Healthy Recipes Healthy Salad Recipes 19 Side Salads You'll Want to Make Forever By Danielle DeAngelis Danielle DeAngelis Danielle DeAngelis is a journalist and Associate News & Trending Editor for EatingWell. Her current beat is focused on food and health news as well as exclusive celebrity features, regularly interviewing the top names of today’s entertainment industry. She previous worked as the 2022-23 fellow and as an assistant editor for the brand. Her passion for reading, writing and eating local all guide her in her position at EatingWell. EatingWell's Editorial Guidelines Published on October 28, 2022 Trending Videos Photo: Crystal Hughes If you're looking for a recipe to complement tonight's dinner, a side salad will add the perfect pop of color to your table. With four- and five-star ratings, these salads feature fresh and tasty produce that will please any palate. Recipes like our Sunomono (Japanese Cucumber Salad) and Simple Cabbage Salad are healthy, delicious and timeless. 01 of 19 Sunomono (Japanese Cucumber Salad) View Recipe Crystal Hughes This version of sunomono uses more readily available English or slicing cucumbers, but if you live near an Asian market you could substitute Japanese cucumbers. Some recipes call for salting the cucumbers first, but we found that squeezing them in paper towels removed enough excess moisture without adding additional sodium. This Japanese-inspired salad is cool, crisp and simply delicious. 02 of 19 Apple-Cranberry Spinach Salad with Goat Cheese View Recipe The tangy-sweet dressing in this spinach salad beautifully amplifies the apples and cranberries--and the creamy goat cheese transforms it into the perfect salad. Tasters raved about this easy fall salad. If you can't find Pink Lady apples, any sweet, crisp apple is a worthy substitute. Want to make this salad a main meal? Top with some rotisserie chicken, chickpeas or tofu. 03 of 19 Simple Cabbage Salad View Recipe Photography / Greg DuPree, Styling / Ruth BlackBurn / Julia Bayless Cabbage maintains a nice crunch when it's tossed with an easy dressing in this simple cabbage salad recipe. This easy salad is perfect for fall when cabbage is at its sweetest. 04 of 19 Loaded Broccoli Salad View Recipe Photographer / Brie Passano, Food Stylist / Annie Probst, Prop Stylist / Holly Raibikis This is the broccoli salad you will get special requests for. The combination of bacon, sour cream, mayonnaise, scallions and Cheddar is hard to resist. And the addition of rice vinegar or cider vinegar sharpens all the flavors. 05 of 19 Fall Chopped Salad with Spinach, Butternut Squash, Apples & Cheddar View Recipe Who says spinach salads are only for spring? Use autumn's tender crop of fresh spinach and other seasonal vegetables to make this fall salad with roasted butternut squash, apples, cheddar and pecans. This colorful and healthy salad would be a wonderful addition to your Thanksgiving menu, but there's no reason to save it for holidays--serve it along with chicken or pork for a healthy weeknight dinner, or turn it into a main course by adding some chickpeas or chopped chicken or turkey. 06 of 19 Beet Salad View Recipe Photographer / Victor Protasio, Food Stylist / Karen Rankin, Prop Stylist / Kay Clarke This simple beet salad recipe uses just a handful of ingredients to create a delightful side dish. Roasted beets add a sweet, earthy and aromatic flavor that shines in this side salad. 07 of 19 Cucumber & Avocado Salad View Recipe This healthy cucumber-avocado salad takes just five minutes to prep. Lime juice and fresh herbs boost the bright flavors in this crunchy and creamy salad that's a perfect side dish for grilled chicken, fish or steak. This recipe calls for an English cucumber, which doesn't have to be peeled, but regular cucumbers work well too--just peel them before slicing. 08 of 19 Pear, Gorgonzola & Walnut Salad View Recipe The light and refreshing vinaigrette in this side salad offsets the tangy funk of Gorgonzola and sweetness from the raisins and pears. Even better, this salad celebrates fall and has beautiful colors. Feel free to get creative with this salad: Add chicken to make it meal-worthy, choose a different nut or swap Bosc pears for your favorite variety. Be sure to wait to dress this salad until ready to serve or the greens will wilt. 09 of 19 Chopped Salad with Chickpeas, Olives & Feta View Recipe Kelsey Hansen This quick and easy chopped salad is inspired by the flavors of the Mediterranean, including chickpeas, cucumber and feta. A garlicky oil and vinegar dressing brings everything together. 10 of 19 Grilled Eggplant Salad View Recipe This easy grilled eggplant salad is the healthy side dish you'll want to serve all summer long. It comes together in just 25 minutes and can be served warm or at room temperature, so it's equally suited to casual parties and weeknight dinners. The combination of eggplant, cherry tomatoes, red peppers, red onions and fresh herbs makes for a salad that's full of bright flavors and colors. Serve it with grilled chicken or fish or as part of a vegetarian mezze platter with dips like hummus and pita bread. 11 of 19 Caesar Salad with Crispy Artichokes View Recipe Photographer / Jacob Fox, Food styling / Sue Mitchell, Food Styling / Kelsey Bulat This Caesar salad skips croutons in favor of cheesy pan-fried artichokes for an extra boost of vegetables and the same satisfying crunch. 12 of 19 Cucumber Vinegar Salad View Recipe Photographer / Antonis Achilleos, Prop Stylist / Kay Clarke, Food Stylist / Ruth Blackburn This cucumber vinegar salad has the perfect balance between sweet and sour flavors, plus a hint of fresh dill. The red onion adds nice crunch. Enjoy this salad right after you're done making it or store it away to snack on for later. 13 of 19 Broccoli-Bacon Salad View Recipe A picnic favorite, this salad combines broccoli, water chestnuts, cranberries and just a little bacon for delicious results. Our version has plenty of creaminess without all the fat. Make it once and it will become a regular on your backyard barbecue menu. 14 of 19 Orange & Avocado Salad View Recipe This colorful salad would be a welcome addition to a Mexican-inspired meal. 15 of 19 Apple, Fig & Brussels Sprouts Salad View Recipe Salad dressing made from sweet and mellow white balsamic vinegar balances out the assertive greens and Brussels sprouts in this healthy winter salad. If you have one handy, a small mandoline makes it easy to slice the Brussels and apple. To make it a dinner salad, top with shrimp or chicken. 16 of 19 Broccoli & Grape Salad View Recipe An unlikely pairing of grapes and broccoli creates an out-of-the-ordinary quick side dish. The sweet snappy bite of the grapes complements the crispy raw broccoli and onion, while the creamy dressing and toasted almonds pull it all together. Enjoy it for lunch or double the recipe for an easy potluck recipe everyone will love. 17 of 19 Avocado Caprese Salad View Recipe Photographer / Jennifer Causey, Food Stylist / Karen Rankin, Prop Stylist / Christine Keely This avocado caprese salad has all the flavors of a classic caprese salad with the addition of creamy avocado. The sweet and tangy balsamic dressing pulls everything together, with fresh basil adding a refreshing pop of color. Add capers for an even bigger flavor. 18 of 19 Roasted Butternut Squash & Pear Quinoa Salad View Recipe This roasted vegetable and fruit salad gets infused with flavor from quinoa that's cooked with fresh ginger, garlic and a hit of turmeric. Serve it alongside a roast chicken, then mix the leftovers together for lunch. Your future self will thank you. 19 of 19 Pineapple & Avocado Salad View Recipe This refreshing, simple Cuban salad recipe captures the flavors of the tropics. Serve alongside spiced chicken or pork, with rice and beans. 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