12 unique salad recipes to assemble this weekend

Half Sour Cucumber Salad in white bowl against patterned cucumber backdrop — Photo: Allison Robicelli, Graphic: Rebecca Fassola

One of the best things about salad is its versatility. You want it as an appetizer? That works. A side? That’s good too. And of course, salads make great one-bowl meals that don’t involve a lot of cleanup—because now that we’re in peak summer season, you have better places to be than hanging out over your sink. We’ve wrangled our favorite salad recipes from our archives to give you plenty of ideas for your next meal, all of which will leave you satisfied and refreshed.

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German Gnocchi Potato Salad

Meet summer’s latest side dish. (Yes, potato salad is still salad, thank you very much!) This recipe for German Gnocchi Potato Salad uses potato gnocchi in place of the traditional potatoes, meaning there is no troublesome peeling, slicing, and cooking of spuds involved. Instead, packaged gnocchi takes only about three minutes to cook in salted water, leaving you free to go about your other summer duties, like basking in the sun. Get the recipe for German Gnocchi Potato Salad here.

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Half-Sour Cucumber Salad

This salad is essentially a bowlful of pickles—what’s not to love? Making your own pickles rather than buying tubs or jars of them will save you a good deal of money, and it’s a great way to use up garden produce. But if you do spring for store-bought, the salad will still add a delightful pop of acidity to your meal, and the vinegar-soaked onions provide a burst of summery color. Get the recipe for Half-Sour Cucumber Salad here.

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Seared Endive & Grapefruit Salad

Endive is a bitter vegetable, but that bitterness can be balanced out beautifully by citrus fruit and an acidic vinaigrette. This Seared Endive & Grapefruit Salad certainly tastes like a big to-do, but in reality, it comes together in about 15 minutes. Make this as a work-from-home lunch, then save the leftovers for dinner. This is one of those salads that manages to get even better when it sits around for a while. Get the recipe for Seared Endive & Grapefruit Salad here.

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Ramen Noodle Salad

Have you ever had Ramen Salad? The kind that uses dry noodles from a package of instant ramen? You’ll find iterations of this dish at Midwestern picnics now and then, and every version combines uncooked noodles, a bag of cole slaw mix, nuts, and, if you’re so inclined, chicken and orange slices. And don’t worry, that ramen seasoning packet doesn’t go to waste; it gets mixed in with the dressing. Get the recipe for Ramen Noodle Salad here.

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Som Tum–Inspired Cabbage Salad

While green papaya isn’t readily available at many grocery stores across America, we’ve come up with an easier substitution to suit your Thai salad cravings: Cabbage. We pair this with a som tum-inspired dressing, using lime juice and fish sauce to create a flavor combination so appealing you’ll want to slurp it up by the spoonful. Pair it with a protein like chicken or tofu, and you have yourself a meal. Get the recipe for Som Tum–inspired Cabbage Salad here.

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Breakfast Salad

green salad in white bowl with egg on top — Breakfast salad

Hear us out, because we’ve got something controversial to say. Ready? You can have salad for breakfast. It’s fine! In fact, given all the richness that bacon fat brings to greens, it’s more than fine. This breakfast salad is an adaptation of one of Michael Ruhlman’s recipes, and it has all the breakfast staples, like eggs and bacon, along with peppery watercress to liven them up. If you’ve ever considered cold pizza a suitable breakfast, there’s no reason salad can’t occasionally make the cut too. Get the recipe for Breakfast Salad here.

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Mantou Panzanella

When people hear the word “salad,” it’s easy to forget that it’s not always just a plate of greens. Panzanella is a great example of a salad built around an ingredient that isn’t plucked straight from the garden. In Mantou Panzanella, rustic croutons are swapped out for mantou, a steamed Chinese bun, plus sliced cucumbers and a vinegar dressing mixed with five spice powder. It all results in a lunch you’ll never get tired of, guaranteed. Get the recipe for Mantou Panzanella here.

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BLT Salad With Worcestershire Vinaigrette

BLT Salad elements on white background — BLT Salad

Now and then, you want a little bit of bacon. Okay, maybe a lot of bacon. To alleviate any kind of guilt you might have for simply eating a bowl of crispy smoked pork belly, here’s a BLT salad recipe that has plenty of lettuce and tomatoes in it to balance things out. Instead of mayonnaise, we’ve opted for a bold Worcestershire sauce dressing to supplement those meaty flavors you get with the bacon. Get the recipe for BLT Salad here.

10 / 14

Honeydew Salad

illustration of honeydew on lettuce — Graphic: Allison Corr

It’s not exactly that honeydew has a bad rap—it’s that it doesn’t have much of a rap at all. We wanted to do right by this neglected fruit, so we’ve given the green melon its own starring role in Honeydew Salad, a leafy meal that uses both fresh and pickled melon to bring out a variety of flavors. The melon’s edible seeds are toasted and repurposed into a crunchy topping, and the whole thing is topped with the crumbly cheese of your choice and tossed in a simple vinaigrette. It’s a perfectly satisfying salad that uses a sweet ingredient in a fun new way. Get the recipe for Honeydew Salad here.

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Radish Salad With Brown Butter Dressing

Radish Salad on white plate against sunlit sky — Radish Salad

Bold, peppery radishes can be a little polarizing. So this Radish Salad focuses on radishes when they’re at their best: it’s a mountain of tasty greens topped with cooked roots, tossed with creamy butter vinaigrette made extra flavorful thanks to brown butter and some very good salt. This is a great lunch for one, and doesn’t take much time to put together. It’s the sort of salad that you can keep on your desk (or the coffee table) and pick at all afternoon long. Get the recipe for Radish Salad here.

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Beet, Feta, And Walnut Salad

beet illustration on gingham tablecloth background — Graphic: Libby McGuire

Freshly roasted beets do take a little bit of patience and a bit of messy peeling, but in the end, they really sing when paired with some acid and fat. This recipe for Beet, Feta, and Walnut Salad lets the root vegetables take center stage with an easy dressing of lemon juice and olive oil. With just the cheese and nuts added in, this is a simple and satisfying meal that has plenty of vitamins, even if we can never remember which ones. Get the recipe for Beet, Feta, and Walnut Salad here.

13 / 14

Haloumi And Sweet Potato Salad

Haloumi is a brined cheese with a chewy texture. It’s commonly served pan-fried to give it some heft and flavor, and in this Haloumi And Sweet Potato Salad, haloumi cubes are used like croutons to bring substance to the overall dish. This recipe, from Peas, Love and Carrots by Danielle Renov, marries the salty cheese with a sweet dried blueberry vinaigrette, resulting in a robust salad that’s fit to make a great meal all on its own. Get the recipe for Haloumi And Sweet Potato Salad here.

12 salad recipes to add to this weekend’s menu

12 salad recipes to add to this weekend’s menu

Start drawing up a grocery list—you'll want to try one of these salads for dinner tonight.

German Gnocchi Potato Salad

German Gnocchi Potato Salad

Half-Sour Cucumber Salad

Half-Sour Cucumber Salad

Seared Endive & Grapefruit Salad

Seared Endive & Grapefruit Salad

Ramen Noodle Salad

Ramen Noodle Salad

Som Tum–Inspired Cabbage Salad

Som Tum–Inspired Cabbage Salad

Breakfast Salad

Breakfast Salad

Mantou Panzanella

Mantou Panzanella

BLT Salad With Worcestershire Vinaigrette

BLT Salad With Worcestershire Vinaigrette

Honeydew Salad

Honeydew Salad

Radish Salad With Brown Butter Dressing

Radish Salad With Brown Butter Dressing

Beet, Feta, And Walnut Salad

Beet, Feta, And Walnut Salad

Haloumi And Sweet Potato Salad

Haloumi And Sweet Potato Salad