Gorgonzola and tangy dressing in this autumn salad from Black Star Farms in Suttons Bay, Michigan. The dressing calls for verjus, a tart pressed grape juice. You can order verjust online or find it as specialty stores, but wine vinegar makes a good substitute.

Related: Easy and Delicious Butternut Squash Recipes

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Broccoli Grape Salad

Broccoli Grape Salad
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Salty bacon flavors juicy grapes and crunchy broccoli. The classic side-dish salad comes from the Triangle Ranch B&B in South Dakota.

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Fennel Apple Salad

Fennel Apple Salad
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Tangy Granny Smith apples combine with radicchio and fennel in this refreshing side-dish salad. Mustard and citrus flavor the dressing.

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    1 of 27 Arugula-Lentil Salad with Poached Eggs
    2 of 27 Winter Bean Salad with Fennel and Clementines
    3 of 27 Oaxacan Bean Salad
    4 of 27 Fruit, Nut and Feta Chopped Salad
    5 of 27 Beet and Orange Salad with Walnuts
    6 of 27 Grilled Watermelon and Arugula Salad
    7 of 27 Smoked Turkey and Citrus Wild Rice Salad
    8 of 27 Citrus-Date Salad
    9 of 27 Smoked Salmon Salad with Everything Bagel Seasoning
    10 of 27 Harvest Lentil Salad
    11 of 27 Shaved Cabbage Salad with Apples, Ham and Mustard
    12 of 27 Roasted Kale, Tomato and Chickpea Salad with Wheat Berries
    13 of 27 Mexican Citrus Salad with Avocado
    14 of 27 BLT Salad
    15 of 27 Herbed Lamb Meatball Salad
    16 of 27 Roasted Pork and Beet Salad
    17 of 27 Sweet and Spicy Steak Salad
    18 of 27 Spiced Pecan Apple Salad
    19 of 27 Wheat Berry Waldorf Salad
    20 of 27 Moroccan Carrot Slaw
    21 of 27 Italian Rice Salad
    22 of 27 Nuts and Berries Winter Slaw
    23 of 27 Apple and Couscous-Bulgur Salad
    24 of 27 Kale, Cranberry and Root Vegetable Salad
    25 of 27 Butternut Squash and Apple Salad
    26 of 27 Broccoli Grape Salad
    27 of 27 Fennel Apple Salad

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