Healthy Salad Recipes

Skip the cleanse and eat this instead. Packed with veggies, avocado and seeds, this healthy salad recipe is bursting with vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. Everything can be prepared ahead of time except the avocado. If you love beets, shred one raw and add it to the salad for extra color, crunch and flavor. Excerpted from The Dinner Plan by Kathy Brennan and Caroline Campion, published by ABRAMS © 2017.

This Japanese-inspired cool, crisp salad is as elegant and well balanced as it is simple.

This chicken Caesar salad wrap recipe is elevated by the irresistible smoky flavor of grilled chicken and grilled romaine. Whisk together this easy Caesar salad dressing, toss with the grilled chicken and romaine and wrap it all together for a delicious lunch or dinner.

In this healthy and creamy potato salad recipe, yogurt replaces half of the mayo and we keep the potato skins on for more fiber and potassium. Red bell pepper and green peas add even more color to the yellow-tinted potato salad.

A picnic favorite, this salad combines broccoli, water chestnuts, cranberries and just a little bacon for delicious results. Our version has plenty of creaminess without all the fat. Make it once and it will become a regular on your backyard barbecue menu.

Here a pungent garlicky dressing is infused into kale by massaging the greens and the dressing together with your hands. Any type of kale will work in this kale salad recipe, just remember to remove the tough stems before you start.

This vegetarian take on a traditional Niçoise salad omits the fish and piles on plenty of vegetables.

This easy pasta recipe stars spring vegetables--classic asparagus as well as escarole, a member of the chicory family with a slightly bitter flavor. Escarole cooks quickly and is ideal for wilting into soups and pasta dishes. It can also be eaten raw in salads. It looks like green-leaf lettuce but its leaves are sturdier and a bit curly; you can find it the produce section of large supermarkets.

This healthy and easy salad is designed to be made with precooked or leftover salmon. To quickly cook salmon, lightly brush with olive oil, then roast in a 450 degrees F oven until the fish is opaque and firm, 8 to 12 minutes.

This healthy version of a deli salad combines hearty quinoa and chickpeas with small amounts of ham and mozzarella, so you get all of the flavor without overdoing it on the sodium. This healthy quinoa salad is great as dinner and doubles as a delicious lunch the next day.

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. Pearled or semi-pearled farro has some or all of the bran layer removed, so it cooks more quickly.

This easy salad recipe allows for a wonderful use of leftover cooked chicken. Look for escarole in the produce section near the leafy greens; if you can't find it, you can use romaine instead.

In this healthy salad recipe, blended cashews and flaxseed take the place of oil in the dressing, while seasoned tofu works as a lower-carb crouton alternative. Cashews are packed with potassium and iron, but also have more carbs than many other nuts (they have 8 grams per ounce vs. 4 grams for walnuts).

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.

The mild flavor of deliciously soft (but still surprisingly crunchy) wood ear mushrooms is a perfect canvas for the vinegary marinade in this healthy salad. This recipe uses dried wood ears, so make sure you soak them overnight the day before.

Inspired by cool cucumber salads, this easy salad recipe calls for salting the raw kohlrabi to tenderize it. Then it's tossed with a sweet, salty and mouth-tingling marinade for a delicious and easy side dish you'll crave.

Try this satisfying salad recipe for an updated version of the classic Cobb. Kale, feta and strawberries give this chicken salad a colorful upgrade.

This roasted vegetable and fruit salad gets infused with flavor from quinoa that's cooked with fresh ginger, garlic and a hit of turmeric. Serve it alongside a roast chicken, then mix the leftovers together for lunch. Your future self will thank you.

Parmesan, red onions and pecans contribute flavor and texture to this quick and easy broccoli salad that makes a great easy side dish for almost any protein. If you have leftovers, toss them with pasta for lunch the following day.

Crumbled blue cheese in a buttermilk dressing elevates basic coleslaw and is a perfect way to introduce kids to the potent cheese. Top with grilled chicken or pork for a fast and easy meal-in-a-bowl.

Similar to a wedge salad, this easy side dish uses Bibb lettuce leaves to form an edible bowl around broccoli florets, cherry tomatoes, blue cheese, and turkey bacon. A basil-buttermilk dressing adds the finishing touch.

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.

This 10-minute side dish is an easy choice for picnics, barbecues, and family gatherings. Almonds and raisins are an unexpected but welcome addition to this easy slaw recipe.

This throw-together slaw is prepped in just 20 minutes and chilled for either 2 hours or an entire day, to allow the lemony-cilantro dressing to work its magic. It's great whether you have just a couple of hours to prepare your meal or a full day before company comes.

This pasta salad looks like the classic picnic side, but in one bite you'll know it's special. It holds all the incredible flavors of deviled eggs and is creamy too, thanks to mashed avocado and hard-boiled eggs. For the best texture, don't make this more than a few hours before you plan to eat it.

Shaving the vegetables for this easy salad recipe makes them deliciously tender-crisp without having to cook anything and helps them stand up to the bright homemade vinaigrette and salty Parmesan cheese.