Healthy Salad Meal Prep Recipes

Meal prepping is one of the easiest and best ways to eat healthy. Planning and making healthy meals and snacks ahead of time gives you no excuses to stop for takeout or eat something that's not so good for you. Use these healthy salad meal prep recipes to set yourself up for the week.

Staff Picks

Egg Salad Lettuce Wraps

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We love the retro vibe of these egg salad lettuce wraps. Iceberg lettuce makes a perfect low-carb swap for bread to serve the egg salad.
By Katie Webster

Sweet Potato, Kale & Chicken Salad with Peanut Dressing

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These hearty kale salads hold up well for 4 days, making them perfect for meal-prep lunches. To keep the ingredients from getting soggy, dress this salad and top it with peanuts just before serving. For a delicious vegan option, swap in roasted tofu for the chicken breast (see Associated Recipes).
By Carolyn A. Hodges, R.D.

Spinach & Strawberry Meal-Prep Salad

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One of our most popular salad recipes, Spinach-Strawberry Salad with Feta & Walnuts (see Associated Recipes), gets a makeover in these simple yet totally satisfying meal-prep spinach salad bowls. They require minimal prep and can be customized to your taste. Swap in roasted salmon for the chicken thighs, and almonds or pecans for the walnuts, and use any fresh berry that looks good at your market.
By Carolyn A. Hodges, R.D.

Mason Jar Power Salad with Chickpeas & Tuna

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This power salad will keep you fueled for hours, thanks to 26 grams of protein and 8 grams of fiber. Tossing the dressing and kale, and then letting it stand in the jar, softens it enough so you don't need to massage or cook it to make it tender.
By Katie Webster

Brussels Sprouts Salad with Crunchy Chickpeas

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This healthy high-fiber salad comes together in just 10 minutes. Serve it right away or pack it in individual servings for four super-satisfying high-fiber lunches for the week ahead. To cut down on prep time, we're using preshredded Brussels sprouts from the produce department and store-bought roasted chickpeas. Look for roasted chickpea snacks with the healthy snacks or nuts at your grocery store.
By Carolyn A. Hodges, R.D.

Couscous & Chickpea Salad

Cooked couscous and canned chickpeas come together in this quick lunch salad. The basil vinaigrette makes it taste anything but basic! When in season, we recommend adding fresh chopped tomatoes for a spin on tabbouleh.
By Katie Webster

Chopped Cobb Salad

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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.
By Katie Webster

Spinach & Artichoke Salad with Parmesan Vinaigrette

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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.
By Carolyn A. Hodges, R.D.

Citrus Lime Tofu Salad

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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.
By Katie Webster

Chopped Rainbow Salad Bowls with Peanut Sauce

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Make good use of crunchy and colorful seasonal produce in these meal-prep-friendly vegetable bowls. With just 30 minutes of prep, you get four healthy lunches that are ready to grab-and-go. We use bulgur, which cooks faster and is higher in fiber than brown rice, but you could swap in quinoa (or any hearty whole grain). Feel free to add chopped cooked chicken, shrimp or tofu for extra protein.
By Carolyn A. Hodges, R.D.

Chicken Caprese Pasta Salad Bowls

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Pasta salad is a classic summer side dish, but adding protein (leftover grilled chicken is perfect here) and extra greens makes it a super-satisfying lunch. We use baby spinach, but arugula or baby kale works too. Top with a bright and tangy basil vinaigrette just before serving. The great news is that these easy meal-prep lunches take just 20 minutes to prepare--that's 4 days of lunches in less than 30 minutes.
By Carolyn A. Hodges, R.D.

Meal-Prep Turkey Cobb Salad

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Cubed deli turkey takes the place of chicken, while Cheddar replaces blue cheese in this easy Cobb-inspired salad. The protein-rich turkey and cheese, plus eggs and bacon, gives the salad staying power, so you won't get hungry an hour after you eat. Feel free to swap out the turkey for cooked chicken or chickpeas to mix things up. Serve the salad right away or pack it up in individual containers and you'll be set for lunch for days.
By Carolyn Casner
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Inspiration and Ideas

Shrimp Niçoise Meal-Prep Bowls
This low-carb meal-prep version of the classic composed salad comes together in about 10 minutes thanks to a handful of shortcut ingredients, like pretrimmed green beans and prepared olive tapenade. With a whopping 41 grams of protein per serving, these bowls will keep hunger at bay all afternoon. To switch things up, feel free to swap in canned tuna or leftover roasted salmon for the shrimp. We love going to Trader Joe's for fast shortcut ingredients--see Tip (below) for our product recommendations.
Tuna & White Bean Salad
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The time-honored Italian pairing of canned tuna and cannellini beans makes a super-simple, satisfying lunch. Serve over salad greens, on grilled whole-wheat country bread or tucked in a whole-wheat pita pocket.
Thai-Style Chopped Salad with Sriracha Tofu
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Roasted Veggie & Quinoa Salad
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Quick, simple and packed with satisfying protein and fiber, this salad makes a perfect lunch or easy one-dish dinner.

All Healthy Salad Meal Prep Recipes

Mason Jar Chicken Salad with Japanese Hibachi Dressing

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This vibrantly colorful and healthy make-ahead salad is sure to become a go-to weekday lunch, though it's pretty enough to serve to guests. Fresh ginger gives a pleasant bite to the toasted sesame salad dressing, which is inspired by the dressings served at Japanese hibachi restaurants.
By Carolyn Casner

Grilled Summer Vegetable Salad

Enjoy this healthy and simple grilled vegetable salad recipe alongside anything else you feel like throwing on the grill. Or toss it with pasta and plenty of Parmesan and call it dinner.
By Breana Killeen

Spring Green Salad with Hard-Boiled Eggs

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.
By Lauren Grant

Vegan Creamy Coleslaw

Classic coleslaw goes vegan in this easy barbecue side dish recipe. Eggless or vegan mayonnaise's mild flavor is indistinguishable from regular mayo in this coleslaw flavored with Dijon and cider vinegar. Look for it in the condiment section of large grocery stores or natural-foods stores.
By Hilary Meyer

Radish & Tomato Salad

Zesty radishes, tasty tomatoes and protein-rich chickpeas are a winning combination in this chilled salad recipe that's great for packed lunches or a picnic.
By Diabetic Living Magazine

Crunchy Mexican Salad with Spicy Cilantro Vinaigrette

A spicy cilantro vinaigrette gives this black bean salad Mexican flair. We used the beans for protein, but if you have cooked chicken on hand, you can use that instead. Also, if you have it, finish the salad with a quarter of an avocado for a boost of healthy fats.
By Lauren Grant

Grilled Vegetable Salads with Goat Cheese

Prepare a week's worth of lunches in about 10 minutes using a handful of ingredients from your local specialty grocery store. To save time, we're using a bag of frozen grilled and marinated vegetables, then adding big flavor with marinated goat cheese. If you want to bump up the protein, leftover chicken breast or salmon pair perfectly with this hearty salad.
By Carolyn A. Hodges, R.D.

Spring Vegetable Salad with Asparagus & Scallions

Asparagus, radishes and scallions herald the start of the spring season at the farmers' market (or in your garden). Take advantage of these early growers and turn them into a spectacular spring salad mix. Keep it in your fridge as a base to top with protein, cheese and dressing for easy packable salads to take to work.
By Lauren Grant

Classic House Salad with Chicken

Leftover chicken or rotisserie chicken gets put to good use as a boost of protein in this healthy salad to pack for lunch. The classic chicken salad combines all the basics of a great house salad--greens, tomatoes, cucumbers and croutons--all tossed with a tangy red-wine vinaigrette.
By Lauren Grant

Veggie Crunch Salad

Crunchy vegetables like broccoli and cauliflower are hardy and keep exceptionally well in prep-ahead salads. To save time, substitute prepared broccoli slaw for the broccoli and cauliflower in this simple salad base. Jicama, a root vegetable from Latin America that's similar to a turnip or radish, adds satisfying crunch to this mix. Personalize this vegetable crunch salad with your favorite toppings and a tangy vinaigrette for a simple make-ahead lunch or dinner.
By Lauren Grant

Power Greens Salad with Kale & Brussels Sprouts

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Hearty greens and vegetables like kale and Brussels sprouts make an excellent base for prep-ahead salads. They don't wilt after a day in the crisper, and they stand up to any number of toppings. Bonus: They're loaded with nutrients, vitamins and minerals you won't get from your basic iceberg wedge. The sweetness of dried cranberries balances the slight bitterness of the greens and scallions. Use this recipe as a starting point for healthy grab-&-go power lunch salads.
By Lauren Grant

Power Greens Salad with Baked Tofu & Honey-Mustard Vinaigrette

This plant-based main-dish salad packs a powerful punch of greens, nutrients and flavor. Add healthy protein with convenient baked tofu slices, which have a firm texture that is well suited to salads and sandwiches. Sprinkle on a little crunch with slivered almonds, and just a hint of tropical sweetness with unsweetened coconut. The vinaigrette rounds out the dish with tangy-sweet kick.
By Lauren Grant

Classic House Salad

A traditional house salad features crisp lettuce, tomatoes, croutons and cheese. We make the classic healthier and make-ahead friendly with flavorful salad ingredients that form an easy base for a variety of toppings and stay fresh for a few days.
By Lauren Grant

Green Machine Salad with Baked Tofu

Baked tofu adds meatiness and protein this healthy packable lunch salad. A topping of toasted almonds and Parmesan adds a layer of nuttiness, and honey-mustard vinaigrette gives everything a sweet-tangy finish.
By Lauren Grant

Crispy Chickpea Grain Bowl with Lemon Vinaigrette

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Our favorite part of these vegetarian grain bowls is the tangy lemon vinaigrette, which ties together a satisfying combo of quinoa, toasted pumpkin seeds, and roasted chickpeas and kale. Whip them up for easy meal-prep lunches or a healthy and satisfying dinner.
By Sara Haas, R.D.N., L.D.N.

Green Machine Salad

Kale and cabbage form the base of a simple and healthy green salad. Balance the greens with a sweet-tart Granny Smith apple. Spiralizing the apple not only looks great, it's also faster and easier than chopping. Keep this salad mix in the fridge as a base for grab-and-go lunch salads.
By Lauren Grant
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