Entree Salads are a staple of Homemade on a Weeknight cooking. Turning a salad into a whole meal is not a small feat. You need at least one protein, plenty of veggies, some sort of carb and usually cheese. You also need a great dressing to pull it all together – that can be homemade or bought. Any way you layer it up – entree salads should definitely be included in the weekly menu planning discussion.
When it comes to entree salads, you will want to have a few tools on hand to make them the most successful. I don’t always use a salad spinner, but they do come in handy. You also need to be sure to have a great knife, for cutting up your veggies well, a good cutting board, and a nice pair of tongs. Lastly, you need to have a great set of bowls – I like to use a wide shallow style bowl – often called a “pasta bowl”. It makes for beautiful presentation as well as even distribution of the ingredients.
Most of these recipes include fresh made salad dressings, in addition to most of the accoutrements. It is purely a preference thing for me. Largely because I know to skip all the preservatives in a shelf stable dressing, but also because I have a serious distain for having a quarter of a bottle left kicking around in the fridge. All that said – if you don’t have time or energy – just get the bottle.
And without further adieu – here are 8 different Entree Salads from the blog!
Market Fresh Salad – A fun mix of fruit, vegetables, chicken and bacon over mixed greens with a homemade poppy seed dressing.
Mandarin Chicken Salad – A homemade Asian Vinaigrette used to marinate chicken and dress an entree salad full of bell peppers and mandarin.
BLT Salad – The simple profile of Bacon, Lettuce and Tomato coupled with my Homemade Garlic Croutons, sharp cheddar and a creamy garlic dressing is a win across the board.
Chicken Peanut Salad – My latest creation is a Vietnamese inspired Peanut Chicken Salad. The chicken is marinated with lime and cilantro. And the dressing is bursting with flavors of ginger, peanut and lime.
No Cook Taco Salad – This recipe definitely falls into the #SemiHomemade category of weeknight dinners. By adding in some fresh veggies to some premade items, you can put out a fantastic dinner without much effort. This No Cook Chicken Taco Salad will fill everyone up without sapping all your energy.
Chinese Chopped Salad – This entrée salad is loaded with lots of veggies and super flavorful chicken. But you are gonna really flip for the Honey Hoisin Dressing.
Chicken & Strawberry Salad – This marinated chicken is just the right protein to top this fully loaded salad with feta and cucumber. The simple lemon vinaigrette pulls it all together.
Chicken Ramen Salad – A light and bright salad with a delicious homemade ginger vinaigrette
As a bonus… here are a few extra recipes to make your salads extra special
Homemade Garlic Croutons – We have all been there – bought the bakery fresh baguette for a meal, forget to have said baguette with that meal and it’s gone stale by the next day. Before you toss it, consider your options – croutons or breadcrumbs are at the top of the list. Well, this recipe for Garlic Croutons can actually be used for both in the end.
Honey Lime Vinaigrette – You can really taste the difference in using fresh ingredients versus additives. Which is especially apparent in this Honey Lime Vinaigrette – the fresh lime juice and zest is what truly sells this dressing.
Easy Tortilla Bowls – So I was determined to make them myself and turns out it’s pretty darn easy. While, yes, a lot of the ones you get at a restaurant are in fact deep fried – this oven version is still going to satisfy your cravings. These super Easy Tortilla Bowls are a game changer for sure!
Jalapeno Dill Dressing – my latest concoction is this Jalapeño Dill Dressing. It is a creamy style dressing with the bright flavor of dill and the spicy kick of fresh jalapeno.
Orange Ginger Vinaigrette – My Orange Ginger Vinaigrette is just the ticket. It bring the ginger and soy sauce into the orange and chicken combo of a traditional Asian Chicken salad. Most recipes call for mandarin oranges, carrots, and bell peppers into the mix.
Hope you enjoyed my selections of Taco Recipes – do you have a favorite? Which one will you be trying first?
Estelle Forrest self-published this cookbook after a lot of playing around in the kitchen. You can purchase your own copy here:
AVAILABLE IN PRINT OR KINDLE eBOOK VERSIONS
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All your salads look amazing!
Thanks so much!
Amazeballs, love salad, and will have it morning, noon and night.
Thanks Estelle.