Salad Recipes

Whether you serve them as a side or as a light main dish, these easy salad recipes are guaranteed winners! They’re wholesome, delicious, and pair with a wide range of flavors and cuisines.

When you make your own salad, the world is your oyster and the options are endless! Find all our favorite recipes, along with the easy apple salad we make all year long.

While I love the convenience of bagged salad mixes and store-bought dressings, when it comes to flavor, freshness, and variety, they just don’t compare to DIYing it.

(Plus, when you make your own salad, it’s a great opportunity to use up what’s in your crisper drawer and pantry. Win!)

Best Salad Recipes for Every Occasion

Pair these delicious salad recipes with one of my pasta recipes, bring them to work for lunch, or toss one together for an easy summer dinner idea.

In this collection, you’ll find everything from traditional green salads to a few favorite classics like potato salad and pasta salad recipes, too! There’s a salad for every occasion and craving.

20 Easy Salad Recipes

Here are our favorite tried and true recipes! We’re also sharing the recipe card for our apple salad, which is incredible at any time of year.

Handheld Endive Salad

Spring is the tail-end of endive season, and this elegant salad is the perfect way to put this crispy relative of radicchio to use!

Simple Spring Salad

This is a good spring salad that embodies the freshness of the season. With a combination of crisp greens, colorful add-ins, and a light vinaigrette, it’s so fresh and delicious.

Strawberry Salad Recipe

We just can’t get enough of strawberries in the spring, especially when they’re added to salads.

Arugula Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette

Baby arugula leaves are peppery and just a little bit bitter, which means they’re flavorful enough to be the star of this salad.

Lemon is a classic pairing with arugula so we use it as the acid in our simple vinaigrette, then add freshly ground black pepper to amp up the pepper flavor in this dish.

Red White and Blue Salad

This red, white, and blue salad is a colorful side dish perfect for summertime gatherings, picnics, and barbecues!

Toss it all together for everyday appeal, or arrange the ingredients into an American flag for Memorial Day and 4th of July parties. 

Peach Salad with Honey Dijon Vinaigrette

This recipe combines the sweetness of fresh peaches with the tanginess of a zippy honey Dijon dressing. It’s an excellent accompaniment to grilled chicken or fish, making it an ideal dish for a summer barbecue, but I also love it for an effortless lunch.

Insalata Mista

Insalata Mista is a classic Italian dish that translates to “mixed salad” in English. While there are a lot of variations of this dish, my recipe is perfect for summer, with peppery arugula leaves paired with juicy grape tomatoes.

Mexican Street Corn Salad

We all love Mexican street corn, but let’s be honest: it’s kind of messy. This Mexican street corn salad has all the deliciousness without the mess, which means it’s perfect for a party.

Roasted Beet Salad

Beets are one of those love-‘em-or-hate-‘em kinds of veggies, but I absolutely love their sweet, earthy flavor when they’re roasted in the oven.

There are lots of contrasting textures here, from crisp jicama to tender beets, chewy dried figs, crunchy walnuts, and rich, creamy goat cheese.

Cabbage Salad

Serve this cabbage salad as a side dish, or use it as a topping for tacos, burgers, hot dogs, and more.

Pear Salad

This pear salad is a perfect blend of crisp greens, juicy pears, candied walnuts, and tangy white wine vinaigrette. Gorgonzola adds a punchy bite to balance the sweetness of the pears and nuts, so don’t skip it! 

Even better, pear salad is versatile; serve it as a side dish with pork or chicken or as a light main course.

Seven Layer Salad

Seven layer salad is a classic American recipe loved for its contrasting flavors and textures, along with its beautiful presentation. As the name implies, this salad has seven distinct layers of ingredients, each bringing a different taste and texture to the table.

Italian Salad Recipe

Looking for the perfect side dish to serve with pasta or pizza? Look no further than an Italian salad! Best known for its zesty red wine vinaigrette, my Italian salad recipe includes artichokes, pimentos, and red onions tossed with romaine lettuce and finished with grated Parmesan.

Creamy Potato Salad

Customize this old-fashioned recipe to your personal preferences and tastes; it’s a perfect dish for cooks who love to experiment with different flavors. 

Classic Greek Salad

Greek salad typically contains tomatoes, cucumber, onions, and bell peppers, which means it’s big on freshness and crispy textures. The veggies are tossed in a simple vinaigrette, then feta and olives finish it off for lots of salty, briny flavor.

Spaghetti Salad

This spaghetti pasta salad recipe is a delicious dish that has gained popularity in recent years as a fun spin on the traditional pasta salad. Instead of macaroni, shells, or bow ties, use long spaghetti noodles to make this zippy, veggie-packed salad.

Tortellini Pasta Salad

Can you make an entire dinner out of pasta salad? You can when it’s made with tortellini! Not only is cheese tortellini delicious, it’s also extra satisfying.

I also love how the shape of tortellini holds onto the red wine vinaigrette and oregano, ensuring that every single bite is absolutely bursting with flavor.

Italian Pasta Salad

Some pasta salads are heavy, with creamy dressings and even sugar added to the mix. This Italian pasta salad is the exact opposite, with a light red wine vinaigrette and just enough grated Parmesan to add flavor without weighing things down.

Veggie Pasta Salad

We love this veggie pasta salad as a side with grilled chicken or a homemade panini. The lemon juice in the vinaigrette gives it an unexpected twist, as does the addition of red pepper flakes—just enough heat to make things interesting!

Bow Tie Pasta Salad

Also known by their Italian name, farfalle, bow tie pasta is an excellent base for pasta salad thanks to its shape and size. I love this dish with fresh basil leaves and cherry tomatoes.

Last but certainly not least, here’s the recipe for our apple salad. Crispy apples add some crunch to this fall-inspired salad!

In addition to the greens and fresh apple slices, we add blue cheese for some pungent, salty flavor, thinly sliced red onions, and a tangy sherry vinaigrette to contrast with the sweet apple. Enjoy!