When it comes to dinner, salad always sounds like a prelude and not the main attraction. But a great salad can be both filling and satisfying—especially in the summer months when having some easy, no-cook salad suppers at hand will make for fabulous dinners all season long. Pro tip: Main dish salads are an excellent lighter option for potlucks and barbecues!
Get your summer salad game on point starting this week with our best chopped salads to make for dinner.
Save to MyRecipes
Love these recipes? Tap ‘Save’ to add them to MyRecipes—your new, free recipe box for Allrecipes!
Chopped Salad with Buttermilk Dressing
Allrecipes Magazine
A fresh ranch-like dressing enhances this veggie-forward salad. This is a perfect side dish on its own, but adding some grilled chicken or steak is a complete meal in a bowl. Want to make it a vegetarian main dish? Toss in a can of drained chickpeas or some cubes of crispy fried tofu.
Chopped Salad with Figs and Blue Cheese
Allrecipes Magazine
Perfect for fig season, tis salad balances sweet, fresh fruits with sharp, funky blue cheese. Crunchy romaine and slivered almonds makes it a classic and satisfying end-of-summer side salad.
Super Summer Kale Salad
Dotdash Meredith Food Studios
“This kale salad was recreated from a deli salad that I love!” says recipe creator Susan. “It combines kale, edamame, red onion, shredded carrot, fresh blueberries, dried cranberries, nuts, and seeds with a tangy dressing. This recipe makes a huge bowl, enough to serve a crowd.”
Cobb Salad
Kim’s Cooking Now
A classic Cobb salad might be the original chopped salad that eats like a meal. Beautifully composed stripes of chicken, egg, blue cheese, bacon, and avocado offer a visual wow factor, and the flavors are terrifically punchy. This version calls for ranch dressing, but it works with vinaigrettes, blue cheese, or red French-style dressings as well.
Spicy Southwest Chopped Salad with Salsa Verde
linda2d
Bring some Southwest flair to your chopped salad by making a vibrant avocado and corn salsa to top grilled chicken and lettuce with black beans.
Chopped Brussels Sprout Salad
PeanutKrow
If you think Brussels sprouts are just for roasting, this raw shaved salad will change your mind. It has a Dijon shallot vinaigrette, and is enhanced with almonds and cranberries, which makes it a perfect side dish. Just add a filet of grilled salmon or some pulled pork for a complete meal.
My Big Fat Greek Salad
Kim’s Cooking Now
A traditional Greek salad might be one of the most refreshing dishes out there, with a bright red-wine vinegar dressing and enhanced with feta cheese, Kalamata olives, and fresh oregano. While this salad is a vegetarian entrée all on its own, you can up the protein by adding chickpeas or serving with grilled shrimp or chicken.
Kale and Feta Salad
France C
Kale is one of those hearty greens that makes a salad truly satisfying. This version leans into sweet to temper the bitterness with apple and currants; the sweet nuttiness of pine nuts and salty feta round out the plate. Want to next-level this salad? Top it with grilled skirt steak.
Chopped Turkey Salad with Grapes
Kim
A leafy salad topped with a scoop of chicken or tuna salad is classic. This version swaps in a creamy turkey salad for a fun twist, and adds grapes for pops of sweetness.
Chorizo-Spiced Party-Sized Chopped Veggie Salad
Soup Loving Nicole
Chorizo, that spicy fresh Mexican sausage, is one of those flavor profiles that just sings. This fun chopped kale salad takes the flavors in that sausage and creates a salad dressing with all of the zing and none of the meat! Even better, this generous salad is ideal for a crowd, so bring it to your next summer potluck or BBQ.
Whole Plant Chopped Salad
Soup Loving Nicole
Sometimes you want a salad that will literally go with anything. This whole plant chopped salad is just what you are looking for, made of ingredients you can find easily all year long and enhanced with whatever your favorite dressing is!
Baja Salad
Baking Nana
Bring some Mexican-inspired flair to a basic salad with avocado, corn, black beans, and crispy tortilla chips; a lemon cumin dressing ties it all together. This is a complete meal on its own or a perfect side dish for fajita night!
Chef’s Salad with Grilled Chicken and Black Pepper Ranch
This restaurant staple is like a Cobb salad, but with cubed Cheddar instead of blue cheese. Chopped iceberg lettuce is supplemented with butter lettuce or your favorite greens, and tossed with a fresh herb dressing. Feel free to add your own flair, like cubed ham or sliced olives.
Salad Nicoise
LynnInHK
Transport yourself to the South of France and enjoy a cold plate of summer. This famous composed salad features canned tuna, anchovies, and olives, along with blanched green beans, new potatoes, and hard-cooked eggs.
