Special Diets Diabetes Diet Center The One Formula You Need to Make a Healthy Salad Up your salad game with this step-by-step formula. By Lauren Lastowka Lauren Lastowka Website Lauren Lastowka is a writer and editor with more than 15 years of experience working in the areas of health and well-being. She has worked on Diabetic Living, EatingWell and Edible San Diego magazines. She is passionate about health literacy and patient empowerment and has translated research and clinical guidelines into reader-friendly plain language for years. EatingWell's Editorial Guidelines Updated on February 1, 2022 Share Tweet Pin Email You don't need a recipe to make a salad, just a basic formula. This formula helps you mix filling protein, satisfying whole grains and lots of low-calorie vegetables so your salad fills you up, instead of leaving you hungry an hour later. Pictured recipe: Chopped Chicken & Sweet Potato Salad Mix and match the categories using the amounts shown so you don't get bored with your salads. Plan ahead and prep your protein, vegetables, and grains, or use what's on hand in the fridge. Bonus points for using up vegetable scraps or leftover ingredients that would otherwise go to waste! Our Best Healthy Salad Recipes The best healthy salad formula Use this as your base "recipe" to make sure you get a satisfying mix of greens and toppings without going overboard on calories or carbs. Then keep reading for delicious foods that fit in each category. Salad greens: 3 cups Other produce: 1/2 cup non-starchy cooked or raw vegetables Grains or starch: 1/2 cup Lean protein: 3 oz. Cheese: 1/2 oz. Garnish: 1/2 oz. Dressing: 2 Tbsp. Pictured recipe: Quinoa Deli Salad Salad Greens = 3 cups Escarole Baby kale Bibb lettuce Red leaf lettuce Romaine Baby spinach Spring mix 5 Reasons to Love Dark Leafy Greens Other Produce = 1/2 cup, non-starchy, cooked or raw Bell peppers Carrots Cucumbers Green beans Mushrooms Radishes Snap peas Tomatoes Learn more: Why You Should Eat the Rainbow When It Comes to Fruits and Vegetables Pictured recipe: Vegetarian Niçoise Salad Grains or Starch = 1/2 cup Bulgur Whole-wheat couscous Farro Baby potatoes Quinoa Winter squash Sweet potatoes Rice Read more: Why Complex Carbs Are Actually Good for You Lean Protein = 3 oz. Chicken breast Chickpeas Hard-boiled eggs Pork tenderloin Shrimp Salmon Flank steak Tempeh How Much Protein You Need to Eat Every Day Cheese = 1/2 oz. Blue cheese Cheddar Feta Goat cheese Monterey Jack Mozzarella Parmesan Why Cheese Is Actually Good for You Garnish = 1/2 oz. Avocado Almonds Dried apricots Capers Dried cranberries Croutons Olives Salami or ham Sunflower seeds Walnuts Dressing = 2 Tbsp., olive-oil based Balsamic vinaigrette Lemon vinaigrette Red-wine vinaigrette Or make your own: Get our best vinaigrette recipes or try this simple recipe. Combine 2 Tbsp. vinegar or lemon juice, ½ tsp. minced garlic, 1/4 tsp. dried thyme, 1/8 tsp. pepper, and 1/8 tsp. salt, then whisk in ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil. Use 2 Tbsp. per salad. Satisfying salads to get out of a salad rut Try new combos to spark ideas for your next salad. Or make a healthy salad based on what you have on hand or what's on sale. The Vegetarian Niçoise Spring mix + green beans & tomatoes + baby potaotes + hard-boiled egg + crumbled feta + olives + lemon vinaigrette Chopped Chicken & Sweet Potato Escarole or romaine + avocado + apples + sweet potato + shredded chicken + cubed Cheddar + sunflower seeds + apple-cider vinaigrette Salmon Couscous Spinach + mushrooms + eggplant + whole-wheat Israeli couscous + salmon + goat cheese + dried apricots + white-wine vinaigrette Quinoa Deli Bibb lettuce + red bell peppers + artichoke hearts + quinoa + chickpeas + mozzarella cheese + sliced deli ham + red-wine vinaigrette Read more: How to Make Perfect Homemade Vinaigrette Every Time Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit