How to Make a Main-Dish Salad Everyone Will Enjoy

Whether you want to make a salad to be healthy and sneak in more vegetables, or just want to have a light dinner for a hot summer day it can be a really useful skill to know how to make a main-dish salad everyone will enjoy.

Why is Salad Good for You?

One of the few memories I have of one of my college roommates was her coming home after a long day of work and sitting down to eat a salad for dinner. She told me it was the only thing she’d been able to eat all day. I noticed her salad was a bowl full of mostly Iceberg lettuce. Maybe she thought she was being healthy, but I couldn’t help but feel bad for her. Her body must have been craving something more that the lettuce that is 96% water.

I know several people who add salad to their plate just to be healthy. The sad thing is often the salads they eat are the sad bagged salads from the grocery store with nothing but iceberg lettuce and a few slivers of red cabbage and carrots. These salads may be vegetables but they are not as nutrient dense as you might think.

The leafy greens found in salads contain many vitamins and minerals, but not all greens are rated equal. Harvard University lists spinach, kale, and romaine as some of the more nutritious types of greens, while iceberg is one of the least nutrient dense.

In order for a salad to be its most healthy, it is good to include a variety of vegetables or fruits, carbs, and proteins. These help make it a nutritious and delicious dish rather than a sad stack of leafs on the side of your plate.

Can You Have Salad for Dinner?

Salads, like many vegetables, are often considered a side dish. If like my roommate your salad consists of mainly iceberg lettuce then that’s probably a good thing. When I serve leafy greens for dinner I like to make sure they are fully incorporated with the meal, meaning there are grains and proteins included in the dish. This makes the vegetable and the meal as a whole more enjoyable.

When a salad is properly made with a variety of ingredients it can be a delicious and well rounded dinner. Making sure to include all types of food helps give the salad both the nutrients and the flavor that our bodies crave.

How to Make a Main-Dish Salad

A main-dish salad should include all the components of a meal. These include a protein and a grain on top of the vegetables regularly present in a side salad. I like to include one or more of each of the following ingredients when I am making a main-dish salad.

• Greens
  • Spinach
  • Romaine
  • Spring Mix
  • Kale

I like to stick with these main greens because I feel that they have a good balance of flavor, texture, and nutrients. You can also add other varieties of lettuce such as iceberg or butter and greens like arugula to add flavor and crunch.

• Grains
  • Quinoa
  • Rice
  • Croutons
  • Corn Chips

In order to help a salad have a healthy amount of carbs I like to add a form of grain. Adding a grain to your salad might seem out of the norm, but I find that it really helps the salad to be filling and satisfying. Quinoa is probably my favorite because it has a lot of health benefits and adds a nice flavor to most salads. Croutons and corn chips add a tasty crunch.

• Protein
  • Meats
  • Cheeses
  • Legumes
  • Hard Boiled Egg
  • Roasted Nuts

I like using easy to prep meats such as shredded whole chicken or even high quality lunch meat. Cheeses can add a lot of flavor and texture to a salad. Some of my favorites are shredded hard cheeses like cheddar or Parmesan or crumbly cheeses like feta, blue, or even cottage cheese. I also like to keep several types of beans and legumes on hand for meatless salads and meals such as my lentil taco salads. Roasted nuts such as pecans or walnuts are another amazing vegan option for adding delicious crunchy protein to your salad.

• Fruit or Vegetable Toppings
• Dressing

The fruit and vegetable toppings along with the dressing are really what makes a salad. They are what add most of the flavor and determine whether it will be a sweet or savory salad. These ingredients allow you to experiment and discover a new delicious combination. They can also be flexible, and a resourceful way to clean out your fridge.

Are Salad Dressings Healthy?

My family once had some friends over for dinner and I was making the main dish. When they asked what they could bring, I said they could bring a salad. They brought a classic bag of iceberg lettuce. We pulled out dressings from the fridge to put on top, but they did not put any on their salad. They said the only reason they eat salads is because they are “healthy” and they don’t want to ruin it by putting the dressing on top.

Salad dressings do not have to be unhealthy, although most store bought dressings are full of unhealthy oils and high amounts of sodium and preservatives. I find that by making dressings at home I can often eliminate or lessen the amount of these unhealthy components. I also enjoy experimenting with the flavors in the dressings to pair well with specific salads.

How to Make a Main-Dish Salad for a Crowd

One of my favorite meals to serve when we have guests over are taco or Mexican style salads. I like to serve this type of meal because it allows me to provide a variety of healthy options while still making sure everyone is able to have a meal they can enjoy.

When I serve a salad for a crowd I like to keep all the ingredients separate to be considerate of guests who may have food preferences, allergies, or other health concerns.

How to Serve Salad to Kids

You might be concerned serving salad at your dinner table if you have young children. Whether because you have a picky eater, or because chewing raw greens can be difficult for little mouths to accomplish, there is still a way to serve your child a nutritious meal.

Most often when I serve salads for dinner my boys eat the components of the salad, only in the form of a grain bowl instead of a salad. When I lessen the amount of greens or even take them out entirely it creates a dish that is still delicious and nutritious, but much easier and inviting for my young boys to eat.

Eating a salad doesn’t have to be a chore. Main-dish salads are one of my family’s favorite meals. Next time you are craving a delicious light dinner, remember how to make a main-dish salad everyone can enjoy.