21 High-Protein Spring Salads That Are Bright and Delicious

This satisfying dinner salad was one of the favorites chosen from over 1,000 salad recipes for our 30th anniversary issue. Victoria Abbott Riccardi originally shared this recipe in a feature on different types of cutlets in 2005. She crumbled nutty aged goat cheese on top--look for it in the specialty cheese section.

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.

Deep-fried falafel can be a total grease bomb. But these pan-seared falafel still get crispy in just a few tablespoons of oil with equally satisfying results. Be sure to use dried, instead of canned, chickpeas in this healthy recipe--canned chickpeas add too much moisture.

A quick blender vinaigrette does double duty as dressing for this strawberry spinach salad and, with the addition of ketchup and strawberry preserves, as a barbecue sauce for the tenders.

This is a salad where the vegetables really shine and the lettuce plays a supporting role. It requires a bit of work up front to blanch all the veg, but the results are impressive.

In this spin, we coat this blackened chicken with spices common to Cajun cooking, like dried thyme and cayenne pepper. Then, instead of using the traditional method of searing in a cast-iron pan, we take advantage of the warmer weather by grilling outside.

This healthy rice salad is loaded with vegetables and protein. Serve it as a healthy dinner or pack it up and take it along for your next picnic. Bhutanese red rice has a nutty taste and pleasant chewy texture, but any type of whole-grain rice tastes great in this hearty salad recipe. Check package directions: depending on the variety, red rice cooks for 20 to 50 minutes.

This tuna salad recipe gets an upgrade with olives, feta and a tahini dressing. Served over baby spinach, this is the perfect easy and light lunch or dinner salad.

This salad capitalizes on fresh spring produce and gets a simple protein boost from hard-boiled eggs. Meal-prep this healthy lunch salad by mixing the salad base together and simmering a batch of hard-boiled eggs on the weekend. Then you'll be ready to just add one or two eggs with a drizzle of tangy vinaigrette for the simplest spring salad-to-go.

Precooked farro makes this dish come together in no time. And you can make it in the same bowl you serve it in, minimizing cleanup!

Mushrooms, carrots and onions are roasted with garlic and fennel seeds in this roast chicken and quinoa salad. Preparing the quinoa with a little less water than is typical makes it cook more quickly and keeps it fluffier‚ perfect for soaking up the sherry-vinegar dressing in this salad. Serve with garlic-rubbed toast.

Enjoy sweet, juicy strawberries paired with nutrient-dense mushrooms and tangy tuna salad. This is the ultimate salad to keep you feeling full. It boasts 20 grams of protein and 10.5 grams of fiber -- both nutrients known to satiate hunger.

Inspired by the classic warm party dip, this simple salad can be served up right away or divided into small lidded containers for a week of delicious lunches. To keep the hard-boiled eggs tasting fresh, we suggest adding them to your salad just before serving or in the morning before packing your lunch to go.

Swapping tofu for the bread in these meal-prep Caesar salad bowls bumps up the satiety factor with 18 grams of protein. These crispy tofu croutons originally appeared in Lauren Grant's recipe for Diabetic Living magazine (see Associated Recipes). Lacinato kale, also known as dinosaur kale or Tuscan kale, has flat, dark green-blue leaves--and its tenderness makes it perfect for eating raw, like in this salad.

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.

Grilled flank steak is served over salad greens with sweet corn, peppers, and tomatoes, and topped with a fresh cilantro dressing.

The smoky flavors of grilled shrimp and corn in this healthy chopped salad recipe are a tasty match for the creamy cilantro dressing.

Pork tenderloin slices provide the protein in this quick and colorful Thai-inspired dinner salad. It's full of crunchy romaine lettuce, carrots, cabbage and pea pods and is flavored with a delicious peanut satay sauce and fresh basil.

Topped with warm balsamic pork and Manchego cheese, this salad is the perfect lunch on a summer day.

This herb-loaded green goddess-inspired dressing gets a color boost from creamy avocado. Make a double batch of this healthy salad dressing to keep on hand for salads throughout the week.

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.