When the weather gets hot, the very last thing I want to do is turn on a heavy oven and overheat my kitchen. That’s why, for me, summer is officially Salad Season.
Now, you know me—sometimes I’m in a rush and I just raid the fridge. I’ll toss together whatever I can find—creamy avocado, some leftover hard-boiled egg whites, a handful of crunchy nuts, a sprinkle of craisins for that sweet chew—throw it over a bed of crisp lettuce, and dive right in. And other times? Simple is perfection. Give me a bowl of beautiful, mixed baby greens with a generous drizzle of good extra virgin olive oil, a sprinkle of kosher salt, and a fresh squeeze of lemon juice, and I am one happy woman.
Salads are the ultimate chameleon. They are perfect for lunch, incredible for dinner, and let’s be honest—I’ve totally eaten them for breakfast and snacks, too! The secret to turning a simple salad into a true showstopping, full-on meal is just loading it up with a great, lean protein.
Here are five of my absolute favorite, vibrant, crowd-pleasing summer salads to keep you cool and completely satisfied all season long:
If you love a classic Sunday brunch but want to skip the heavy, carb-loaded bagels and rows of cream cheese, this is your answer! We are pulling all those incredible, upscale deli flavors right off the bread and turning them into a gorgeous, light-as-air salad.
New tip: Garnish with a few chopped candied almonds at the end. Trust me, that sweet crunch against the salty salmon is pure magic!
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Bring on the fiesta! This salad is bright, colorful, and packed with contrasting textures. It’s fresh, vibrantly colored, and the kind of dish that makes you feel instantly healthy and energetic just looking at it.
Toss it all in a super easy, zesty cumin-lime dressing, and right before serving, top the whole thing off with a heavy sprinkle of crushed tortilla chips. The extra crunch is everything!
Forget waiting in those mile-long lines at the deli counters on a hot day. You can make a high-protein, incredibly satisfying lunch right at home that tastes even better.
Keep the mayo light and add a tiny splash of fresh lemon juice and a pinch of sugar to the dressing. It totally ups the flavor profile and gives it that professional gourmet touch!
This is the ultimate way to use up leftover turkey breast (or even thick-cut deli turkey if you’re in a pinch). Mix it with finely diced celery, scallions, and fresh dill.
Do you have leftover grilled chicken or a Sunday night roast chicken sitting in the fridge? Don’t you dare throw it out! This salad is an absolute flavor bomb and the perfect way to breathe new life into leftovers.
Toss your chicken in a rich, velvety peanut-honey-soy dressing with plenty of fresh cilantro, and top it all off with plenty of roasted salted peanuts and crunchy wonton strips. It’s fast, fresh, and fabulous.
A base of shredded green and purple cabbage gives this the ultimate, satisfying crunch.
If you want a fantastic plant-based option that still packs a major protein punch, this is a total winner. Standard coleslaw gets a massive, main-dish upgrade.
Tangy, creamy, classic shredded cabbage slaw meets warm, golden cubes of pan-seared or air-fried tofu.
Season the tofu well with a little garlic and soy sauce before crisping it up. The contrast of the warm, savory tofu against the cold, crisp, tangy slaw is a total game-changer for summer lunches.
Arugula with craisins, walnuts, chopped apple, the Cheese Guy’s blue cheese crumbles, and a maple balsamic vinaigrette!
I like a good Caesars salad with extra Parmesan cheese!
I love eating a salad with romaine lettuce, avocado and hearts of palm with some grilled chicken!
I found this article inspiring. I’m going to start shaking up my salad menu with fresh summer ingredients
We like chicken salads
I eat salad every way and every chance I can. It’s a perfect meal on Weight Watchers and I use Walden’s sugar free/fat free dressing so I can load it on. Add a little chicken or a handful of fat free feta, and you have a meal with protein and very few WW points. Yum!!
I like to stuff a tomato with chicken salad made with raisins and curry powder.
my favorite is a good ceasar salad or a chicken salad
I love salad and love to start with romaine leaves, I then add diced red, yellow and orange peppers, grape tomatoes, red onion, green olives and of course, some CHEESE! I think I’m part mouse I love cheese so much! The Cheese Guy had a special, but small run, of sharp cheddar that was cholov yisroel and was beyond delicious! I dress my salad with some dressing from Walden Farms to keep the sugar and fat calories down.
My favorite salad is made with dark greens, spinach, tomatoes, carrots, avocado, nuts, boiled eggs, croutons with a light blue cheese dressing.
Not such a salad person except for Ceasar salad! I like the lettuce pieces to be as big as possible!
We make our salads with a lot of ingredients, whatever is in season. Usually the lettuce makes up only 1/2 of the “finished” salad.
cbstrat (at) gmail (dot) com
i love greek salads with olives , goat cheese,cucumbers etc. with olive oil & Vinegar dressing … soooo tasty ! 🙂
I love all kinds of salads, especially if they have lots of different textures and flavors in them – crunchy, soft, sweet, salty, etc.
Using roasted chicken as a start to a salad makes for the most versatile results
We love to eat chicken or tuna salad with lots of fresh grapes, sweet onion, and roasted pecans for main accents and then add in whatever else sounds good and is on hand, diced apple, carrots,or red pepper for example.
i like a good sturdy green like watercress, dressed with a simple vinaigrette of evoo, lemon juice, sometimes rice wine vinegar, salt and pepper. also my favorite sandwich in pita.
I change my salads according to the season. Lots of veggies in the fall,winter,and spring, and during summer I love fresh fruits with walnuts and chevre. Ummmm….
klconn7 (at) yahoo (dot) com
ove salad with lots of green, lots of fresh vegetables and crumbled cheese
My favorite way is to just pile on my favorite, veggies, nuts, fruits, cheeses and sometimes meats and go at it. I love salads as a meal.
With my family!
Salads are one of my favorite things in the Spring and Summer. Chopped Mexican Salad looks so good! I wish they were all in front of me right now 🙂
I love salads–I like to mix up textures by adding nuts, fruits, and cheeses.
I love an iceberg wedge with blue cheese and cucumbers.
My favorite way to eat a salad is Jamie’s “California Avocado Salad” from the original Quick and Kosher cookbook. It’s a staple in our house!
i love all salads!
Jamie. How unique simple fast nutritious and good every recipe I’ve tried. See u in Israel if I learn your location
I love salad with dried cranberries, kidney beans, egg, and beets all on lettuce. yummmmmmy
i love my salad with a little bit of everything like mushrooms,lettuce,onions,tomatoes,celery and green peppers.then i top with blue cheese dressing and bacon bits
kathypease(at)gmail(dot)com
Wheat Berry, Lentil & Brown rice with whatever I find that look good at the farmers market with a balsalmic and olive oil dressing, don’t forget the fresh herbs!
Salad and I are good friends :)I change ingredients according to what I have on hand,but my favorite salad has:Baby spinach,fresh mushrooms,olives,tomatoes,avocado and sunflower seeds mixed with some Italian dressing.
I just had a lovely salad for dinner last night. It had a mix of greens and spinach (no iceberg!). I topped it off with mushrooms, red/yellow pepper rings, cucumbers, grape tomatoes, baby carrots, fresh green peas, just a few black/green olives and a very light sprinkling of feta crumbles and shredded Asiago. I sprinkled some sunflower seeds and almond slivers. It was dressed with just a bit of blue cheese dressing diluted with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. For protein, I added a couple of spoonfuls of Israeli couscous salad and a multi-bean salad (kidney, edamame, garbanzo, green bean, thinly sliced onions, bell pepper, and celery). It was yummy!:-)
Salads are the best for the summer time. I like making macaroni salad and potato salad. It lasts for a few days and can be a meal by itself. I also like a good garden salad too. We usually always have a garden salad in the fridge.
I love a sweet salad or a salad with feta cheese.
p.s. The Cheese Guy rocks.
thanks for the giveaway 🙂
My favorite way to eat salad is with lots of protein such as chicken or tuna. I also load it up with veggies and add a good sprinkling of cheese.
In the summer I love to make salads and add tuna or salmon or sometimes leftover chicken if we want to be fleishig. Makes a light but satisfying meal especially with some good crackers!
I like a salad of mixed fruits and vegetables topped with a protein either chicken, fish or cheese
On summer shabbatot my menu consists primarily of salads…chicken salad (not the creamy kind), taco salad, fruit salad, pasta…etc. Lots of yummy and fresh ingredients that don’t heat up the kitchen or require a hot plate. They’re always a HUGE hit.
My Fave way to eat a salad is gluten free, lots of raw veggies, radish, carrot, tomato, green & red bell peppers, green & black olives assorted lettuce & spinach, finely shredded Mozzarella cheese & a little Italian dressing. Sometimes I add some grilled chicken breast chunks.
My favorite way to eat salad…actually, for breakfast. I like to make a plate of artisan baby spinach, sliced-in-half grape tomatoes, thinly sliced celery, (wide) grated cheese (type varies by my mood), a little drizzle of honey and all of this topped with an egg (method of preparation again depends on my mood, but poached or over easy is outstanding).
I love to just add some grilled salmon or grilled chicken to a favorite salad recipe! Feels like a full meal…:-)
Greek salad with broiled salmon on top is our go to summer salad. Love to make dairy salads because my family LOVES cheese on everything!!!
I like to eat my salad with a little bit of meat and a while lot of dressing.
My favorite way to eat salad is to pick it from my little garden of artisan lettuces, very young and tender leaves and immediately rinse it and serve it with homemade kefir ranch dressing and whatever I want to add, like chopped eggs, croutons, heirloom tomatoes if I have, anything I can find.
i love my salad with fruit, nuts, and a vinegar based dressing. i just love sweet salads.
I loved grilled chicken with lettuce, pecans,chopped apples and pears, dried cranberries , tomatoes, cukes and a little dressing
Cooled cooked peas, marinated artichokes,corn for one salad. dried cranberries walnuts and sliced ir diced apples in other salads. you can add any meat or fish to either. A light vinegrette or raspberry vinegar dressing is great
Grilled chicken and blueberries on romaine with a little lemon juice and oil is healthy and delicious.Try it.
I love a salad with spinach, mixed greens, fresh mozzarella (I mean really fresh and soft – the little balls that melt in your mouth!), tomatoes, grilled chicken and a light honey mustard vinaigrette. Lots of black pepper to top it off!
I have learned more from the comments on this post than from any comments I’ve read before. Thanks for all the salad suggestions!
We love broccoli salad – you know, the one with fresh broccoli, diced red onions, seeds, nuts, craisins, and a light dressing. Can be pareve or dairy. It’s very forgiving; vary the quantities or varieties of ingredients, make it a day ahead, forget one of the dressing ingredients, it tastes good anyway. Perfect for company or just family. Can be made year-round. Should be in every bride’s repertoire!