5-Ingredient Salads

This light and summery zucchini salad is studded with green peas and brightened up with a hit of fresh lemon juice. This 20-minute lunch can be prepared in advance and is easily portable; just keep it refrigerated until mealtime. Enjoy it warm, chilled, or at room temperature for a satisfying, fiber-filled main. Zucchini ribbons are easy to make with a Y-shaped vegetable peeler, which will give you the best angle and control.

Make this crisp, fresh tomato salad for your next summer cookout. If you can't find smaller basil leaves, you can gently tear the larger leaves in half.

Unsalted canned black-eyed peas give the salad heft and texture, a great pairing for the light, crispy cakes. Bulk up any leftovers with more arugula, sliced cucumbers, and red bell pepper for a satisfying lunch salad.

Stalks from broccoli and cauliflower aren't just edible—they're eye-openingly delicious. Peel the tough outer layer from the stems, then shave into salads, or sauté, roast, or steam them just as you would the florets.

Tender lettuce allows flavor-forward radish and Parmesan to shine. 

If you love the sweet, earthy flavor of beets but think you don't have time to cook them on a weeknight, you'll appreciate this fast microwave method. Wrapping peeled beet wedges in parchment paper allows them to steam to tender perfection in less than half the time it would take to roast them.

Here's a way to make the most of craveable flavors like bacon and maple, in a dish that's still got plenty of nutritional value. The bacon drippings go into the salad dressing, along with mustard, vinegar, and maple syrup for a simple side dish that pairs well with grains, veggies, pastas, or proteins. It's low in sodium and sat fat, but tastes luxurious! 

Chef Jonathan Waxman taught Cooking Light Editor Hunter Lewis how to make this fall salad many years ago. Riff with the ingredients to find the flavor balance you prefer. With a zing of fresh citrus to cut through the acidity, this crunchy winter salad is the perfect light addition to your holiday spread.

If you love the sweet, earthy flavor of beets but think you don't have time to cook them on a weeknight, you'll appreciate this fast microwave method. Wrapping peeled beet wedges in parchment paper allows them to steam to tender perfection in less than half the time it would take to roast them.

An quick side salad with cannellini beans lends healthy plant-based protein to your meal, and a simple DIY dressing keeps sodium low by using less salt than bottled versions you'll find in the grocery store.

This unusual yet delicious combination of flavors makes a good substitute for traditional pasta salad at your next cookout.

Pantry Checklist:

• Watermelon
• Farro
• Parsley
• Green Peas
• Pecorino Romano Cheese

This salad is a model of nutrition. The greens and onion provide a variety of vitamins and minerals, the pecans add healthy fats, and the chicken is a great source of lean protein, all with less than 300 calories per serving. Açai dressing is rich in antioxidants, but so is any bottled berry dressing.

Pantry Checklist:

• Mixed baby salad greens
• Cooked chicken breast
• Red onion
• Toasted pecans

Prep: 6 minutes

With orzo pasta as a base, this salad makes for a hearty, filling meal that highlights the fresh flavors of asparagus and raw onion. If you use a bottled dressing, add a little dried dill to it, as the flavor is great with salmon.

Pantry Checklist:

• Asparagus
• Orzo (rice-shaped pasta)
• Skinless salmon fillet
• Red onion

Prep: 3 minutes
Cook: 18 minutes

It doesn't get any more classic (or easier) than this salad. Bottled Caesar dressing is easy to find, but homemade is something everyone should try at least once. It's used here as both dressing and basting sauce for the chicken.

Pantry Checklist:

• Caesar Dressing
• Chicken cutlets
• Romaine salad mix
• Tomatoes
• Parmesan cheese

Prep: 3 minutes
Cook: 4 minutes

The salad itself couldn't be much simpler―chicken (use leftovers if you've got 'em), lettuce, tomato, and bacon―but it yields tons of flavor. The unique and exotic dressing is worth the effort, but bottled ranch or blue cheese are fine too.

Pantry Checklist:

• Cooked chicken breast
• Tomato
• Romaine salad mix
• Center-cut bacon

Prep: 7 minutes

A mix of tastes and textures is key to this salad; it has sweet beets, crunchy pine nuts, bitter arugula, meaty roast beef, and creamy-and-tangy goat cheese. There's so much flavor in the salad that a quick toss with plain olive oil can replace the dressing easily.

Pantry Checklist:

• Beets
• Arugula
• Deli roast beef
• Goat cheese
• Pine nuts

Prep: 8 minutes
Cook: 8 minutes

Most stone fruits pair well with pork, so if you have peaches, plums, or apricots on hand, use them instead of the nectarines. The sweet-and-sour flavor of balsamic vinaigrette matches the fruit well, while the salty bits of feta provide contrast.

Pantry Checklist:

• Peppercorn-flavored pork tenderloin
• Nectarines
• Baby spinach
• Light balsamic vinaigrette
• Feta cheese

Prep: 6 minutes
Cook: 10 minutes
Other: 10 minutes

This dish combines the best parts of a steak house dinner―the simple salad with creamy dressing and the steak―into one easy meal. Since the beef will be served relatively unadorned, use the highest quality you can and don't cook it beyond medium.

Pantry Checklist:

• Beef tenderloin steaks
• Sweet butter lettuce blend
• Cherry tomatoes
• English cucumber

Prep: 6 minutes
Cook: 10 minutes
Other: 10 minutes

Leftover chicken, pasta, or any cooked green vegetable can go into this salad, making it a great fridge-clearer. Pungent blue cheese breathes new life into the rest of the ingredients. But even if you start from scratch, it's superfast and supereasy to make.

Pantry Checklist:

• Rotini (corkscrew pasta)
• Green beans
• Cooked chicken breast
• Blue cheese

Prep: 6 minutes
Cook: 10 minutes

The tart-and-sweet flavor combination in grapefruit matches the tender salmon's sweetness and elevates its flavor. Blood orange juice gives the dressing intense orange flavor, but any citrusy vinaigrette will do.

Pantry Checklist:
 

• Salmon fillets
• Vidalia or other sweet onion
• Mixed baby salad greens
• Jarred red grapefruit sections

Prep: 11 minutes
 Cook: 10 minutes