10 Healthy and Hearty Salad Recipes

A healthy fresh salad is often used as a refreshing side to a meal - but with all that goodness to offer, there’s no reason why it shouldn’t be the main event.

You can make them meaty, or vegetarian, or even vegan.

They’re also super easy to tweak as you see fit, adding peppers here or removing lettuce there. You can make them even healthier than the original recipes by adding cheese for calcium, for example, or adding nuts for their protein.

Jump to:

• Healthy Salad Recipes
• More Ideas for Your Meal Plan
• 1. Warm Honey Mustard Chicken Salad With Avocado
• 2. Light and Easy Mediterranean Couscous Salad Recipe
• 3. Sweet Chicken Salad with Pineapple
• 4. Creamy Broccoli And Cauliflower Salad
• 5. The Best All American Potato Salad
• 6. Cold Pasta Salad with Italian Dressing
• 7. Beetroot and Feta Cheese Salad
• 8. Vietnamese Steak and Noodle Salad
• 9. Persian Shirazi Salad
• 10. Easy Ham Salad Recipe
• 📖 Recipe

Healthy Salad Recipes

Besides, they say that looking after your health is 80% down to what foods you eat, and not so much your exercise regime.

And let me assure you, salads do not have to be boring, you can spice it up with some onions or chilies, or make up a warm salad full of your favorite veg.

More Ideas for Your Meal Plan

If these salads aren't quite enough to fill out your menu, check out some of my other favorites on the lists below!

• 50 Mediterranean Diet Recipe Favorites
• 25 Light And Easy Chicken Recipes For Dinner
• 20 Healthy Air Fryer Recipes You Must Try
• 20 Easy Flavor-Packed Sheet Pan Chicken Dinners
• 35+ Instant Pot Comfort Food Recipes For Weeknight Meals
• 30 Slow Cooker Pork Recipes Your Family Will Love

Here I’ve put together a list of top ten favorites, chosen for being healthy and good for you, for being easy to put together, and also for tasting great! Here goes…

1. Warm Honey Mustard Chicken Salad With Avocado

We love this salad because it uses delicious white meat which is so much healthier for you than red meat. The marinade for the chicken is super simple to put together, and it uses a bunch of ingredients that you probably already have available in your kitchen or pantry.

And the fresh ripe avocado is rich in healthy fats, and despite its high-fat content, it's actually one of the healthiest ingredients in the dish. Plus you can add to it some delicious red onion, sweetcorn, and cherry tomatoes.

And you don’t have to stress about making the marinade - there’s a step-by-step video tutorial available if you just click on the link! And there are some handy FAQs there for you too.

2. Light and Easy Mediterranean Couscous Salad Recipe

You know, Mediterranean recipes can be particularly healthy - right up until you pair them with a nice Mediterranean wine of course!

What we love about this recipe is that it doesn’t require a lot of ingredients and doesn’t need any special marinades, so it can be whipped up in minutes, and also leave you with enough recipe ingredients to help you make the same salad later on in the week.

What makes it such a hearty salad is its use of couscous. A super simple ingredient to use that can really fill you up and stop you from snacking between meals. Sure it counts as carbs, but it has a low glycemic load, which means it’s relatively healthy for a carb.

I love the use of feta cheese in this salad - it lends a lot of creaminess to the dish, and the taste really contrasts with the cherry tomatoes, so you get an abundance of flavor.

Of course, not everyone loves olives, so if it’s not for you, then just take it out.

3. Sweet Chicken Salad with Pineapple

For those of you with a sweet tooth, here’s something you can really enjoy!

This is what I was talking about when I said salads don’t have to be boring. This recipe uses grapes and pineapple in a dish that’s simultaneously sweet and savoury. Plus the chicken helps make it really filling too.

And for even more flavor, you can enjoy it with green onions, almonds, garlic powder and Worcestershire sauce.

4. Creamy Broccoli And Cauliflower Salad

I love this recipe because it’s a great way for you to make use of leftover veggies after cooking a big roast dinner.

The creaminess of it comes very much from the cheese that you decide to use. It’s a dish that works well with all kinds of cheeses, but my favorite has to be blue cheese. But I guess that’s kinda an acquired taste.

You can add some healthy seeds sprinkled over the top, or really give it a wow factor by adding dried apricots. But if you want to keep it simple, you could just add a few bits of bacon instead.

5. The Best All American Potato Salad

When it comes to making salad good and hearty, it doesn’t get much better than a good old-fashioned All American potato salad. It goes just great with some smoked or grilled meats at a summer barbecue.

It works well with different types of potato, but I have to say my favorite for this recipe is Russet potatoes. You can do it with the potato skin left on to make it healthier, or peel it off if you prefer.

I love it with halved boiled eggs on the top, but that’s completely optional. And you can adjust the overall flavor by experimenting with different amounts of mustard, dill, paprika and such.

6. Cold Pasta Salad with Italian Dressing

Pasta is not just for eating hot - you can enjoy it cold too. In fact cold pasta is quite refreshing on a hot summer day. Not to mention nourishing and filling. This will stop you snacking between meals!

We used fusilli pasta, but I guess it works well with all kinds of pasta. And you can make it with your favorite veg, whether it’s peppers, carrots, or zucchini. Although to go with fusilli it's best to julienne them.

What really makes the Italian dressing stand out for me is the half teaspoon of brown sugar and the lemon juice. Delicious.

7. Beetroot and Feta Cheese Salad

What makes this salad special is the richness of the ingredients - it really packs a punch.

I like to enjoy it with fresh beetroot when it’s in season, but the recipe also works well with beetroot from a jar, and the benefit of using it this way is that you don’t have as much chopping to do.

The feta cheese adds both flavor and texture to the dish, and a creaminess that you don’t always get in a salad.

The recipe even includes a recipe for lemon vinaigrette, if you don’t want to use a store bought one.

8. Vietnamese Steak and Noodle Salad

Who said steak should only be eaten hot? No-one who’s tried this recipe, that’s for sure!

We thought you might want to check out some foreign cuisine, rather than just your regular American stuff, and this one sure caught my eye.

It includes gorgeously marinated beef, rice noodles, crispy onion rings, some crunchy roasted peanuts and a stunning sweet yet tangy sauce.

What makes it for me is the ginger, lemongrass, mint leaves, and cilantro.

9. Persian Shirazi Salad

And on the subject of foreign cuisine, you should totally check out this Persian salad.

The beauty of it, besides the taste of course, is that it only takes about 10 minutes of prep time. It’s super simple to make and only has 360 calories in it.

So although it will fill you up until your next meal, it doesn’t take up too many calories of your daily allowance, which means you’re free to enjoy something extra special for dinner!

10. Easy Ham Salad Recipe

Sometimes the simplest recipes can be the best ones. Like this easy ham salad recipe for example. It uses just 5 main ingredients, namely diced ham (of course), super low calorie celery, sweet red onion, some mayonnaise, and a bit of mustard for extra flavor.

And it’s also a great way to use up any left-over ingredients you happen to still have in the refrigerator or pantry. You can just chop them up and add it straight in.

It goes great with a French croissant!