If you are like me, you are always looking for something a bit more on the lighter side to enjoy for your lunch. Lunch doesn’t have to be a sandwich or a bowl of soup. Lunch doesn’t have to be boring and hum-drum either. Salads are an exciting alternative to the ubiquitous sandwich and can be quite filling. They can be quite healthy also, depending on the dressing involved. My motto is “I have never met a salad I didn’t fall in love with.” Salad for lunch? It’s a good thing! Here are my favourite salad recipes for lunch!
Sunflower Crunch Salad Recipes
Forget those packaged salad options that you can find in abundance at the shops. Why settle for something which is often over-priced, less than tasty, and, more often than not, a tad bit disappointing? Sunflower Crunch Salad makes for a delicious option! What’s more, by making it yourself, you can know exactly what is in your salad with no preservatives or nasties added, not to mention control the freshness of the ingredients involved. All-natural, fresh colours and flavours and plenty of crunch with a delicious apple cider dressing. This salad packs in plenty of nutrition and fibre. It also counts as more than one of your five a day. The fact that it is also incredibly tasty is a happy bonus!
Buffalo Chicken Alternative
Do you love the rich, spicy flavours of Buffalo Wings? If so, then you are simply going to adore this fabulously tasty salad! This is a salad that incorporates all those delicious flavours into one fabulously tasty bowl. With plenty of crisp romaine lettuce, creamy sliced avocado, crisp vegetables, moist and juicy buffalo spiced grilled chicken, it has lots going for it. Add a rich and creamy blue cheese dressing and this salad makes for a fabulously tasty lunchtime option! Its great to enjoy at home, but also works well as a carry along salad to bring to work or school. Just pack that wonderfully tangy and tasty dressing into a separate container on the side. Lunchtime never tasted so good!
BLT Egg Salad Recipes
Love all the yumminess of a BLT sandwich, or an Egg Salad Sandwich, but not wanting to eat all of that bread? Solve the bread problem with this BLT Egg salad which combines all the flavours and goodness of those two very popular sandwiches into one very delicious salad! This wonderful salad combines all of the rich creaminess of your favourite egg salad with the salty moreishness of crisp bacon, crunchy romaine lettuce, and sweet ripe tomatoes. I can promise you that once you tuck into this tasty delight, you won’t ever miss the bread! Served on a bed of crisp lettuce leaves it always goes down a real treat!
Mexican Chopped Salad
One of my absolute favourite salads to make is this wonderfully tasty Mexican Chopped Salad. I absolutely love Tex Mex flavours, and this salad is filled with them. With plenty of fresh crunch and a tangy Lime & Honey Dressing, it is a real family favourite. The salad itself is a mix of wonderful tastes and textures. Meaty black beans, crisp zucchini, sweet corn, chopped peppers, red onions, cilantro, and sweet romaine make a beautiful combination and base for that wonderful tangy, sweet, and spicy dressing. Top with a few corn chips to add even more interest and additional crunch and texture. Ole!
Mediterranean Pasta Salad Recipes
The health sector is promoting the benefits of eating a Mediterranean diet these days, so you can’t do much better for yourself than having a delicious Mediterranean Pasta Salad for your lunch. With its pretty colours and abundance of crisp vegetables, this is a salad that packs a mighty nutritional punch. With this, you get a salad hosting plenty of colour, taste, and texture with meaty and ripe Kalamata olives, crisp cucumber, sweet cherry tomatoes, sharp red onions, and farfalle pasta. Tossed together in a zesty Mediterranean herb lemon and olive oil dressing, it is always well received. Why not go whole hog and crumble some delicious Greek feta cheese on top for the win! Besides, it looks so good you could swear it’s right out of a magazine article or off an influencer’s food blog!
Asian Chicken Salad Recipe
Are you a fan of Asian flavours? I am, and I just adore this Asian Chicken Salad recipe. Not only does it pack a hefty nutritional wallop, but it is filled with plenty of crunch, colour, and beautiful textures! Its also a salad that you can make up to a day in advance without the garnish and dressing. Simply assemble everything together, cover and chill until you are ready to serve. You can dress and garnish the salad just prior to serving it. This also makes it perfect for a take along lunch. Two kinds of cabbage, spring onions, crisp lettuce, sweet mandarins, sharp scallions, and poached chicken are tossed together with a sweet Asian vinaigrette dressing and the crunch of a toasted almond and seed topping. What more could you ask for?
Broccoli Salad
This bright, colourful, and exceptionally tasty Broccoli Salad is a salad that you can enjoy all year round. It is a salad which boasts an abundance of flavours and textures in a sweet and tangy dressing! Fresh broccoli is one of those vegetables that is always easy to find no matter the time of year. It’s wonderful cooked, of course, but it is equally as wonderful when presented in this ever-popular salad. Crunchy bright green broccoli florets, salty smoked bacon, sharp red onion, and toasted cashew nuts and that delicious dressing make for a fresh and fabulously easy to make salad that is sure to please everyone! I can never get enough of this! Its so simple and yet it is incredibly tasty! This is always a winner/winner!
Mix It All Together…
And you know you’ve got the best of all worlds! A quick and delicious lunch that is full of delicious and healthy ingredients, but also the refreshing taste of home-cooked meals. All that wrapped nicely in an assortment of salad recipes you can pack and take with you! Let me know which ones are your all-time favourites in the comments below!
Marie Rayner is a retired Chef, freelance writer, recipe developer, food blogger, and Cookbook author. She makes her home in Chester, UK, where she lives with her husband, Todd, and their much beloved English Cocker, Mitzie. Her motto is “Life is far too short to eat bad food,” and her goal is to share delicious and easy recipes which anyone can enjoy and cook in the comfort of their own home.
10 Dinner Recipes For The Whole Family