21 Healthy Dinner Salad Recipes
21
Published May 20, 2022, Updated Sep 18, 2023
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Have salad for dinner with these healthy and substantial salad recipes that are filling, delicious and easy to make!
When most people think of salads they envision a small plate with greens and a few additional veggies or a simple side dish, but I’m here to show you that salads can be so much more than that! With the right toppings you can make a salad that is colorful, bountiful and filling enough to serve as a meal.
Meal-sized salads are totally my thing and I’m all about eating a big ol’ salad for dinner!
A while back I shared my guide for how to build a healthy salad, which involves a good source of protein, complex carbs and healthy fats. That said, I realize that a little inspiration is always nice so I’m sharing this dinner salad roundup with 21 salad recipes that you’ll actually enjoy serving for dinner.
I’ve broken down the salads by protein so you can easily skim the list and choose salads to try based on your favorite protein source(s) and what you have on hand.
I can’t wait for you to try these amazing salads.
Salads With Chicken
Blackened Chicken Cobb Salad
This blackened chicken Cobb salad is packed with flavor and so simple to make. Plus, it’s great for meal prep and is grain-free, low-carb and keto-friendly.
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BBQ Chicken Salad
This BBQ chicken salad has so much flavor with grilled BBQ chicken, black beans, corn, avocado, crunchy tortilla chips and a drizzle of both BBQ sauce and ranch dressing.
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Thai Curry Chicken Salad
This Thai curry chicken salad combines fresh pineapple, veggies, thai curry chicken and a creamy dijon dressing. It's fresh, filling and packed with flavor! Gluten-free.
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Pear Salad with Walnuts, Avocado and Grilled Chicken
An easy pear salad with walnuts, avocado and grilled chicken. This combo makes for a satisfying meal-sized salad that’s perfect for pear season!
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Blueberry, Corn and Chicken Salad
The perfect summertime blueberry corn chicken salad with fresh blueberries, grilled corn, shredded chicken, roasted pecans and a maple balsamic dressing.
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Fuji Apple Salad
This delicious meal-sized salad is inspired by Panera’s Fuji apple salad with fresh apple slices, gorgonzola, tomatoes, pepitas and a white balsamic vinaigrette.
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Salads with Turkey
Healthy Taco Salad
This healthy taco salad is made with ground turkey taco meat instead of beef and is packed with veggies. It comes together quickly making it perfect for a weeknight meal.
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Cheeseburger Salad
Enjoy all the flavor of a delicious burger, but make it low carb with a cheeseburger salad that's loaded with veggies and topped with a honey mustard dressing.
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Salads With Salmon
Grilled Salmon Salad
The ultimate summer salad with lightly marinated grilled salmon, sliced peaches, tomatoes and grilled sweet corn. The flavors pair together to make a fresh and flavorful entree sized salad.
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Superfood Salmon Salad
This salmon salad is loaded with roasted sweet potato croutons, avocado, pickled onions and dressed in a light lemon vinaigrette! It’s an easy go-to meal you’ll love having as part of your weekly rotation.
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Mediterranean Salmon Salad
This healthy Mediterranean salmon salad combines romaine lettuce, quinoa, tomatoes, red onion and feta cheese all tossed in a light lemon vinaigrette dressing and topped with a salmon filet. It's perfect for lunch or a light dinner.
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Pistachio Salmon Salad
This pistachio salmon salad has a Middle Eastern feel with baby spinach, quinoa, chickpeas, carrots, dates and a flavorful harissa dressing. It’s a delicious meal-sized salad that will fill you up without weighing you down. Gluten-free.
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Salads with Shrimp
Caesar Salad with Shrimp
This caesar salad with shrimp is topped with sweet potato croutons, avocado, parmesan cheese and a creamy avocado caesar dressing.
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Grilled Shrimp Salad
Grilled shrimp salad with quinoa, broccoli and roasted asparagus! Prepare everything ahead of time and throw it into a bowl for a quick and easy lunch or dinner.
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Hearts of Palm Salad with Shrimp
A protein packed hearts of palm avocado salad with grilled shrimp, cilantro and tomatillo avocado dressing. Light, fresh and perfect for summer!
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Vegan Salads
Buffalo Cauilfower Salad
Who said buffalo sauce is just for wings? This buffalo cauliflower salad is loaded with cauliflower, crispy chickpeas and topped with a creamy vegan ranch dressing made from cashews.
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“Cheeseburger” Salad with Special Sauce
OMG! This “Cheeseburger” Salad with Special Sauce is reminiscent of a Big Mac, but so much better. It’s totally plant-based and made with lentil walnut burger meat and a cashew cream sauce.
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Vegan Cobb Salad
A vegan Cobb salad recipe that gives you all of the delicious flavors of a traditional Cobb salad along with 19 grams of plant-based protein! Vegan, gluten-free and a perfect meal-sized salad.
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Blackened Tempeh Salad
Plant-powered blackened tempeh salad with fresh romaine, quinoa, red onion, bell pepper, avocado and a creamy orange tahini dressing.
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Barley Salad with Chickpeas and Pears
This hearty barley salad is packed with chickpeas, walnuts, crunchy pears, sun dried tomatoes and parsley. It’s such a flavorful combo and is perfect for meal prep and potlucks.
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Sautéed Mediterranean Lentil Salad
This Mediterranean lentil salad marries sautéed tomatoes, fresh basil and feta with steamed lentils for a hearty, flavorful vegetarian meal that takes less than 20 minutes to prepare!
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Love these ideas? Be sure to check out all of the popular salad recipes on EBF!
21 Dinner Salad Recipes + Cheeseburger Salad Recipe
Have salad for dinner with these healthy and substantial salad recipes that are filling, delicious and easy to make!
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground turkey
- ¼ cup diced red onion
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- 2 Tablespoons ketchup
- 1 teaspoon Worchestire sauce
Salad
- 8 cups chopped romaine lettuce, about 2 romaine hearts
- ½ cup sliced red onion
- 1 cup halved cherry tomatoes
- ½ cup sliced, or chopped dill pickles
- ¾ cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 avocado
- honey mustard dressing
Instructions
- Make dressing by blending all of the ingredients together.
- Place the ground turkey into a skillet over medium heat and cook meat for about 12 minutes, breaking the turkey with a spatula apart as it cooks. Once the meat is browned and fully cooked, stir in 1/4 cup diced red onion, ketchup, Worchestire sauce, garlic powder and onion powder. Toss to combine and remove from heat.
- Prep salads by adding a bed of romaine to each bowl. Top each salad with toppings: seasoned turkey meat, red onion, tomatoes, pickles, shredded cheese and avocado slices. Drizzle on dressing and serve.
Nutrition
Serving: 1without dressing | Calories: 336kcal | Carbohydrates: 14g | Protein: 29g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 8g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 95mg | Sodium: 414mg | Potassium: 878mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 6g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Did you make this recipe?Mention @eatingbirdfood and tag #eatingbirdfood!
During the summer I’m all about salads for dinner. In fact, my hubs will get home and he’s all “what’s for dinner?” and my response is “obnoxiously large salad.” It’s the best way to taste summer!
Totally agree! With so much fresh produce available during the summer months there’s no reason NOT to have salad every night. 🙂
Love this so much! I eat a salad every day and I love having new ideas! 🙂
Good Article! I don’t think that salad can be processed these varieties. I like…
Thank you for sharing these salad recipes to us. When it comes to my health and diet, I try focus more on finding the foods that I enjoy. Salads are really healthy, and your recipe made may go-to meal super-tasty! I love these inspirations for making salad one of my favorite dishes. They’re absolutely delicious and these recipes are great on the go.
Wow, this a great article! I very like salad. Everyday, I make salad for my son.
Thank you so much !
Looks so delicious for healthy food! hope my family will approve my cooking 😀
Thanks for sharing!
What a great-tasting and easy recipe! I made this exactly as written and it came out great. I would definitely make this recipe again! Thanks for your nice share.