31 Summer Salads

There is still plenty of summer left and time to enjoy the light and tasty salads that go so well with it. Perfect as a side dish or a whole meal, salads are a great way to eat some healthy, nutritious vegetables without being weighed down during the warm summer temperatures.

A light and flavorful salad made with torn lettuce, apples, croutons, green onions, cooked bacon, and a light oil and lemon juice dressing.

A light and tasty salad made with mixed salad greens, cherry tomatoes, bell pepper, red onion, carrots, cucumbers, cooked chicken and your favorite salad dressing.

The salad ingredients are simple. You could use a rotisserie chicken if time is short. Also in the mix to dress the lettuce are red onions, cherry tomatoes, avocado, black beans and corn. I served a few corn chips on the side to be crumbled over the salad.

If you like buffalo wings then you'll love the buffalo-style flavor in this chicken salad. Breaded chicken tenders get dressed up in hot sauce and Cajun seasoning and top a bed of salad greens. Add a drizzle of blue cheese salad dressing and dig in!

This crab salad made with imitation crab, green onions, and mayo is a close facsimile to the one you find at Albertson's grocery store.

An unusual blend of dressing ingredients makes this corn salad a winner. It's made with honey mustard, Italian salad dressing, chili powder, corn, tomatoes, bell pepper, and red onion.

What would spring be without an herby grain salad, right? This one is packed with chewy farro, peppery watercress and dried tart cherries, which add a necessary pop of sweetness to balance it all out.

This gorgeous farmhouse salad highlights the best produce of the season: asparagus, peas, and radishes. Grilled chicken and chickpeas add plenty of filling protein and soy nuts add gluten-free crunch. Topped off with a bright citrus vinaigrette, this salad is the perfect way to celebrate Spring!

Asparagus and scallions gently poached together, then drizzled with a simple vinaigrette and tossed with hard-cooked egg.

The pork tenderloin is first sliced, and then left to marinate for an hour in a tasty mixture consisting of honey, soy sauce, orange juice, and fresh ginger. The tenderloin pieces are then quickly cooked on a hot grill, leaving the pork juicy and perfectly pink and tender inside.

A fresh and delicious salad made with iceberg lettuce, cooked chicken, bacon, tomato, avocado, hard-boiled eggs, green onions, crumbled blue cheese, and your choice of salad dressing.

I paired these sweet tomatoes with equally juicy, slightly sour mulberries. The mulberries used in this salad came from my grandmother’s farm and I had only a handful of them left after my daughter feasted on them the same morning. Resulting salad was very good looking, colourful and full of flavor!

Seasoned, grilled sausage and chicken are served atop salad greens with honey mustard salad dressing and garnished with delicious sweet-and-spicy nuts.

This healthy dinner salad will leave your family begging for more. Succulent shrimp, crunchy jicama, sweet strawberries and creamy avocado. What’s not to love?!

Corn, cucumber, cherry tomatoes, and arugula are tossed with a light vinaigrette. Delicious served at room temperature or lightly chilled.

A simple pea salad made with frozen peas, red onion, cheddar cheese, bacon bits, and your choice of ranch dressing or mayo.

A summery salad made with cucumbers, red onion, radishes, cilantro, and a light vinegar dressing

At the heart of this power salad are the grains of quinoa that cling to a bevy of fresh veggies and are the start of this healthy bowl. Edamame is included along with peanuts for added protein. Red bell peppers add even more antioxidants and vitamin C with cucumbers and shredded purple cabbage coming in with the crunch.

A delicious macaroni salad that uses sour cream instead of the usual mayonnaise dressing. The optional green olives add a nice bite to it.

It’s easy enough to whip up a salad that makes use of abundant avocados, like this lovely beet salad with pistachios and a citrus vinaigrette.

Lobster and potato salad is the perfect kick-off to summer dinner salad season!

The base that is to become the blueberry dressing is first used to glaze the salmon. This may look a questionable grayish color mid-cooking but eventually darkens to a purplish-black that adds a really nice smoky-sweet flavor to the finished dish. Also, grilled baguette slices are added to the mix for croutons, taking the whole thing from good to great.

Chopped salads are usually my favorite because you can just grab a spoon and dig right in. There are so many textures and flavors in every bite! The rainbow colors, simple sesame vinaigrette, and crisp Asian-style veggies keep me coming back for more. It's another great dish to make ahead of time if needed (just store the dressing and salad in separate containers until you're ready to serve). Slivered almonds are the perfect addition for crunch and protein!

This simple Asian-style salad features cooked chicken tossed with salad greens, noodles, almonds, and poppy seeds and a tasty vinaigrette

Tortilla Chopped Salad is a hearty, vegetarian salad that is filling and satisfying enough to have for dinner.

Strawberries, arugula, and fried halloumi cheese!

This recipe is more like the ultimate tossed salad! It has two kinds of lettuce, feta and romano cheese, black olives, almonds, sesame seeds, tomatoes, onion, and mushrooms.

I made this quick and delicious Antipasto Zoodle Salad which is full of vegetables, a little cheese, and loads of flavor!

Strawberry-spinach salad features fresh strawberry dressing to make the most out of the season.

This recipe is a Caesar salad with kale and crispy cornbread bits. Beware: if you ever wanted to be addicted to a salad, this is it. The dressing is fabulous – no raw egg, but a little kick of horseradish, and the crispy cornbread croutons.

This Greek salad is a little different. For one thing, there's no lettuce. And for another, there's no lemon.