12 Green Salad Recipes, From Simple Sides to Hearty Mains

A selection of our favorite flavor-packed green salads.

For many, green salads are a thrown-together afterthought... and that's fine! No judgment! We've all been there. Perhaps you've expended most of your energy getting a laborious main course together, or maybe you just don't have enough time to begin with. Our advice? When in doubt, stick with the basics—maybe keep a nice, citrusy vinaigrette around for last-minute scenarios—but if you have the bandwidth, try branching out.

There are many incremental improvements you can make to up your salad game, like sourcing several kinds of fresh, crisp greens and fragrant herbs, whipping up a rich, creamy dressing, or baking off a sheet pan of sourdough anchovy croutons. Try mixing and matching to your heart's content or, for a more intentional approach, try one of these green salad recipes.

Roman-Inspired Mixed-Green Salad (Misticanza alla Romana)

Ditch the sad tubs of spring mix and make your own medley with the freshest stuff you can find: whole heads of lettuce, radicchio, herbs, dandelion greens, and more.

Get Recipe: Roman-Inspired Mixed-Green Salad (Misticanza alla Romana)

The Best Caesar Salad

Our take on this classic salad starts with romaine hearts, separated into whole leaves and a creamy dressing, seasoned with anchovy and Worcestershire. Perfectly seasoned croutons, which are tossed with garlic-infused olive oil before being baked, bring the whole dish together. If the romaine in the produce aisle isn't looking so great, check out Kenji's recipe for kale Caesar.

Get Recipe: The Best Caesar Salad

Warm Kale and Caramelized Mushroom Salad

This recipe starts by sautéing mushrooms over high heat and then finishing them with butter, shallot, and sherry. The heat of the mushrooms wilts and softens the greens slightly while offering a rich, earthy contrast to the bright, peppery kale and zingy dressing.

Get Recipe: Warm Kale and Caramelized Mushroom Salad

Tofu and Kale Salad With Avocado, Grapefruit, and Miso-Tahini Dressing

The combination of crispy tofu, creamy avocado, and fresh grapefruit gives this salad great texture and flavor contrast. The nutty miso dressing and tangy, herbal za'atar round out the flavors perfectly.

Get Recipe: Tofu and Kale Salad With Avocado, Grapefruit, and Miso-Tahini Dressing

Green Salad With Tomatoes, Scallions, and Toasted Kasha

This simple salad gets a boost from crispy toasted buckwheat, which adds an unexpected aromatic element and a crunchy pop.

Get Recipe: Green Salad With Tomatoes, Scallions, and Toasted Kasha

Fully Loaded Iceberg Wedge Salad

Sure, this awesome combination of iceberg, bacon bits, diced tomato, and blue cheese dressing is a "salad," but it's hard not to think that someone, somewhere made a categorization error. The savory intensity of the toppings also makes the wedge a delicious outlier in the salad universe.

Get Recipe: The Fully Loaded Iceberg Wedge Salad

Puntarelle Alla Romana (Puntarelle Salad With Anchovy and Garlic Dressing)

In this classic Roman dish, crisp, juicy shreds of puntarelle are tossed with a potent anchovy- and garlic-heavy dressing.

Get Recipe: Puntarelle Alla Romana Recipe (Puntarelle Salad With Anchovy and Garlic Dressing)

Kale Salad With Oven-Dried Grapes, Toasted Walnuts, and Blue Cheese

Blue cheese, dried fruit, and nuts are a classic combination of flavors, but plump, juicy oven-dried grapes make this salad truly extraordinary.

Get Recipe: Kale Salad With Oven-Dried Grapes, Toasted Walnuts, and Blue Cheese

Tabbouleh Salad

Tabbouleh is a delicious combination of chopped parsley, mint, scallions tomatoes, bulgur wheat, olive oil, and lemon juice. Some of you may be thinking this is not a "green salad," but the vibes (and the color) say other wise.

Get Recipe: The Best Tabbouleh Salad

Chinese Spinach and Peanut Salad

Like many Chinese salads, this recipe features lightly cooked vegetables. The spinach is blanched ever so briefly, and then wrung out. The result is a flavorful and vibrantly colored spinach salad, studded with rich, crunchy fried peanuts and tossed with a garlicky and tart dressing.

Get Recipe: Chinese Spinach and Peanut Salad

Spring Vegetable and Arugula Salad With Labne and Cucumbers

Kenj's ode to spring produce is lightly dressed with a mustardy vinaigrette, studded with fresh mozzarella, and served atop a spoonful of labne that's been spread on each plate and drizzled with olive oil.

Get Recipe: Spring Vegetable and Arugula Salad With Labne and Cucumbers

The Un-Composed (i.e., Best) Niçoise Salad

This "homestyle" Niçoise is a perfect summer green salad entrée. As with the spring vegetable number above, this recipe is rather light on salad greens, but torn basil leaves and crisp-tender haricots verts pick up the slack.

Get Recipe: The Un-Composed (i.e., Best) Niçoise Salad

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