How To Make Good Salad

From Sad to SUPER here is an ultimate guide to make a good salad that you will actually appreciate and eat.

Estimated reading time: 7 minutes

• Dressing: The Soul of Your Salad
• Assembling Your Salad
• My Tried and True Tips

Let’s face it, we’ve all been there: a limp, uninspired salad that tastes dull and boring. A well-constructed salad is a symphony of textures, flavours, and nutrients that can stand proudly as the star of your plate.

With a few key principles, smart ingredients, and pro techniques, you can transform your boring salads into a sexy dish.

Here are my few key tips on how to make a good salad.

Beyond Iceberg: The Green Foundation:

While iceberg has its place, the world of greens is vast and exciting! Don’t limit yourself.

• Choose Wisely: Opt for crisp, vibrant greens and firm, unblemished vegetables. If your greens are wilting in the store, they’ll only get worse at home.
• Wash and Dry Thoroughly: Wet greens lead to soggy salads and diluted dressings. A salad spinner is your best friend here. If you don’t have one, lay greens on a clean kitchen towel and gently roll them to absorb excess moisture.

The Supporting Cast: Vegetables

This is where you bring in colour, crunch, and a wealth of nutrients. Think beyond the usual suspects. Roasting or grilling some vegetables adds a fantastic depth of flavour and sweetness that raw veggies can’t replicate.

The Protein Choices: Making it a Meal

To make your salad truly satisfying and filling, add a good source of protein.

The Fat Factor: Healthy and Flavourful

Don’t shy away from healthy fats – they add richness, satiety, and help your body absorb fat-soluble vitamins.

• Avocado: Creamy, delicious, and full of healthy fats.
• Nuts: Almonds, walnuts, pecans, pistachios. Toast them lightly for enhanced flavour.
• Seeds: Pumpkin seeds (pepitas), sunflower seeds, chia seeds, flax seeds.
• Cheese: Crumbled feta, goat cheese, blue cheese, shaved Parmesan, fresh mozzarella balls (bocconcini). Choose high-quality cheeses.

The X-Factor: Texture & Zing!

These are the elements that elevate your salad from good to gourmet.

• Croutons: Homemade are always superior to store-bought! Toss bread cubes with olive oil, salt, pepper, and herbs, then bake or pan-fry until golden.
• Fresh Herbs: A handful of fresh parsley, cilantro, mint, basil, or dill can completely transform the flavor profile. Don’t underestimate their power.
• Dried Fruit: Cranberries, cherries, apricots – adds a touch of sweetness.
• Something Pickled: Pickled red onions, jalapeños, or even capers add a wonderful tang and cut through richness.
• Sprouts: Alfalfa, clover, mung bean , or broccoli sprouts add a delicate crunch and extra nutrients.
• Microgreens like radish, mustard or watercress make a salad more nutritious.

Dressing: The Soul of Your Salad

Dressing binds the salad together. Ditch the store-bought bottles that are often loaded with sugar and unhealthy oils. Making your own dressing is incredibly easy and tastes infinitely better.

Here are my few tips related to salad dressing:

• Whisk Vigorously: Or shake in a jar until emulsified.
• Taste and Adjust: Always taste your dressing before adding it to the salad. Does it need more acid? More salt? A touch of sweetness?
• Dress Lightly: It’s better to add less and add more later. You don’t want to drown your beautiful ingredients.
• Dress Right Before Serving: Especially for delicate greens, to prevent sogginess.

Assembling Your Salad

Don’t just dump everything in a bowl! Thoughtful layering is the highlight of a good salad.

1. Greens First: Create a bed of your chosen greens.
2. Hardier Veggies: Add your chopped cucumbers, carrots, bell peppers, etc.
3. Proteins & Fats: Distribute your chicken, chickpeas, avocado, nuts, and cheese evenly.
4. Delicate Items & Garnish: Add cherry tomatoes, fresh herbs, croutons, or crispy onions last so they don’t get crushed.
5. Drizzle & Toss: Drizzle with dressing just before serving. Use tongs to gently toss, ensuring every ingredient gets a light coating.

My Tried and True Tips

• Prep Ahead: Wash and dry your greens, chop your harder vegetables, cook your proteins, and make your dressing in advance. Store components separately in airtight containers in the fridge. This makes assembly quick and easy.
• Mason Jar Salads : Practical, fun way to meal prep salads. When ready to eat, just shake and pour into a bowl. Perfect for packed lunches!
• Warm Components: Add a warm element like roasted pumpkin , grilled chicken, or warm grains (quinoa, farro) for a more substantial and comforting salad.
• Think Beyond the Bowl: Salads can be served on platters, in lettuce cups, or even as wraps.
• Theme Your Salad: Get inspired by global cuisines! A Mediterranean salad with feta, olives, and cucumber; an Asian-inspired salad with sesame dressing and mandarin oranges; a Mexican salad with black beans, corn, and avocado.
• Don’t Fear Leftovers: If you have leftover roasted vegetables, grains, or cooked protein, they are prime candidates for tomorrow’s salad.

Salad Recipes

• Avocado Salad
• Pineapple Salad
• Kale Apple Salad
• Herb Potato Salad
• Green Barley Salad
• Green Papaya Salad
• Greek Orzo Pasta Salad
• Korean Cucumber Salad

Get all my Salad Recipes here and you can watch the videos on Instagram .

My new cookbook, 40 Healthy Salad Recipes , is here! Packed with vegetarian, wholesome recipes, videos, and useful tips for making the best salads.

We follow a strict NO SPAM Policy

Tired of sad salad lunches? Here are 8 vegetarian salad jar recipes perfect for GRAB & GO meals.

Estimated reading time: 6 minutes

• What is a Salad Jar?
• My Favourite Salad Jar Recipes
• Crispy Tofu Salad Recipe

What is a Salad Jar?

A salad jar is a cool and practical way of packing salad. With dressing at the bottom of the jar topped with layers of protein, veggies, and delicate greens at the topmost, the salad jar is the best hack for packing a salad for office lunch. It works exceptionally well for those who frequently work long hours at a desk or travel.

You can follow my detailed Salad in a Jar 101 Guide to understand the basic thumb rules, do’s and don’t to prepare and pack salad in a jar like a pro.

If you follow me on Instagram , you will learn about my viral salad jar recipe series. Each of those salad recipes is loved and saved by thousands of you.

Pro Tips for Mason Jar Salad Success:

• Wide-mouth jars are your friend: Easier to fill and eat from!
• Dry your greens thoroughly: Excess moisture is the enemy of freshness.
• Don’t overfill: Leave some room for shaking!
• Get creative! Mix and match your favourite proteins, veggies, grains, and dressings. Read my ultimate guide to build good salads !

My Favourite Salad Jar Recipes

Give these grab-and-go mason jar salads a try and revolutionize your lunch routine! Each one of these salad jar recipes is unique and full of flavours.

1. Mixed Beans Salad Jar : Colorful, crunchy, wholesome, and healthy are the right words to define my Mexican Style Mixed Beans Salad!

• USP: Vegan, High Protein, Gluten Free
• Meal Prep Tip: Boil the beans over the weekend and store them in the refrigerator. You can use canned beans as well.
• Salad Dressing: ¼ Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil + Juice of 1 lime + 1 teaspoon crushed garlic + 1 teaspoon Dijon Mustard + Salt & Pepper

2. Brown Chana Salad Jar : You will surely fall in love with this vegetarian brown chickpea salad .

• USP: Vegetarian, Gluten Free, Nut Free, High Protein
• Meal Prep Tip: Boil the brown chickpeas in advance and store them in the refrigerator.
• Dressing: ¼ Cup Mint Leaves + ¼ Cup Coriander Leaves + ½ Cup Greek Yogurt + 2 Garlic Cloves + ⅛ Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil + Salt & Pepper

3. Lentil Salad Jar is a wholesome, nutritious, fulfilling Mediterranean-style salad . Keep it simple, or make it sexy. Either way, you are going to love it.

• USP: Vegetarian, Nut Free, Gluten Free
• Meal Prep Tip: Boil and store lentils in the refrigerator. Canned lentils also work for this salad recipe.
• Salad Dressing: ¼ Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil + Juice of 1 lime + 1 teaspoon crushed garlic + 1 teaspoon Dijon Mustard + ½ teaspoon Oregano + Salt & Pepper

4. Pesto Pasta Salad Jar : This delicious vegetarian pasta salad recipe is packed with basil and walnut pesto flavour.

• USP: Vegetarian
• Meal Prep Tip: You can store boiled pasta in the refrigerator for 2 – 3 days.
• Salad Dressing: Basil Walnut Pesto

5. Macaroni Salad Jar has my favourite elbow pasta (macaroni), fresh summer veggies, cheese, and a creamy dressing that makes everything taste good.

• USP: Vegetarian, Nut Free
• Meal Prep Tip: You can store boiled macaroni in the refrigerator for 2 – 3 days.
• Salad Dressing: 1 Cup mayonnaise + ½ Cup parmesan cheese + ¼ Cup extra virgin olive oil + 1 tablespoon wine vinegar + Juice of 1 lime + 2 garlic cloves + 1 teaspoon oregano + Salt & Pepper

6. Crispy Tofu Salad Jar : With a truckload of colourful vegetables, this Asian-style salad is an edible rainbow.

• USP: Vegan, High Protein
• Meal Prep Tip: Marinate the tofu and keep it in the refrigerator.
• Salad Dressing: 4 tablespoon peanut butter + 1 tablespoon light soy sauce + 2 tablespoon sesame oil + 1 tablespoon red chili sauce + 1 tablespoon lime juice + 1 teaspoon crushed garlic + Salt

Ingredients

Ingredients For Crispy Tofu

• ▢ 200 gram firm tofu cut into cubes
• ▢ ¼ Cup light soy sauce
• ▢ 2 tablespoon oyster sauce
• ▢ 1 tablespoon garlic paste
• ▢ 1 teaspoon red chili powder
• ▢ ½ teaspoon salt or to taste
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon black pepper powder
• ▢ 1 tablespoon corn flour (corn starch)

Ingredients For Dressing:

• ▢ 4 tablespoon creamy peanut butter
• ▢ 2 tablespoon sesame oil
• ▢ 1 tablespoon light soya sauce
• ▢ 1 tablespoon red chili sauce
• ▢ 1 tablespoon lime juice
• ▢ 1 teaspoon crushed garlic

Other Salad Ingredients:

• ▢ ½ Cup finely shredded purple cabbage
• ▢ ½ Cup diced cucumber
• ▢ ½ Cup diced red bell pepper
• ▢ ½ Cup shredded carrot
• ▢ ½ Cup fine chopped spring onion greens
• ▢ ¼ Cup roasted peanuts

Instructions

Make Crispy Tofu

• Firmly press the tofu with a paper towel to drain all the moisture/water. Make sure tofu is completely dry. Then cut into cubes.
• Combine tofu cubes with soy sauce, oyster sauce, garlic paste, red chili powder, salt, and pepper. Marinate for 30 minutes at least or at best overnight.
• Heat 2 tablespoons of sesame oil in a pan. Fry marinated tofu till crisp and golden. Transfer to a bowl. Allow to cool down.

Prepare Dressing

• Add all the ingredients for dressing in a jar. Shake well to combine or use a wire whisk.

Assemble Salad

• Combine all the vegetables, crispy tofu, herbs, and pour dressing over the salad. Mix nicely. Sprinkle crushed peanuts and enjoy!

Nutrition

7. Barley Salad Jar : This salad recipe is inspired by Mediterranean tabbouleh or Shirazi salad, where all the ingredients are finely chopped and tossed in a simple vinaigrette. The addition of pearl barley makes it wholesome and fulfilling.

• USP: Vegan, Nut Free
• Meal Prep Tip: Boil the barley, drain the liquid, allow it to cool, and store it in the refrigerator for 3 – 4 days.
• Salad Dressing: ¼ Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil + Juice of 1 lime + 1 teaspoon crushed garlic + 1 teaspoon Italian herbs + Salt & Pepper

8. Chickpea Quinoa Salad Jar : This wholesome, lemony Chickpea Quinoa Salad is bursting with Middle Eastern flavours. Healthy and power-packed, this salad is truly satisfying!

• USP: Gluten-Free, Vegetarian
• Meal Prep Tip: Boil the barley and chickpeas separately, drain the liquid, allow to cool them and store in the refrigerator for 3 – 4 days. Canned Chickpeas are good too.
• Salad Dressing: ¼ Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil + Juice of 1 lime + 1 teaspoon crushed garlic + 1 teaspoon Za’tar Spice Mix + Salt & Pepper

My ebook, 40 Healthy Salad Recipes , is here! Packed with vegetarian, wholesome recipes, videos, and useful tips for making the best salads.

We follow a strict NO SPAM Policy