28 Easy Dinner Salads for Busy Weeknights

greek-salad-with-edamame.jpeg

Eat all your greens with these delicious dinner salad recipes. These salads are packed with fresh, nutritious vegetables and protein, so you'll feel satisfied and full. Recipes like Greek Salad with Edamame and Chicken & Kale Taco Salad with Jalapeño-Avocado Ranch have just three steps or less for an easy meal that you can enjoy any day of the week.

01 of 28

White Bean & Veggie Salad

White Bean & Veggie Salad

This meatless main-dish salad combines creamy, satisfying white beans and avocado. Try mixing it up with different seasonal vegetables.

02 of 28

Tomato, Cucumber & White-Bean Salad with Basil Vinaigrette

This no-cook bean salad is a delicious way to use summer's best cherry or grape tomatoes and juicy cucumbers for a light dinner or lunch. Fresh basil elevates an easy vinaigrette recipe that dresses up this simple salad into something extraordinary.

03 of 28

Chicken & Kale Taco Salad with Jalapeño-Avocado Ranch

This healthy, super-fast salad recipe swaps out romaine for kale, giving you more than 10 times the vitamin C. Easy flavor hacks like store-bought ranch and pickled jalapeños help make a creamy, tangy and spicy dressing you'll want to drizzle on everything from salad to sliced veggies and shredded poached chicken.

04 of 28

Greek Salad with Edamame

Edamame adds protein to the classic Greek salad: romaine, tomatoes, cucumber, feta and olives. Serve with toasted pita brushed with olive oil and sprinkled with dried oregano or za'atar.

05 of 28

Tofu & Watercress Salad with Mango & Avocado

Tofu & Watercress Salad with Mango & Avocado
Eva Kolenko

This tofu-topped watercress salad is a fresh, plant-based meal perfect for when you want something hearty but are looking to cut down on the meat. The mango and avocado add tangy flavor and creamy texture to bring the salad together.

06 of 28

Southwestern Steak Salad

This steak salad recipe is packed with fresh summer corn, ripe tomatoes and silky avocado. It might be hard to imagine that this healthy dinner can be whipped up so quickly but the secret is in the timing. While the steak is cooking under the broiler, you'll have plenty of time to whisk together the lightened-up creamy chipotle dressing and assemble the rest of the salad. Serve with crumbled tortilla chips for an extra crunch.

07 of 28

Green Goddess Salad with Chicken

In this cucumber, tomato, Swiss and chicken salad recipe, a healthy green goddess dressing is made from avocado, buttermilk and herbs. Any extra dressing is delicious served over grilled chicken or flaky white fish, such as cod or flounder.

08 of 28

Mixed Greens with Lentils & Sliced Apple

This salad with lentils, feta and apple is a satisfying vegetarian entree to whip together for lunch. To save time, swap in drained canned lentils--just make sure to look for low-sodium and give them a rinse before adding them to the salad.

09 of 28

Salmon Caesar Salad

This easy Caesar salad subs creamy Greek yogurt and buttermilk for the traditional egg yolks and olive oil and mixes in mildly bitter radicchio in addition to classic romaine. Using just a small amount of flavorful Parmigiano-Reggiano shaves calories and sodium too.

10 of 28

Hummus & Greek Salad

Hummus & Greek Salad

Tomatoes, cucumber, red onion and feta top arugula in this quick Greek salad. Served with whole-wheat pita and prepared hummus, it makes a filling, yet healthy lunch.

11 of 28

Chopped Chef's Salad

We gave a classic chef's salad recipe a healthy makeover with our own homemade healthy Thousand Island dressing recipe and reduced-sodium cheese and turkey. Those swaps slashed 260 calories and nearly a day's worth of sodium (2,131 mg!) per serving compared with traditional recipes.

12 of 28

Black Bean, Mango & Kale Wheat Berry Salad

Wheat berries give this healthy grain-salad recipe a toothsome bite. The chopped kale can be swapped for any dark leafy green, such as spinach or chard, if desired.

13 of 28

3-Ingredient Green Goddess White Bean Salad

3-Ingredient Green Goddess White Bean Salad
Carolyn A. Hodges, R.D.

Bagged salad and slaw blends are great shortcut ingredients for adding variety without needing to wash and chop lots of different vegetables. Toss a kale-and-broccoli slaw mix with canned white beans and yogurt-based green goddess dressing for a crunchy main-dish salad in minutes.

14 of 28

Spring Salad with Tarragon Vinaigrette

A bold, layered salad that showcases sardines and asparagus, this beautiful dish adds variety to your weekday dining. If you prefer tuna to sardines or have fish from the night before, go ahead and use that instead.

15 of 28

Quinoa Chickpea Salad with Roasted Red Pepper Hummus Dressing

This hearty vegan salad is loaded with plant-based power ingredients: chickpeas, quinoa and hummus. We love the crunch of the sunflower seeds and the unexpected flavor of roasted peppers.

16 of 28

Beet & Shrimp Winter Salad

This healthy dinner salad recipe gets its staying power from protein-packed shrimp and fiber-rich barley. With a simple red-wine vinaigrette, this quick salad makes just one serving but is easy to double or triple. Look for precooked beets with other prepared vegetables in the produce department.

17 of 28

Green Goddess Salad with Chickpeas

In this cucumber, tomato, Swiss cheese and chickpea salad recipe, a healthy green goddess dressing is made from avocado, buttermilk and herbs. The extra dressing is delicious served with grilled vegetables.

18 of 28

Smoked Trout Salad with Herb & Horseradish Dressing

Smoked trout tops heart-shaped watercress and mixed greens tossed with creamy horseradish dressing in this protein-packed appetizer salad.

19 of 28

Smoky Steak Salad with Arugula & Oranges

This elegant salad pairs a simple seared flank steak with a bright citrus dressing and creamy goat cheese.

20 of 28

Chopped Cobb Salad

This single-serving recipe for Cobb salad swaps chicken in for bacon, which makes it a great source of protein for lunch. If you prefer another salad dressing, feel free to use that instead of our honey-mustard vinaigrette.

21 of 28

Tex-Mex Salad

Get all the protein -- 17 grams -- you need without the fat and cholesterol. Loaded with fiber-filled beans, sweet corn, crunchy sweet pepper, smooth avocado, and spicy pico de gallo, this bold salad will satisfy your taste buds and appetite.

22 of 28

Citrus Lime Tofu Salad

This veggie-packed salad has plenty of protein and fiber, so you'll feel full and satisfied. Prep the ingredients ahead of time for an easy vegan lunch idea to pack for work.

23 of 28

Curried Scallop-Apple Salad

Curry complements seared scallops, tart apples and sweet dried cranberries while toasted almonds add crunch in this quick fall dinner salad. Serve with toasted whole-wheat baguette and a glass of sauvignon blanc.

24 of 28

Black Bean & Mango Salad

Coleslaw mix--a combination of shredded cabbage and carrots--makes this healthy lunch salad recipe quick to prepare. The coleslaw-bean mixture can also be used as a delicious taco topping.

25 of 28

Italian Chopped Salad

Italian Chopped Salad
Victor Protasio

This simple chopped salad, inspired by the type of salad you might find at an Italian-American restaurant, has lots of texture and flavor, thanks to creamy cheese, briny olives and crisp fresh cucumber. The radicchio adds the classic red color as well as a slight bitterness that's balanced by the sweet sun-dried tomatoes.

26 of 28

Orange-Walnut Salad with Chicken

Orange segments, toasted walnuts and tangy goat cheese brighten up this simple salad. Try this salad for a take-along lunch. To keep the salad greens from getting soggy, pack the greens, salad toppings and dressing in separate containers and toss them together just before eating.

27 of 28

Asian Tofu & Edamame Salad

Craving crunch? Bite into this salad loaded with crisp red cabbage, edamame, bamboo shoots, and chow mein noodles. This salad is slightly sweetened with baked tofu, mandarin oranges, and Asian sesame vinaigrette.

28 of 28

Composed Salad with Pickled Beets & Smoked Tofu

This composed salad is an artful arrangement of greens, hard-boiled egg, smoked tofu, beets and snap peas drizzled with a cool, creamy dill dressing. It's as pleasing to the eye as it is to the palate. We like smoked tofu, but any flavored baked tofu would work well in this recipe. Serve with iced tea.

Was this page helpful?
Related Articles