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.
My favorite salad is Romaine Lettuce, Shredded Carrots, Sliced Mushrooms, Croutons, and Grilled Tuna Steak with a Caesar Dressing – YUMM!
My favorite salad is a Caprise salad. I use locally grown red ripe tomatoes and sliced Buffalo mozzarella cheese, a few basil leaves, all topped off with a creamy balsamic vinergarette.
Oh my goodness! I love salads. I love them as side dishes, I love them as entrees. I love them with lettuces, love them with protein…
…I kinda of sound like Dr. Seuss with this post… I just really love SALADS! 🙂
I love to eat an Israeli couscous salad with baby garbanzo beans, dried cranberries, sliced celery or cucumber (or whatevr veggie I have on hand), and a little pinch of salt. I mix it with olive oil and vinegar. So good!
Salads. and lettuce are wonderful. I love to just make summer sandwiches and use lettuce instead of bread. But I also cook a lot with lettuce, braised romaine, endive or almost any lettuce is great, also wonderful in soups. Add fruits and nuts for something different. or serve after your main entee as is done in many European countries. You always inspire me Jamie.. thanks for all of your terrific recipes!
Crispy tofu looks great – I love switching focus to salads as mains for shabbat summer meals.
I’m pretty about about making salad. We often cheat and get the salad in a bag variety. Hey, it’s better than nothing.
I love any salad that has fruit but with a sour dressing. The contrast is great
I love to eat a classic caesar salad, with parve caesar dressing.
This sounds so good, next time you make it try and snap a picture and post it on the site as it’s own recipe.
We love salad with sliced mushroom, honey roasted almonds/walnuts, cherry tomatoes, sweet romaine lettuce with a dressing: Tom ketchup, oil, sugar, paprika, salt, vinegar 🙂 its very simple & tastes amazing! We got the recipe from our Rebbetzin
Lately, I have just been using whatever produce and extras I have around and throwing them together in creative ways. I especially love to add cheese, avocado, fruit, and/or something crunchy like nuts or croutons. I also like experimenting with different oils, vinegars, and herbs for dressings.
Lots of greens, dried cranberries, feta, red onion and a balsamic dressing or just oil and vinegar.
I love corn salads, especially for Shabbos since they don’t get limp with dressing and you can toss lots of different things in.
We love salad with tuna, a sliced hard boiled egg, sprinkling of cheese, chickpeas, mandarin oranges and craisins! We would love to win the cheese!
My favorite way to eat salad grilled chicken top with lots of fruit
We eat quinoa and chickpea salad frequently for lunch – delicious with a balsamic dressing. So filling, so healthy.
Spinach salad with hard boiled eggs, fresh tomato from my garden. A little lemon juice and some olive oil.
Wilted lettuce salad is my all time favorite salad!
I like blu cheese, nuts, seeds and croûtons for crunch, avocado for creaminess and kalamata olives. All veggies are best bought strait from the farm!
I have guinea pigs so I grow greens and herbs for them and me year round. Don’t limit yourself to lettuce! There’s a huge variety of seeds available and greens don’t need a lot of space, just a sunny south window. Try growing your own!
I have a salad almost every single night. Usually spinach, tomato, cucumber and top it off with a low calorie dressing and either chicken or fish. It sure looks good on my hips!
I love your article about salads. I could also, eat salads sometimes 3 times a day and diff ways. I love to add fruits and diff meats to them also. I want to thank you for this awesome sweep and hope to win 🙂 Thanks !!!! [email protected]
Lettuce and spinach start out my salads. I love to add onions, mushrooms and croutons. I round it out with homemade oil and vinegar.
I LOVE A TACO SALAD
thai chicken salad
Smoked Salmon Salad
I love eating my salad with pieces of grilled chicken, tomato, cucumber, pecans, and blue cheese.
My favorite salad now has spinach, quinoa, granola, craisins and a yummy vinaigrette with apple cider vinegar
i like to eat salad with pizza
I’ve bern into Caesar salad lately. Oh, and we love The Cheese Guy in our house!
I’m a Cobb Salad guy, myself!
I love spinach as my main salad green- & love smoked salmon, spiced nuts, and blue cheese.
I love salad with avocado and salsa for a nice Mexican kick. It doesn’t need any added dressing as the creaminess from the avocado and juice from the salsa create their own dressing.
My favorite salads in the summer have leftover grilled veggies with tempeh, hummus, sliced almonds and cilantro
I love salads that also have a fruits in it…like orange slices. It adds a fresh spring to the veggies!
my favorite way to eat salad is as natural,using locally grown produce,and using vegan ingredients for the toppings-dressings(I am a vegan,but if I would win the cheese,have many friends who would love to recieve it!)
Do you fry or bake?
I am going to eat these all summer at work to stay healthy and possibly win a some cheese!
ohhh… just one?
Ok. Homemade croutons. Not out of the box. h.o.m.e.m.a.d.e.
Yum!
i love having a salad with everything, meats cheese vegies egg, yummy
I love to add fruit to my salads. Like sliced strawberries or blueberries.
Thanks so much.
rickpeggysmith(at)aol(dot)com
My fave way is with cranberries.
My favorite way to eat salad is romaine lettuce with seared tuna, walnuts or pecans, craisins and apples.
The best way to eat summer salads is outdoors! And with los of fruits in there to give them some sweetness.
lettuce, tuna, apples, walnuts, Swiss & Cheddar cheese, anchovies & the oil they come in, lime juice – sounds weird but I love it
My favorite is to eat a salad with fish in it for seudah shlisheet. The smoked salmon salad above will be a great one to try in the future!
I make us salads for lunch daily all year. The best though are in the summer with native vegies. Adore adding strawberries to spinach. Are eagerly waiting for our tomatoes to bear fruit. Sometimes add lean protein too. In the summer tend to do this more
I love having chicken salad for lunch. I make it for my husband as well, he really likes this light, yet filling meal.
When I eat salad as a main dish I usually want protein in the salad. It just seems more satisfying and hearty without being heavy. My favorite protein to add is Grilled Chicken breast but I also like firm dry tofu seasoned with lots of black pepper and seasoned salt and grilled or pan-fried.