29 Main Dish Salads That Won’t Leave You Hungry
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Though often considered a side dish, salads can be entrée-worthy. But to earn the title “main dish salad,” the greens in question must hit several marks. A dinnertime salad should be thoughtful, considered; could you add grilled chicken to a Caesar salad and call it a day? Sure, but where’s the fun in that?
To be considered a main course, the salad should have protein, but it doesn’t have to be meat. Seared steak and roast chicken are great, but canned black beans, a boiled egg, tinned fish, and whole grains can also tap in. Lettuce doesn’t necessarily have to be involved, but it must include some vegetables, either raw or cooked—and they can be hot off the stove or chilled. A meal-worthy salad should also include some hearty mix-ins such as fruit (below, you’ll see dates, citrus, tomato, and more), nuts and seeds, and bold cheeses like feta or blue. Of course, many salads are only as good as their salad dressing, and you’ll find way more than vinaigrette in these recipes.
Photograph by Elliott Jerome Brown Jr., food styling by Thu Buser, prop styling by Sean Dooley1/29Roasted Cauliflower Salad With Feta And Dates
This main dish salad comes together on a sheet pan in the oven, because no one said it has to be in a bowl to be salad. This is a vegetarian main, but who says you can’t add some shredded rotisserie chicken or a tin of tuna?
Photo by Travis Rainey, Food Styling by Rebecca Jurkevich, Prop Styling by Linden Elstran2/29Crispy Rice Salad With Spicy Tahini Dressing
Pucks of pan-fried rice, edamame, and assorted vegetables add heft and vibrancy to this satiating salad. It’s tossed in a rich tahini and chili crisp dressing we can’t get enough of.
Photo by Travis Rainey, Food Styling by Micah Marie Morton, Prop Styling by Gerri Williams3/29Quinoa-Bean Salad With Lots of Dill
This dense bean and quinoa salad has a filling Greek yogurt dressing and is stable enough to hold for days in the fridge. It calls for arugula, but any tender greens will do.
Photo by Elliott Jerome Brown Jr, Food Styling by Emilie Fosnocht, Prop Styling by Christina Allen4/29Happy Fridge Salad
Photograph by Aaron Barton, food styling by Michelle Gatton, prop styling by Alexandra Massillon5/29Maple-and-Bacon Fall Chopped Salad
This autumnal salad was inspired by the flavors of a composed Cobb salad with the convenience of a fork-only chopped salad. Hard-boiled eggs, bacon, and cheddar lend heft. (Swap the walnuts for pecans or almonds if you prefer.)
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Taneka Morris, Prop Styling by Tim Ferro6/29Just-Keeps-Getting-Better Lentil Salad
Make this hearty lentil salad for a weeknight dinner this week, then pack it up for the next couple days for a not-sad-desk-lunch. (PS: No lentils in the pantry? Swap in any canned white bean.)
Photograph by Elizabeth Coetzee, Food Styling by Sean Dooley, Prop Styling by Christina Allen7/29Creamy Tahini Chicken Salad
Photograph by Travis Rainey, Food Styling by Emilie Fosnocht8/29Green Bean and Farro Picnic Salad
Because two cheeses are better than one, this summer salad has both bocconcini and Parmesan.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Mieko Takahashi9/29Sheet-Pan Halloumi With Avocado and Citrus
Inspired by the Middle Eastern bread salad fattoush, this sheet pan salad—with chunks of halloumi, pita, citrus, and avocado—gets coated with a simple honey and lime dressing.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, food styling by Emilie Fosnocht, prop styling by Sean Dooley10/29Bob’s Chicken and Cabbage Salad
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Emilie Fosnocht, Prop Styling by Emma Ringness11/29Fiery Red Curry Chicken Salad
Store-bought red curry paste and rotisserie chicken help this salad come together fast enough to impress weeknight dinner guests without tiring the host.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Thu Buser, Prop Styling by Christina Allen12/29Herby Salmon and Potato Salad
Roasted potatoes and salmon get the salad treatment here—jarred, marinated artichokes add texture without needing a salad spinner.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, food styling by Thu Buser, prop styling by Christina Allen13/29Smoky Chicken and Avocado Kale Salad
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Micah Morton, Prop Styling by Sean Dooley14/29Steakhouse Salad With Balsamic and Blue Cheese
Photograph by Isa Zapata, food styling by Emilie Fosnocht, prop styling by Gerri Williams15/29Antipasto Niçoise
Antipasto gets the niçoise salad treatment in this Mediterranean mash-up. Plus, it’s riffable: Can’t find asparagus? Swap in green beans or pre-cooked beets. No Parmesan? Grab mozzarella or goat cheese.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, food styling by Emilie Fosnocht, prop styling by Gerri Williams16/29Halal Cart Chicken Salad
What do you get when you toss seasoned rotisserie chicken, salted cherry tomatoes and red onions, and pita chips over wedges of crunchy iceberg lettuce with a yogurt-mayo dressing? A salad better than the sum of its parts.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, food styling by Kaitlin Wayne, prop styling by Stephanie De Luca17/29Chicken Noodle Salad With Spicy Peanut Sauce
With poached chicken, bouncy noodles, and crunchy veg, this salty, spicy, texturally rich dish is pretty much the opposite of a modest green salad, and for that, we are grateful.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Thu Buser, Prop Styling by Beth Pakradooni18/29Warm Chicken Piccata Salad
Photograph by Isa Zapata, food styling by Kaitlin Wayne, prop styling by Stephanie De Luca19/29Hot-Smoked Salmon Noodle Salad
Hot-smoked salmon and karashi (hot Japanese mustard) set this dish apart from the other composed salads.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, food styling by Pearl Jones, prop styling by Nicole Louie20/29Broken Lasagna Pasta Salad
Unctuous from nutritional yeast and herbs, this surprisingly vegan pasta salad gets even better after it’s left to marinate for a few hours.
Photograph by Emma Fishman, food styling by Caroline Hwang, prop styling by Elizabeth Jaime21/29Crunchy Ramen Noodle Salad With Cabbage
“I thought this recipe was exclusive to the mom community of suburban Massachusetts,” writes former BA editor Hilary Cadigan, who grew up eating it at neighborhood BBQs and potluck picnics in the ’90s. Little did she know colleague Shilpa Uskokovic was enjoying a near-identical version at family parties in Chennai, India.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Pearl Jones, Prop Styling by Beth Pakradooni22/29Laotian-Style Chicken and Rice Salad
Crunchy, spicy, sour, and bright, this weeknight-friendly version of the Naem Khao at Thip Khao in Washington, DC, brings restaurant vibes to the home kitchen.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Taneka Morris, Prop Styling by Dayna Seman23/29Italian Grinder Salad
Photograph by Isa Zapata, food styling by Pearl Jones and Thu Buser, prop styling by Sean Dooley24/29Lemon Pepper Chicken Salad
Transform cookout classic lemon pepper chicken into a satisfying salad that comes together in just 20 minutes. (Also a great use for grill-night leftovers.)
Photograph by Julian Cousins, Food styling by Adriana Paschen25/29Radicchio, Bean, and Feta Salad
Marinate any canned white bean (like cannellini, navy, or Great Northern) in a citrusy dressing, then toss with bitter veg and creamy feta.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Taneka Morris, Prop Styling by Dayna Seman26/29Crispy Chickpea and Cucumber Salad
Seeded crackers work like croutons in this crunchy warm-weather-friendly dinner salad. Add one more layer of satisfying richness by serving it on a bed of whipped tofu or strained yogurt.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Taneka Morris, Prop Styling by Dayna Seman27/29Som-Tam-Style Chicken Salad
Photograph by Emma Fishman, food styling by Caroline Hwang, prop styling by Elizabeth Jaime.28/29Creamy Coconutty Shrimp Salad
Photograph by Emma Fishman, food styling by Caroline Hwang, prop styling by Elizabeth Jaime.29/29Summer Goddess Chicken Salad
This summery chicken, corn, and green bean salad is ready to take its turn on the main dish salads roster. Store-bought crispy shallots add a savory crisp finish, but you can make your own fried shallots if you’re feeling ambitious.