Food Salad Recipes Hearty, Healthy Salad Recipes By Midwest Living editors Midwest Living editors Midwest Living's experienced editors create best-in-class travel, lifestyle, food, home and garden content you won't find anywhere else. We're loudly, proudly Midwestern, and we're passionate about helping our audience explore and create through award-winning storytelling. Midwest Living's Editorial Guidelines Updated on May 26, 2023 Trending Videos Photo: Carson Downing Turn to ingredients such as lentils, quinoa, chickpeas, brussels sprouts and wild rice to add good-for-you flavor and texture to your salads. 01 of 27 Spinach-Farro Salad with Cherries Carson Downing Farro lends a healthful "chew" to this salad, while tangy goat cheese, toasted walnuts and sweet cherries all add contrasting colors, textures and flavors. View Recipe 02 of 27 Spring Fattoush Carson Downing Popular in Lebanon and Israel, fattoush is a crunchy, lemony salad of toasted pita, herbs and vegetables. This quick version showcases spring vegetables like snap peas and radishes. It's seasoned with sumac, which has a distinctly sour, earthy flavor. Find it in Middle Eastern markets or online. View Recipe 03 of 27 Citrus Salmon Salad Carson Downing Chef Sarah Russo of Chicago-based Salad Club uses bitter greens in this salad to balance the sweet fruit and rich fish. If you prefer, swap in more mild-mannered kale, lettuce or spinach. Favorite Salmon Recipes View Recipe 04 of 27 Superfood Salad Carson Downing This hearty salad is plenty filling without the chicken, so leave it out if you like. The chickpeas can be prepared ahead and stored in an airtight container with a paper towel at the bottom. View Recipe 05 of 27 Oaxacan Bean Salad Carson Downing Roasted plantain adds a delicious and unexpected starchy sweetness to this salad. Be sure to choose a ripe one, more black than yellow, but not totally black. Try Our Fried Plaintain Recipe View Recipe 06 of 27 Smoky Squash Salad Carson Downing This salad packs a flavor and texture punch, and it's a delicious way to explore an alternative, plant-based protein. Look for blocks of tempeh in the produce or health food section of the supermarket, near the tofu. View Recipe 07 of 27 Arugula-Lentil Salad with Poached Eggs Carson Downing When it's too hot for lentil soup, put the quick-cooking pulse to good use in this nutritious, meat-free salad. View Recipe 08 of 27 Roasted Pear Salad with Farro and Arugula Carson Downing This creamy, whole-grain salad earned raves in our test kitchen. It's hardy enough to be a meatless main, or enjoy it as a festive side dish or cold-weather potluck star. View Recipe 09 of 27 Penne with Lentils and Feta Brie Passano Hearty and wholesome, this picnic pasta salad is loaded with cherry tomatoes, cucumber, lentils, salty cheese and parsley, all cloaked in a light and bright red wine vinaigrette. View Recipe 10 of 27 Harvest Lentil Salad Packed with healthy nutrients, this dish is perfect for any occasion. Serve as a side with a pork tenderloin roast or turkey breast or as a meat-free dinner salad with warm, crusty wheat rolls. View Recipe 11 of 27 Winter Tabbouleh with Fennel and Cranberries This delicious and healthy twist on a traditional Middle Eastern parsley salad features protein-rich quinoa, cranberries, sunflower seeds and crisp fennel. View Recipe 12 of 27 Shaved Cabbage Salad with Apples, Ham and Mustard Brie Passano Ham adds just enough smoky richness to chef Abra Berens' vibrant salad to elevate a simple slaw to a lunch-worthy meal or a potluck stunner. Find other great salads in her book Ruffage: A Practical Guide to Vegetables. View Recipe 13 of 27 Lentil and Rice Summer Salad This is a fab potluck salad. If you make it for dinner at home, try it topped with a salmon fillet or, for a vegetarian entree, served over spinach or other salad greens. (A word of warning: Don't substitute a different rice. Arborio, the type used in risotto, definitely works best.) The recipe comes from the blog A Couple Cooks. View Recipe 14 of 27 Winter Bean Salad with Fennel and Clementines Blaine Moats Turn a humble can of beans into this impressive salad. It's already a main dish, but you can make it heartier by adding seared salmon or sizzled shrimp. Great Recipes for Canned or Dried Beans View Recipe 15 of 27 Green Salad with Chicken and Marinated Peas Brie Passano In her book Ruffage: A Practical Guide to Vegetables, Abra Berens called this recipe Green Salad with Marinated Peas and Yesterday's Chicken because she makes it the day after roasting a chicken. A supermarket rotisserie bird makes things even simpler. View Recipe 16 of 27 Sesame Chard Slaw Swiss chard is usually cooked, but we keep it raw in this lightly sweet, Asian-inspired slaw that's packed with good-for-you ingredients. Fresh Slaw Recipes View Recipe 17 of 27 Waldorf Salad with Grapes and Wild Rice Blaine Moats This salad is all about balance—sweet vs. tart and crunchy vs. chewy. Take it to a potluck or serve it at the holiday table. View Recipe 18 of 27 Quinoa Salad with Roasted Zucchini, Almonds and Feta You could make a meal of this dish: caramelized zucchini, crunchy almonds, salty cheese and hearty quinoa, all dressed in honey-basil vinaigrette. The recipe comes from a Columbus, Ohio, restaurant. Power-Packed Quinoa Recipes View Recipe 19 of 27 Celery and Apple Salad with Walnuts Imagine a Waldorf salad, but lighter and more refreshing, with a tangy lemon-thyme vinaigrette. This salad would go beautifully with roast pork or turkey. View Recipe 20 of 27 Sweet and Spicy Cabbage and Peanut Slaw Fresh ginger and red pepper flakes add welcome zing, but the real surprise here is napa (aka Chinese) cabbage. Cara Mangini, who started Little Eater in Columbus, Ohio, likes it for slaws because it's more tender than ordinary cabbage but still holds up better than lettuce. View Recipe 21 of 27 Roasted Kale, Tomato and Chickpea Salad with Wheat Berries Our hearty salad tastes equally good warm from the pan, cold from the fridge or even at room temperature, so it's perfect for make-ahead meals and leftover lunches. Other grains, such as barley, faro or wild rice, also work well in this salad. View Recipe 22 of 27 Nuts and Berries Winter Slaw Crisp, shredded Brussels sprouts, toasted hazelnuts and tangy cranberry-orange dressing provide a burst of fresh flavor to balance a rich holiday roast. We like the hearty texture of raw Brussels sprouts, but if you prefer them a bit softer, blanch them first and then plunge them into cold water and pat dry. View Recipe 23 of 27 Baby Spinach Salad with Cumin Couscous and Bulgur Grain salads can sometimes be a bit heavy, but this one is surprisingly light-tasting, thanks to a tangy yogurt-mint dressing, crisp apple chunks and fresh spinach. View Recipe 24 of 27 Dilly Chickpea and Radish Salad Think of this as a welcome update on three-bean salad, with radishes and celery adding color and crunch to wholesome garbanzo beans. It travels beautifully and is great for potlucks and picnics. View Recipe 25 of 27 Smoked Turkey and Citrus Wild Rice Salad This main-dish salad is just what the doctor ordered after the holidays, bursting with color and fresh flavor. The recipe comes from The Birchwood Cafe Cookbook (University of Minnesota Press, $29.95). (Note: You'll end up with extra dressing, but that's just fine ... stash it in the fridge to wake up any salad.) Sumptuous Salads View Recipe 26 of 27 Shaved Asparagus Salad Uncooked asparagus might sound strange, but this is essentially an elegant take on slaw-slicing a firm vegetable like cabbage or carrot thinly to break down its cell walls and allow a tangy dressing to soak in. View Recipe 27 of 27 Moroccan Carrot Slaw Combining cinnamony pumpkin-pie spice with fresh mint lends North African flavor in a flash. Try this simple salad as a side dish to grilled chicken. View Recipe Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit