21 Salads That Eat Like a Meal

"Both beautiful in presentation and taste, this salad uses fresh berries in summer (strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, or blackberries), and orange segments in winter. Any time of year this composed salad will bring rave reviews." — Karena

Grilled steak and boiled potatoes top mixed baby salad greens and cherry tomatoes. A homemade vinaigrette ties it all together.

This broccoli salad with a tangy mayo dressing is easy to make and a great way to use up leftover grilled chicken. "This was the perfect warm-weather meal," says pixiestix.

This simple salad features shrimp, avocado, tomato, and sweet onions with fresh-squeezed lime juice. "Nice on a hot day," says RCRENFRO.

Salad greens, onions, and tomatoes are topped with seasoned black beans, corn, and grilled chicken. "Great for a quick and easy meal! I grilled my chicken, versus pan frying, and used a homemade fajita seasoning," says Jillian.

"This is a colorful and very tasty mix of chicken, mangos, and avocados in a spicy lime dressing," says GREENLIME.

"This tasty salad with Japanese buckwheat noodles is both quick and healthy; great for lunch or dinner. Most larger supermarkets have buckwheat soba noodles in the Asian food section," says donrmath.

You'll toss seasoned ground turkey with black beans, lettuce, tomato, tortilla chips, and dressing. "This is an easy recipe that my Grandmother always made. It is simple and delicious. A sprinkle of cheddar cheese is a great topping," says Jennifer.

"This easy to prepare noodle salad has plenty of seeds, nuts, greens, chicken, and vegetables," says Xing Jin.

Strips of grilled teriyaki chicken breasts are served with salad greens, a spicy tomato-jalapeno salsa, chunks of pineapple, and a quick honey-mustard vinaigrette. "This made a surprisingly delicious and satisfying dinner," says Christine W.

"All the flavors of summer are packed into this arugula and strawberry salad," says France C. "Perfect for a light dinner on those days you don't want to heat up the house using the oven. Use any mild-flavored oil for the dressing and your favorite seasoning on the chicken. Feel free to divide the ingredients between four large bowls instead of arranging on a platter."

"This is by far the best summer salad I have ever made! You can adjust the amount of spice, depending on your preference by adding more or less jalapeno and Cajun seasoning," says Jenny in WA. "The salsa verde makes a big enough batch that you can have more for dipping chips later. It is a great low-fat, all-in-one meal. This dish can also be topped with crushed tortilla chips if desired."

Quinoa combines with a simple dressing of lime juice, olive oil, diced tomatoes and green chiles, and garbanzo beans. You'll finish the salad with chopped cilantro, cubed avocados, and crumbled cotija cheese. "I've made this twice and can eat the whole bowl all by myself. It's really fresh tasting even though it uses two canned items," says Chris P.

"Having recently adopted a vegetarian diet, this recipe has perfect ingredients and it is a keeper. It is delicious and easy to prepare," says Closet Chef.

"Unfortunately, I think the name of this recipe is a little misleading and doesn't do the dish justice," says naples34102. "I made a main dish of it. I also chose to serve it hot rather than chilled. I sauteed the chicken and zucchini separately, adding fresh minced garlic salt and pepper."

Marinated beef is seared and served atop a crisp lettuce and cucumber salad bursting with fresh Thai flavors. "I couldn't believe how good this recipe turned out to be!" says HelenHW. "So easy, too. I made it two days in a row."

"This French-inspired salad makes a delightful summer dish. You can dress it up with other garden vegetables like corn, blanched broccoli, cauliflower, and asparagus," recipe submitter Bob Cody says.

"Delicious. Honestly one of the best I've had in quite a while. The flavors go so well together — the peppery arugula the sweet and tangy peaches and the grilled chicken," says France C. "Yum."

"Easy, delicious, and healthy!" raves AEM Boston. " I like walnuts more than pine nuts; they tasted great, as well. This recipe makes a very large bowl. And such an easy cleanup!" 

"This one is one of my favorite main-dish salads, featuring sweet and smoky grilled shrimp and a cilantro vinaigrette," says Kim's Cooking Now. "I love to make main-dish salads in the summertime and serve them with some crusty bread and a nice glass of wine!

"Perfect for a hot summer day: Cool cucumbers with chilled chicken are topped with a spicy peanut sauce," says recipe creator Baking Nana. "Adjust the spice level by adjusting the sambal."