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One of the many, many, many reasons to be excited about Spring is that the world of salads starts to open and blossom in a billion ways. I make salads pretty much 365 days a year, but there’s no denying that they become overall easier to pull together and more spontaneously dazzling in the warmer months.

Artichoke, Feta and Roasted Pepper Couscous Salad

Love this quote from Elizabeth David:

“I don’t altogether agree that a plain green salad ever becomes a bore – not, that is, if it’s made with fresh, well-drained crisp greenstuff and a properly seasoned dressing of good-quality olive oil and a sound wine vinegar. But I do agree that all this talk about ‘tossed salads’ is a bore; it seems to me that a salad and its dressing are things we should take more or less for granted at a meal, like bread and salt; and not carry on about them.”

Elizabeth David (1913-1992) ‘The Spectator’, 1961

How wonderful is this language?


39 Salad Recipes for Spring

Indonesian Chicken Salad

Indonesian Chicken Salad

This is the salad for people who might not think a main-course salad is really a thing. (And if you’ve ever ordered Chinese Chicken Salad on a menu, this is for you.)

Vegetarian Pasta Salad

Vegetarian Pasta Salad

This pasta salad is portable and flexible. It’s also a nice way to play around with the vegetables of the season.


Tomato, Zucchini and Bulgur Salad / Mia / Katie Workman / themom100.com

Tomato, Zucchini and Bulgur Salad

A great grain and vegetable salad for all kinds of occasions.

Salmon Salad with Jalapeno Scallion Dressing / Mandy Maxwell / Katie Workman / themom100.com

Salmon Salad with Jalapeno Scallion Dressing

Pretty and delicious, with a nice little kick.

Greek Tabbouleh Salad in wooden bowl on table with water glasses

Greek Tabbouleh Salad

A Mediterranean twist on a very classic Middle Eastern bulgur wheat salad

Smoky Chipotle Chicken Salad / Carrie Crow / Katie Workman / themom100.com

Smoky Chipotle Chicken Salad

This chicken salad has a little heat and a lot of crunch.

Korean Tofu Salad

Korean Tofu Salad

The flavors of Korean cooking are front and center in this recipe. It’s an amazing balance of spicy and sweet and savory.

Food Deadline Mediterranean Tomato Wheat Berry Salad with Fresh Herbs 1/Katie Workman

Mediterranean Tomato Wheat Berry Salad with Fresh Herbs

This salad has a whole lot going on in terms of color, texture, taste, and nutrition.

Greek Salad with Flank Steak / Photo by Cheyenne Cohen / Katie Workman / themom100.com

Greek Salad with Flank Steak

When you can’t decide between salad and steak (and you want have your steak but eat it, too – or something like that).

Sesame-Honey Quinoa and Carrot Salad in white bowl, topped with Sliced Avocado.

Sesame-Honey Quinoa and Carrot Salad with Sliced Avocado

This beautiful vegetarian (or vegan!) salad is a satisfying combination of earthy grains, crunchy carrots, and creamy avocado with a sweet-savory dressing.

Chipotle Chicken Salad / Carrie Crow / Katie Workman / themom100.com

Pasta Salad with Chicken and Chipotle Dressing

Leftovers join forces to become this better-than-I-expected salad.

Vietnamese Shrimp Salad / Sarah Crowder / Katie Workman / themom100.com

Vietnamese Shrimp Salad

Bright and beautiful and free from regrets. Wish I could say that about everything in my life.

Mayo-Free Vegan Pasta Salad

Mayo-Free Vegan Pasta Salad

So easy, so colorful, so make ahead, so crowd-pleasing….and actually a vegan pasta salad, too).

Wild Rice and Broccolini Salad / Mia / Katie Workman / themom100.com

Wild Rice and Broccolini Salad

Delicious, make-ahead, portable, room temperature – there is a lot to love about this grain salad.

Kamut Tabbouleh Salad / Sarah Crowder / Katie Workman / themom100.com

Kamut Tabbouleh Salad

Adding grains to green salads gives them a definite level of umph.

Couscous Salad with Shrimp, Roasted Tomatoes and Pesto Dressing / Mia / Katie Workman / themom100.com

Couscous Salad with Shrimp and Pesto Dressing

This summery dish pretty well underscores the thought that we eat with our eyes.

Herbed Salmon over a Soft Green Herby Salad / Mia / Katie Workman / themom100.com

Herbed Salmon Salad

Mix and match any lettuces and herbs you like as a bed for this soft, savory slow cooked salmon.

Greek Salad topped with Greek dressing in a bowl.

Classic Greek Salad

A big bowl of Greek salad is one of the most satisfying lunches or dinners on the planet.

Farro and Vegetable Salad / Carrie Crow / Katie Workman / themom100.com

Farro and Vegetable Salad

I love the way the additional of a couple of handfuls of cooked whole grains adds so much heft and interest to a salad.



Bistro Salad with Warm Goat Cheese

Bistro Salad with Warm Goat Cheese

A little bistro in your very own house.

Artichoke, Feta and Roasted Pepper Couscous Salad

Artichoke, Feta and Roasted Pepper Couscous Salad

A room temperature salad made with Mediterranean couscous is one of my pernennial go-to’s.

Shrimp and Corn Salad with Basil Dressing / Mia / Katie Workman / themom100.com

Shrimp and Corn Salad with Basil Dressing

A must-make when corn is in season. This is such a good looking and satisfying salad for later summer.

Chicken Sate Salad / Laura Agra / Katie Workman / themom100.com

Chicken Satay Salad

The salad for anyone who can't get enough of that great peanutty chicken satay dressing. A serious salad meal.

Pasta Salad with Chicken, Green Olives, & Ramp Vinaigrette / Photo by Kerri Brewer / Katie Workman / themom100.com

Pasta Salad with Chicken, Green Olives, and Ramp Vinaigrette

This robustly flavored hearty pasta salad with ramps and chicken is a total Spring treat, when those wild scallions are in season.

Pea Shoot Salad with Shrimp, Goat Cheese and Citrus Vinaigrette / Katie Workman themom100

Pea Shoot Salad with Shrimp, Goat Cheese and Citrus Vinaigrette

Don’t let the preciousness of the title fool you – this is one hell of a good salad.

Greek Chicken Pasta Salad

Greek Chicken Pasta Salad

This is so, so pretty, and can be made ahead, which is great when you have a crew of guests.

Smoky Sweet Thai Grilled Flank Steak Salad / Photo by Cheyenne Cohen / Katie Workman / themom100.com

Smoky Sweet Thai Grilled Flank Steak Salad

A fantastic Thai twist on a steak salad. Gary said he would have paid good money for this meal. Aw.

Chopped Salad with Chicken, Tomatoes and Lemon Thyme Dressing / Photo by Cheyenne Cohen / Katie Workman / themom100.com

Chopped Salad with Chicken, Tomatoes and Lemon Thyme Dressing

This was one of the best lunches ever, just that perfect chopped salad.

Pasta and Salmon Salad with Ramp Dressing

Pasta and Salmon Salad with Ramp Dressing

A springtime pasta perfect for a picnic, a buffet, or for a potluck.

Vegetable and Brown Rice Salad with Honey Lemon Dressing / Mia / Katie Workman / themom100.com

Brown Rice Salad

This pretty, vegetable-filled brown rice salad is the perfect side for cookouts and a welcome offering to bring to a potluck.

Mixed Green Salad with Creamy Sesame Dressing

Mixed Green Salad with Creamy Sesame Dressing

This smooth and robust dressing gets its flavor from soy sauce, sesame oil, rice vinegar, and garlic, with a touch of heat. Perfect for robust greens!

Arugula and Cucumber Salad with Tzatziki Vinaigrette

Arugula and Cucumber Salad with Tzatziki Vinaigrette

Greens and sliced vegetables, get slicked with a garlicky, lemony yogurt dressing.

Caesar Salad with Garlicky Croutons

Classic Caesar Salad

This is the perfect Caesar salad recipe: cheesy, crunchy, creamy, just like the one you would order in a restaurant, but so easy to make.

Cucumber Salad in a yellow bowl.

Cucumber Salad

Crispy and slightly pickley, this cucumber salad is light and crunchy, and very refreshing.

Chicken and Avocado Salad

Chicken and Avocado Salad

Chunky and creamy and satisfying. This, like pretty much all salads, is a super flexible recipe.

Spinach and Radish Salad with Feta / Carrie Crow / Katie Workman / themom100.com

Spinach and Radish Salad with Feta

What's green and white and red all over? This perfect little side salad.

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