Essential Salad Recipes

Sick of having the same old boring salad for lunch every day? We’re here to help shake up your routine.

Even if you don’t eat your greens as often as you should, it’s always good to have a few solid recipes stashed in your back pocket—and that goes for the dressing, too (everyone’s favorite part, of course). Here are seven satisfying salads every home cook should have in their repertoire.

① Cobb

All it takes to throw together this classic is crisp romaine lettuce, avocado, tomato, egg, chicken, onion, bacon and crumbled blue cheese. And don’t forget that addictive buttermilk ranch dressing.

When your Cobb Salad hand is way strong. ��

A post shared by Amy Clark | MomAdvice.com (@momadvice) on Jan 5, 2017 at 3:13pm PST

② Wedge

As its name implies, this one’s a hunk of iceberg lettuce, usually served with bacon bits and blue cheese dressing.

Wedging it #wedgesalad #iceburglettuce

A post shared by Chefohayes17 (@chefohayes17) on Jan 16, 2017 at 11:39am PST


③ Kale Caesar

This healthier take on a traditional Caesar salad combines chopped kale tossed with a velvety Caesar dressing and layers of crunchy croutons. Whether or not you choose to add anchovies is totally up to you.

Freshen up your greens with our kale caesar featuring mint, sourdough croutons and shaved parmesan. Off our new summer menu! http://goo.gl/k3odiV #fresh #freshenup #salad #caesarsalad #kalecaesar #kalesalald #greens #mint #sourdough #sourdoughcroutons #croutons #parmesan #parmesancheese #summerdish #summersalad #summermenu #catering #caterer #summercatering

A post shared by Relish Caterers + Event Planning (@relishcatererny) on Apr 16, 2016 at 12:42pm PDT


④ Chinese Chicken

This sweet and tangy salad incorporates delicious Asian flavors into a mix of crunchy Napa cabbage, toasted almonds, sesame seeds and crispy wontons.

SK Chinese Chicken Salad, ginger plum dressing, sous-vide chicken breast, toasted sesame seeds. Thank you everyone for supporting us! ��� we are always grateful. ❤️ #dowhatyoulove #lovewhatyoudo #sundaykitchenla #lunchbox #privateparty #catering #asianfusion #modernasian #happyeating #modernthai #thaichinese #foodstagram #foodie #foodporn #oc #la #yum #yummy #chinesechickensalad

A post shared by SundayKitchen (@sundaykitchenla) on Nov 3, 2016 at 5:13pm PDT


⑤ Waldorf Salad

There are many variations on this classic, but it generally consists of apples, celery, grapes, walnuts and a creamy yogurt-based dressing.

YUMMY Lunch! This Waldorf Salad is filled with all kinds of heart healthy goodness. Get the recipe through the link in profile!

A post shared by Golightly Food (@golightlyfood) on Jan 31, 2017 at 8:40am PST


⑥ Panzanella

A blend of large cubes of crusty bread, ripe tomatoes, cucumbers, red onions and basil, this summertime classic might just be the simplest salad you’ll ever make. It’s also the perfect solution for unwanted leftover bread.

Late lunch of #panzanella. Relaxed cooking at its best.

A post shared by John Hannan (@johnnyhannan) on Oct 2, 2016 at 8:49pm PDT


⑦ Salad Niçoise

Other than being fun to say—NEE-swahzee—this hearty salad is composed of a bed of greens topped with Niçoise olives, sliced skinned potatoes, tomatoes, green beans, hard-boiled eggs and anchovies, then dressed with a combination of olive oil, mustard, vinegar, salt and pepper.

Salad Nicoise for lunch! Not bad for a first attempt. �#salad #saladnicoise #organic #healthyfood #healthyeating #foodporn #mansalad #homecooking #farmeggs #localfood #cleaneating

A post shared by Marky Youd (@marky_rupes) on Jan 25, 2017 at 6:39am PST