Vegetable and Green Salad Recipes

Beets with Walnuts, Goat Cheese, and Baby Greens

This salad if full of color and flavor, as well as being packed with nutrients. Sharp, creamy goat cheese rounds out the bitter greens and sweet beets.

View Recipe: Beets with Walnuts, Goat Cheese, and Baby Greens

Arugula and Pear Salad with Toasted Walnuts

This salad combines the peppery bite of arugula with the sweetness of juicy pears and the earthy crunch of walnuts. If you can’t find Bosc pears, Anjou or Sare are also good choices for salads.

View Recipe: Arugula and Pear Salad with Toasted Walnuts

Frisée Salad with Persimmons, Dates, and Almonds

Try this combo of bitter greens and sweet fruit for a summer treat that will leave your taste buds delighted. Choose squat, round Fuyu persimmons for salads; they are crisp when ripe and hold up well for slicing.

View Recipe: Frisée Salad with Persimmons, Dates, and Almonds

Asparagus and Spring Greens Salad with Gorgonzola Vinaigrette

This salad is a super simple side dish, but packs a real punch because of the Gorgonzola cheese. Serve alongside a nice steak or a piece of a flavorful fish, such as tuna or salmon.

View Recipe: Asparagus and Spring Greens Salad with Gorgonzola Vinaigrette

Beet and Arugula Salad with Kefalotyri

For some, beets have a bad rap. But this salad will change your mind. Sweet, roasted beets combined with peppery arugula and salty cheese may just leave you a beet fanatic.

View Recipe: Beet and Arugula Salad with Kefalotyri

Spinach with Garlic Vinaigrette

Use this simple and fast recipe to pair with pasta dishes or a meaty main course. The light, crisp, and tasty blend will accentuate a heavier meal.

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Brussels Sprouts with Warm Bacon Vinaigrette

Brussels Sprouts Salad with Warm Bacon Vinaigrette

If you are having trouble enjoying Brussels sprouts, here is your answer: put bacon on them! The maple syrup, applewood-smoked bacon, and pecans make this salad wholesome, sweet, and smoky. Look for in-season brussels sprouts between September and February.

View Recipe: Brussels Sprouts Salad with Warm Bacon Vinaigrette

Candied Walnut, Pear, and Leafy Green Salad

A sweet salad for the fall – perfect for a picnic or a packed lunch. Top with grilled, sliced chicken for a hearty main course.

View Recipe: Candied Walnut, Pear, and Leafy Green Salad

Charred Vegetable Salad

Although you can successfully prepare this colorful end-of-summer salad on a gas grill, charcoal will imbue the vegetables with extra flavor. White wine vinegar or champagne vinegar complement the flavor of the dish.

View Recipe: Charred Vegetable Salad

Celery and Parsley Salad with Golden Raisins

A perfect complement to a heavy entrée; consider putting this on the table with a holiday meal.

View Recipe: Celery and Parsley Salad with Golden Raisins

Creamy Buttermilk-Herb Potato Salad

This gourmet take on potato salad is a perfect pair for BBQ or sandwiches. Crème fraîche is a thickened cream product with a mildly tangy, nutty flavor; you'll often find it in tubs near the gourmet cheeses.

View Recipe: Creamy Buttermilk-Herb Potato Salad

Farmers’ Market Potato Salad

Try this for a healthy, fresh, and low-cal substitute for creamy potato salad. You can serve this dish at room temperature just after it’s tossed together, or make it ahead, refrigerate, and serve chilled.

View Recipe: Farmers’ Market Potato Salad

Fig, Tomato, and Sweet Onion Salad

This salad just screams fresh. The crunchy romaine, refreshing mint, and sweet onions give this summery salad a bang. Find figs from June to October and use ASAP. The usually only last five days in the refrigerator.

View Recipe: Fig, Tomato, and Sweet Onion Salad

Fresh English Pea Salad with Mint and Pecorino

This simple salad boasts plenty of early-summer flavor. You can substitute crumbled feta cheese for the pecorino. If you can’t find fresh peas, use frozen thawed petite green peas.

View Recipe: Fresh English Pea Salad with Mint and Pecorino

Frisée and Arugula Salad

Careful, this salad bites back! The bitter frisée and sharp radishes make this salad tasty, distinctive, and far from ordinary.

View Recipe: Frisée and Arugula Salad

Asian Snap Pea Salad with Sesame-Orange Dressing

Pair this colorful collaboration with a noodle dish or stir fry for added eastern flare.

View Recipe: Asian Snap Pea Salad with Sesame-Orange Dressing

Golden Corn Salad with Fresh Basil

For a quick, tasty, and affordable side dish to bring to parties, picnics, or just to house in the fridge for snacks, try this recipe. Fresh summer corn can be a sweet treat, especially with tight, green husks and golden, moist silks.

View Recipe: Golden Corn Salad with Fresh Basil

Grilled Romaine with Creamy Herb Dressing

A brief turn over hot coals wilts hearty romaine lettuce ever so slightly and infuses it with a delicious smoky flavor, yielding a special salad that’s easy to put together. Serve with any type of grilled meat, fish, or burgers.

View Recipe: Grilled Romaine with Creamy Herb Dressing

Jalapeño-Lime Slaw

Fresh and pleasantly spicy, this citrusy take on coleslaw is an ideal side dish or topping for bratwursts or burgers. Leave the seeds in some peppers for added of them for a milder dish. If you have time, toast the walnuts and allow them to cool for more flavor.

View Recipe: Jalapeño-Lime Slaw

Lemon-Arugula Potato Salad

This potato salad is a nice accompaniment to barbecued meat; the lemony flavor brings balance to rich flavors.

View Recipe: Lemon-Arugula Potato Salad

Photo: Quentin Bacon

Lemony Cucumber Salad

Something fresh, vibrant, and crunchy is often missing from potluck gatherings; this easy, portable salad will get gobbled up quickly because it satisfies on all those levels.

View Recipe: Lemony Cucumber Salad

Market Salad with Goat Cheese and Champagne-Shallot Vinaigrette

Fresh veggies are plentiful at the farmers’ markets this time of year. Thankfully, we have just the dish to utilize the herbivorous gems you found at the market. Fresh herbs make all the difference in this versatile dressing. Try it on any combination of greens and vegetables from your local farmers' market.

View Recipe: Market Salad with Goat Cheese and Champagne-Shallot Vinaigrette

New-Fashioned Apple and Raisin Slaw

Crunchy, creamy, sweet, and a bit spicy, this slaw has all the elements to become a family favorite.

View Recipe: New-Fashioned Apple and Raisin Slaw

Orange Salad with Arugula and Oil-Cured Olives

Serve this minty salad as a first course for a holiday feast. You can prepare every component well in advance. Make the dressing several hours or even a day ahead; just bring to room temperature before serving.

View Recipe: Orange Salad with Arugula and Oil-Cured Olives

Pea Shoots Salad with Radishes and Pickled Onion

Pea Shoot Salad with Radishes and Pickled Onion

With a faint pea flavor, pea shoots are lovely in salads, stir-fries, pizzas, and soups. Look for them at farm stands or Asian markets in spring, and get them while you can—their flavor turns bitter at the end of the growing season.

View Recipe: Pea Shoots Salad with Radishes and Pickled Onion

Pickled Onion, Blue Cheese, and Berry Salad

If you are fed up with boring salads, dine on something with a kick. This salad blends tangy Vidalia onions, sharp blue cheese, and sweet berries for a wonderfully delicious dish.

View Recipe: Pickled Onion, Blue Cheese, and Berry Salad

Radicchio, Haricots Verts, and Sweet Lettuce Salad

Bitter radicchio, balanced by salt, prosciutto, and walnut oil, finds a place in this well-rounded salad that features all five major tastes. Substitute extra-virgin olive oil for walnut oil, if you prefer.

View Recipe: Radicchio, Haricots Verts, and Sweet Lettuce Salad

Romaine Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette

Tart cherries, sharp feta, and crisp romaine blend together nicely for this classic hors d'oeuvre. Customize this basic salad by using other fruit, such as dried cranberries, apricots, or raisins. Try blue or goat cheese for variation.

View Recipe: Romaine Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette

Romano Bean Salad

You can put this on the same plate as a center meat dish for a well-balanced meal that is easy on the eyes. Also called Italian flat beans or runner beans, this snap bean variety looks like a wide, flat green bean. You can easily substitute an equal amount of regular green beans.

View Recipe: Romano Bean Salad

Summer’s Best Garden Salad

This lighter fare is ideal for beating the summer heat and keeping slim for bikini season. The avocado adds a nice creamy balance to the citrusy dressing.

View Recipe: Summer’s Best Garden Salad

Shaved Summer Squash Salad with Prosciutto Crisps

Summer squash is delicious raw when it's shaved and marinated with a bit of salt. Add salty prosciutto and you have the perfect side dish.

View Recipe: Shaved Summer Squash Salad with Prosciutto Crisps

Smoked Potato Salad

Prepare this salad as a treat for an outdoor get-together.

View Recipe: Smoked Potato Salad

Spinach, Endive, and Tangelo Salad

This salad hits a lot of flavorful notes: sweet fruit, earthy nuts, refreshing mint, and slight bitterness from Belgian endive. Though you can buy Belgian endive year-round, it peaks between November and April. Choose tightly packed heads with lightly colored tips.

View Recipe: Spinach, Endive, and Tangelo Salad

Spinach Salad with Gorgonzola, Pistachios, and Pepper Jelly Vinaigrette

Red pepper jelly adds a snappy note to the vinaigrette that makes this simple salad memorable.

View Recipe: Spinach Salad with Gorgonzola, Pistachios, and Pepper Jelly Vinaigrette

Spinach-Strawberry Salad

Use organic, locally grown strawberries in spring when you can find them. Their intensely sweet flavor, combined with the mint and vinaigrette, makes this salad sublime.

View Recipe: Spinach-Strawberry Salad

Tomato, Cucumber, and Fennel Salad

Use this light salad as a zesty companion to fried shrimp or chicken. Fennel is a very flavorful herb that offers a distinctive taste to jazz up a neutral main course.

View Recipe: Tomato, Cucumber, and Fennel Salad

Warm Potato Salad with Ramps and Bacon

Ramps and new potatoes, a wonderful, edible ode to spring, pair well together. If you’ve missed ramp season or you can’t find them, substitute thin leeks.

View Recipe: Warm Potato Salad with Ramps and Bacon

Winter Salad with Roasted Beets and Citrus Reduction Dressing

Using fresh orange juice, multicolored beets, and—for good measure—some creamy, tangy goat cheese, this starter salad celebrates the produce of the season and makes a knockout-gorgeous addition to the table.

View Recipe: Winter Salad with Roasted Beets and Citrus Reduction Dressing

Yellow Plum Salad

As gorgeous as it is delicious, this salad will become a summer staple. Serve it with grilled chicken, pork, steaks, or seafood. Look for the Mirabelle or other golden-fleshed plums.

View Recipe: Yellow Plum Salad

Winter Jeweled Fruit Salad

In Mexico, copas de frutas (fruit cups) are popular street food. They typically consist of fresh fruit sprinkled with lime juice and chili powder and are the inspiration for this jewel-colored fruit salad. Jicama (pronounced HEE-kah-mah), also known as a Mexican potato or turnip, tastes like a cross between an apple and a potato and adds crunch to the salad.

View Recipe: Winter Jeweled Fruit Salad

Roasted Asparagus and Tomato Penne Salad with Goat Cheese

Make an upscale pasta salad that’s company worthy by combining penne pasta, roasted asparagus, arugula, herbes de Provence, goat cheese, and tossing with a lemony vinaigrette. Serve immediately or cover and chill for 2 hours for a cold pasta salad.

View Recipe: Roasted Asparagus and Tomato Penne Salad with Goat Cheese