Recipes

Summer Salad Recipes to Pin Right Now for Cool and Fast Meals

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Tony Maples Photography

 

Summer salad recipes satisfy without making you hot. This becomes critical when the temperatures flirt with 100 degrees and you don’t want to cook your meals. By keeping an arsenal of summer salad recipes on hand, you’ll always have light meal options that incorporate vegetables, important for when you need nutrition in a hurry.

1. Cucumber Noodle, Watermelon, and Feta Salad

Cucumber Noodle Watermelon and Feta Summer Salad Recipe

Photo: Pinterest/Maria (Two Peas and Their Pod)

Veggie noodles are hot, and you can incorporate these fun spirals into your salads with this cucumber noodle, watermelon, and feta salad from Two Peas and Their Pod. Moreover, this salad uses the bounty of a summer harvest by incorporating watermelon and cucumbers. Since cucumbers technically fall under the fruit category, you could call this a fruit salad with a savory twist.

2. Blackened Chicken and Avocado Salad

Blackened chicken avocado salad

Photo: Pinterest/Courtney O’Dell

If you’re watching your diet over the summer, don’t worry about what to eat. North South Blonde has a recipe for a blackened chicken and avocado summer salad that fits into most diet plans, including gluten-free and Whole 30. With hearty chicken and rich avocado, this salad will fill you up without filling you out.

3. Strawberry Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing

Strawberry Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing

Photo: Pinterest/Liv Healthy Liv

Who says you need meat to make a meal? Healthy Liv’s strawberry salad with poppy seed dressing packs a lot of protein without meat. The feta cheese and pecans add just the right savory foil to the sweet summer strawberries. This wholesome, meatless meal makes an ideal vegetarian lunch during the heat of the summer.

4. Summer Corn, Avocado, and Black Bean Salad

Summer Corn, Avocado, and Black Bean Salad

Photo: Pinterest/Produce on Parade

Creamy avocadoes, hearty black beans, and sweet summer corn combine to create this luscious salad from Produce on Parade. It’s a vegetarian side or main dish that keeps protein high thanks to the inclusion of the rich beans. So, you don’t have to skip the protein when you want a dairy-free, meatless meal.

5. Apple, Cranberry, and Almond Coleslaw

Apple Cranberry and Almond Coleslaw Summer Salad Recipe

Photo: Pinterest/Cooking Classy

If you want a summer salad that you can prepare ahead of time and won’t get soggy, try this coleslaw from Cooking Classy. Though it recommends to serve immediately to take advantage of the crunchiness of the cabbage, you can serve it later, which gives the vegetables a chance to absorb the dressing. As a tasty combination of sweet and crunchy, this coleslaw makes an ideal side for a summer barbecue.

6. Cashew Chicken Rotini Salad

Chicken cashew rotini salad

Photo: Pinterest/Julie’s Eats and Treats

Chilled pasta salads make good options whether you need to bring a side or want a hearty meal. Julie’s Eats and Treats has a stick-to-your-ribs recipe for cashew chicken rotini salad. The chicken contrasts with the sweet grapes in this salad, and it’s great for a side or main course.