A delicious mix of crisp green salads, light creamy favorites, refreshing sweet fruit and more, all perfect for summer eating without turning up the heat.
Summer is around the corner, and with that brings the desire to be outside, and to use the stove top less because it’s so dang hot! In this collection, I’ve compiled a number of salads that are refreshing, balanced, and practical. Most of these are fresh and healthy, so you’re not left feeling heavy after eating, and can feel good about what you’ve put on your plate. I did include a few creamy and slightly decadent pasta salads for those cheat meal days (hello Tortellini Salad), but I wanted to focus mainly on creating well rounded recipes that hit the spot. From classic fresh greens to flavor forward with an international twist, like my Thai Beef Salad, there’s a little something for whatever you’re craving. These salads are easy to prepare, great to make ahead, and perfect for a quick lunch, or a relaxed backyard dinner. Who knew that salad could actually be filling?
30+ Summer Salads for Warm Weather
With so many salads to choose from, you’ll never tire from eating salad all summer long.
Cobb Salad is the perfect refreshing lunch with crunchy lettuce, creamy avocados, and it has plenty of protein with chicken breast, bacon, and boiled eggs.
Avocado Tomato Corn Salad is the perfect side dish with creamy avocados, fresh tomatoes, crisp cucumbers, and corn all tossed in a zesty lemon dressing.
Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad with just a handful of ingredients will be the most popular side dish at your summer bbq events and picnics!
Tortellini Salad
This easy Tortellini Salad is the best Italian pasta salad! Cheese tortellini, black olives, mozzarella cheese, and pepperoni in a simple Italian dressing.
There’s a little bit of everything with this collection, allowing you to build a meal that is fresh, balanced, and exciting. From leafy classics and bold Southwest flavors, to vegetarian options and hearty protein based salads, something is here for every appetite. You’ll find variety with my Asian inspired recipes, and a bright delectable tang with the fruit focused section. Finally, when you want to indulge, the pasta salads deliver comfort and crowd pleasing flavor. And once you’ve mastered the art of the salad, hop on over to 20+ Healthy Lunch Bowl Ideas to really level up your cooking game. You’ll see a few familiar faces from this collection, but the additional recipes there will open up many more delicious possibilities!
About the Author: Sabrina Snyder
Sabrina is a professionally trained Private Chef of over 10 years with ServSafe Manager certification in food safety. She creates all the recipes here on Dinner, then Dessert, fueled in no small part by her love for bacon.
Sabrina Snyder is a professionally trained personal and private chef of over 10 years who is the creator and developer of all the recipes on Dinner, then Dessert.
She is also the author of the cookbook Dinner, then Dessert – Satisfying Meals Using Only 3, 5 or 7 Ingredients, published by Harper Collins.
She started Dinner, then Dessert as a business in her office as a lunch service for her coworkers who admired her lunches before going to culinary school and becoming a full time personal chef and private chef.
As a personal chef Sabrina would cook for families one day a week and cook their entire week of dinners. All grocery shopping, cooking and cleaning was done along with instructions on reheating. As a private chef she cooked for private parties and cooked in family homes in the evenings for families on a nightly basis after working as a personal chef during the day.
Sabrina has been certified as a ServSafe Manager since 2007 and was a longstanding member of the USPCA Personal Chef Association including being on the board of the Washington DC Chapter of Chefs in the US Personal Chef Association when they won Chapter of the year.
As a member of the community of food website creators Sabrina Snyder has spoken at many conferences regarding her experiences as a food writer including the Indulge Food Conference, Everything Food Conference, Haven Food Conference and IACP Annual Food Professionals Conference.
Sabrina lives with her family in sunny California.
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These recipes all look delicious. I can’t wait to try them. Thanks for sharing these Sabrina.
You’re welcome, Beverly. Can’t wait to hear how it goes.