18 Healthy Salads that Don’t Suck

Salads don’t have to be boring and they don’t have to include lettuce! Sharing some of our favorite healthy salads that are full of not only great ingredients, but flavorful, filling and easy to make.

What Makes a Healthy Salad

First things first, the term “healthy” is so vague. I also think it means different things for everyone. I should actually change the title to remove the word healthy but I’m lazy and don’t feel like coming up with something new.

To me, a “healthy” salad consists of the following –

• as many veggies as possible
• some nuts or seeds
• an olive oil based dressing
• a source of protein (beans, lentils, fish, chicken, hard boiled eggs)
• herbs or spices for flavor
• fiber to be filling

Tips for Creating Healthy Salads Easily

A lot of these salads can be meal prepped to make weekday lunches quick and easy. A few other tips for creating salads quickly include –

• stocking your pantry with canned beans for quick sources of protein
• pre-chopping veggies to have them on hand and ready
• make a big batch of salad dressing early in the week to make dressing your salad easy.
  • The BEST Vinaigrette
  • The Easiest Vinaigrette I Learned on Tiktok
• Adding grains to salads to make them more filling – barley, farro, rice, quinoa, couscous, etc
• Using canned goods for extra flavor – sun-dried tomatoes, olives, roasted red peppers, marinated artichoke hearts
• Using cheese sparingly. I like using a bit of feta or goat cheese because they have strong flavors so you don’t need much

A Few of Our Favorite Healthy Salads

These are some of our favorite salads that check all the boxes.

• Deliciously Easy Lunch Salad Recipe
• Arugula and Beet Salad with Walnuts and Goat Cheese
• Greek Lettuce Salad with Scallions and Dill

• Lemon Dill Salmon Salad – An Easy Mediterranean Diet Recipe
• Chopped Lentil Salad with Easy Vinaigrette – Mediterranean Diet Lunch
• White Bean & Artichoke Antipasto Salad

• Thai Inspired Veggie Salad with Creamy Dressing (gluten free)
• Quick and Vibrant Nicoise Salad – Mediterranean Diet Recipe
• Mediterranean Pasta Salad with Quick Green Goddess Dressing

• Light and Simple Greek Salad with Air Fryer Salmon
• Winter Apple Brussels Sprout Salad
• Spicy Chopped Salad

• Super Simple Tuna Salad Recipe
• Everyday Example of The Mediterranean Diet – Farro Salad
• Greek Salad with Homemade Vinaigrette