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These Spring Salads Have All the Seasonal Produce You've Been Waiting For

Updated February 06, 2020
We can't get enough of fresh spring produce when the season hits. Warmer weather has us craving salads and we can't get enough of these packed with strawberries, asparagus, avocado, watercress and more.
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Spinach-Strawberry Salad with Feta & Walnuts

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Sweet strawberries, salty feta and crunchy walnuts jazz up a simple spinach salad. The balsamic vinaigrette is incredibly easy; fresh shallots add more zip than you'll find in any commercial dressing.

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Watercress Salad with Sesame-Garlic Dressing

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Avocados, radishes and scallions top this watercress and radicchio salad recipe with a fish-sauce-spiked dressing to make a vibrant spring salad. Consider shaking up some extra dressing to toss with your salads throughout the week.

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Smoked Salmon Salad Nicoise

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This twist on a classic salade Niçoise uses smoked salmon in place of tuna and adds extra vegetables in place of hard-boiled eggs and olives. Lovely served as an untraditional brunch, special weekend lunch or light supper.

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Beet Salad with Feta & Dill

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The sweet, earthy flavor of beets shines alongside tangy feta and fresh dill in this easy Greek-inspired beet salad. If you don't have time to roast beets, look for precooked beets in the fresh produce section.

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Chicken & Spring Vegetable Tortellini Salad

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Store-bought tortellini and frozen peas keep things quick in this healthy 30-minute meal. Jazzed-up bottled salad dressing helps you go even faster. Look for one with 200 mg or less of sodium and 3 g or less of sugar per serving.

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Farro Salad with Kale

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In this easy vegetarian recipe, hearty kale and other fresh veggies come together with nutty farro for an easy main-dish salad. The many varieties of kale vary in color and texture; all can be enjoyed cooked or raw. You can gently rub raw kale to make it more tender--massaging will help break down the thick, sturdy leaves.

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Strawberry Poppy Seed Salad with Chicken

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In this healthy copycat of a takeout salad favorite we combine precooked (or leftover) chicken and poppy seed dressing with fresh greens, strawberries and goat cheese for an easy throw-together meal that's ready in 10 minutes.

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Fennel, Radish & Cucumber Salad

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This supremely crunchy, quick side salad is best when spring vegetables are sliced as thinly as possible--a great excuse to pull out the mandoline or the slicing disk of your food processor, if you have one.

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Citrus-Arugula Salad

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This easy salad recipe makes a stunning side dish for anything you've got cooking for dinner. The bright flavor of the citrus pairs perfectly with peppery arugula and avocado, plus a bit of jalapeño for a slight kick.

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Whole-Grain Salad with Charred Broccoli, Spring Onions & Parsley-Sumac Vinaigrette

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For this easy healthy salad, chef Hugh Acheson shows the power of charring vegetables as a way to add interest to a salad. This flexible recipe can be made with a variety of whole grains, such as wheat berries, farro or pearl barley. The salad revels in the spring arrival of radishes, spring onions and bright green parsley. Sumac, which is commonly used in Middle Eastern cooking, adds a touch of tartness. Look for it in well-stocked spice sections at your market.

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Cucumber & Avocado Salad

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This healthy cucumber-avocado salad takes just five minutes to prep. Lime juice and fresh herbs boost the bright flavors in this crunchy and creamy salad that's a perfect side dish for grilled chicken, fish or steak. This recipe calls for an English cucumber, which doesn't have to be peeled, but regular cucumbers work well too--just peel them before slicing.

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Spinach & Strawberry Pasta Salad

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This simple pasta side dish combines sweet strawberries and creamy avocado with a tart balsamic vinaigrette. You can make the dressing ahead and keep it separately, tossing with the pasta salad just before serving. Make this salad even more special by adding crumbled feta or goat cheese.

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Spinach, Apple & Chicken Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing & Cheese Crisps

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Swap out store-bought for this tangy homemade buttermilk and poppy seed dressing to take this healthy salad recipe to the next level. For an even more impressive meal, make your own crunchy cheese crisps in a snap, using phyllo dough, for a delicious accompaniment to this dinner salad. Make extra dressing to keep on hand for other salads throughout the week.

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Spinach & Strawberry Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing

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Homemade poppy seed dressing pairs beautifully with tender spinach, crunchy almonds and juicy berries for a fantastically refreshing and easy spring salad. To make ahead, whisk dressing, combine salad ingredients and store separately. Toss the salad with the dressing just before serving. To make it a complete meal, top with grilled chicken or shrimp.

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Green Bean & Shallot Salad

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This easy Asian green bean salad recipe gets a deeply savory flavor from shallots and fish sauce. Part of the reason is time: after it's made, the dish is left at room temp for 20 minutes to allow the green beans to absorb more flavor. Serve with grilled chicken or shrimp.

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Asparagus & Radish Salad

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This colorful asparagus and radish salad is dressed with a sesame-soy vinaigrette. Pair it with grilled shrimp and rice noodles.

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Spring Radish Salad

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Let beautiful spring radishes shine in this simple radish salad recipe. Look for colorful radishes, such as watermelon radishes, French breakfast radishes, Easter egg radishes and green radishes at your local farmers' market and make sure to use your best-quality olive oil.

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Spring Wedge Salad with Strawberry-Basil Vinaigrette

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A wedge salad is simple to prepare and this one is bursting with color, taste, and texture. The crisp lettuce wedges are topped with zesty radishes, sweet strawberries, creamy goat cheese, and crunchy pecans and drizzled with a strawberry vinaigrette--try it at your next summer dinner party.

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Radish & Carrot Slaw with Toasted Sesame Dressing

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Enjoy this fresh-tasting and healthy slaw with Asian flavors as an accompaniment to grilled chicken and fish. If you have a mandoline-style vegetable slicer, use it to slice the radishes easily, but you can also slice them by hand. Using an assortment of colored radishes makes an interesting presentation. Like broccoli, Brussels and other crucifers, radishes boast potent plant compounds credited with anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory properties. The easy sesame dressing is great on all sorts of salads and veggies, such as spinach, broccoli or asparagus.

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