These salad recipes will be the star of your spring picnic or summer barbecue. They make delicious dinner ideas too. Make the most of seasonal ingredients like juicy mangoes or tomatoes and impress your friends and family with these scrumptious recipes.
The beauty of a salad is that it can be anything you like: main course, nourishing bowl, side dish, desk lunch, barbecue buffet or picnic fare. It can be casual or elegant, warm or cold, vegetarian or not. It’s the perfect one bowl meal you can design to suit your personal tastes and hunger level. Or if you’re catering for a crowd, a fuss-free way to accommodate multiple dietary requirements.
How to build salad recipes
So how do you build a salad? The Test Kitchen breaks salads into six main components, but you can add or remove these, depending on the type of salad you’re making. The components are: the leaf base, alternatively the grain base; pick your protein, add some vegetables, sprinkle on some toppers (coconut flakes, nut and seed mix, cheese, pomegranate seeds etc), and bring all the elements together with a drizzle of dressing.
Just start from your base and work your way up to the dressing, selecting the ingredients in each category as you go to create a unique salad every time. You have complete flexibility to pick and choose each component – or whether to include a component – to suit your mood and the occasion.
Salads boring? No way!
Looking for a more specific salad? Try some of these:
Farro & green bean salad
Green beans are in abundance in the warmer months which makes this fresh, textural salad one of our summer favourites.
Smashed cucumber salad
It’s packed full of flavour.
Korean beef salad with kimchi crunch slaw
Salad season gets a spicy kick.
Roasted capsicum salad with labne
A vibrant salad perfect for any summer gathering.
Tomato salad with creamed fetta
A vibrant salad platter perfect for any summer gathering.
Spinach, haloumi and potato salad
A delicious twist on a potato salad.
Prawn cocktail salad
Serve up your next prawn cocktail family-style with this recipe.
Haloumi & mango salad
This recipe is by qualified dietitian and personal trainer Lauren Marino and is from our cookbook Nourished Kitchen.
Crunchy noodle coleslaw
This crunchy noodle coleslaw is a great dish for picnics, just pack each salad ingredient in a separate sandwich bag, take the dressing in its jar and toss it all together when ready to eat.
Classic crunchy coleslaw
Coleslaw is an all-time favourite for any type of summer gathering, especially barbecues and picnics. This coleslaw dressing has an Asian-inspired twist.
Grilled corn salad
Make this colourful salad the star of your next barbecue.
Julie Goodwin’s brown rice salad
A fresh, flavoursome and filling salad to share.
Burrata salad with crunchy bread, zucchini & mint dressing
The ultimate salad for summer entertaining.
Roast vegetable salad with garlic mustard dressing
This roasted vegie salad is the easiest and tastiest way to get your five a day!
Prawn and mango salad with rice paper crisps
A prawn salad perfect for sharing as part of a Christmas feast.
Brought to you by Calypso® Mangoes
Crispy crackling pork belly salad
The balance of savoury and sweet flavours will make this salad the star of summer.
Chicken & potato salad with zesty yogurt dressing
A fresh and flavourful dish that’s perfect for any occasion.
Prawn & watermelon salad with fetta & sumac onions
This vibrant no-cook platter will be the centrepiece of your summer gatherings.
Grilled broccoli and barley salad
A healthy dinner that’s packed with flavour.
Bloody Mary tomato salad
It’s time to shake up salad season.
Yoghurt marinated chicken with plum & chickpea salad
Serve up a feast of flavour and texture.
Freekeh salad with roast pumpkin
A hearty, warm salad for the cooler months.
French potato salad
A fresh take on this side dish favourite.
Julie Goodwin’s easy potato salad
A 5-ingredient warm potato salad.
Shaved Brussels sprout salad with pecorino
A tasty way to brighten a winter’s day.
Crispy potato salad with aioli
This is the ultimate potato salad – it’s a riff on crunchy roast potatoes, with salty pancetta and garlicky mayonnaise added.
Cherry & herb jewelled rice salad
Plump and juicy cherries are the crowning jewels in this Persian-inspired rice salad.
Prawn Caesar salad
Plate the salad with all the elements separated on a large platter. This way guests can build their own and add as much or as little dressing as they like.
Orzo pasta salad
It’s a fresh & vibrant addition to any casual (or not so casual) gathering.
Watermelon salad with labne
This vibrant and fresh radish and watermelon salad is full of flavour and can be made ahead to be assembled on the day of serving.
Green salad with red currants & orange dressing
Elevate a green salad with festive red currants and a bright orange dressing.
Green bean salad with lemon & parsley dressing
With a rainbow of vegetables in green shades and the yellow of squash, this vibrant accompaniment adds freshness to a variety of roasts and a barbecue buffet.
Spicy potato salad
A spicy summer salad inspired by the flavours of a classic Caesar.
Pearl couscous salad with turkey & pomegranate
A quick and delicious way to love your turkey leftovers.
Minestrone pasta salad
This speedy Italian-inspired pasta salad with a punchy sundried tomato pesto dressing is the perfect BBQ salad and side dish star.
Thai beef salad with chilli lime dressing
Sweet, sour and spicy, this flavour packed salad makes for a healthy lunch or dinner.
Duck and fig salad
Salad, boring? No way!
Zesty yoghurt potato salad with salmon
Serve this potato salad as part of a lunch spread. Or bulk it up with salad greens and make it a meal.
Ocean trout salad with edamame miso dressing
Orange and purple sweet potato lend their vibrant colour to this ocean trout salad.
Julie Goodwin’s prawn and mango salad
The perfect summer salad.
Zucchini Greek salad
Thin, curly strips of zucchini give the classic Greek salad a tasty twist.
Thai beef salad
It’s deceptively easy to make.
Roast pumpkin, capsicum, lentil and quinoa salad
You’ll be sure to win friends with this salad. Packed with fresh and fabulous vegetables this hearty salad is great as a side or as a complete meal option.
Peachy asparagus and mozzarella salad with pistachio mint pesto
Celebrate summer with this fresh and impressive salad.
Corn and mixed bean salad
This colourful and satifsying salad is the ideal addition to your next gathering.
Bean salad with creamy basil dressing
This one is soon to become your go-to salad!
Roast pumpkin, spinach and fetta salad
You’ll love this simple, yet perfectly balanced flavour combination.
Beetroot, asparagus and fetta salad
A beautiful salad with a gorgeous combination of flavours and textures.
Cobb salad
When you want your salad all lined up.
Quinoa salad with zucchini and fetta
This healthy quinoa salad is great for weekday lunches. You’ll love the added crunch thanks to roasted hazelnuts.
Potato and salmon salad with mustardy dressing
A hearty and satisfying salad.
Broccoli, pea and quinoa salad
Freshen up your spring salad! Great for lunch or as a side with dinner.
Chicken caesar salad with asparagus and kale
A hearty caesar salad.
Ultimate Greek salad
Light, fresh and brimming with flavour.
Chicken, burghul and pomegranate salad
This hearty salad takes on an exotic air with the inclusion of cumin, burghul and pomegranate molasses.
Chicken and watercress pasta salad
Fresh and satisfying.
Burrito salad bowl
Mexican made healthy.
Bean and tomato salad with hazelnut dressing
Some sides are worthy of being the star of the show.
Red salad
Vibrant and delicious.
Lamb fillet salad with green pesto dressing
Pesto dressing adds zing to this lamb salad.
Haloumi, asparagus and cherry tomato salad
Everything tastes better with haloumi.
Perfect potato salad
Creamy, fresh and completely delicious.
Roasted brussels sprouts and lentil salad
Take your sprouts up a notch.
Salad Niçoise
You’ll love this classic French salad.
Lentil, green bean and fetta salad
Packed with flavour and texture.
Chicken, olive and fetta salad
Fresh, flavourful and totally satisfying.
Chicken and green mango salad
Fresh and vibrant flavours in this tasty Vietnamese-style salad.
Five grain salad with feta and oranges
Packed with wholegrain goodness.
Quinoa salad with char-grilled vegetables and tuna
Take one tin of tuna, a vibrant mix of chargrilled vegetables and the power grain, quinoa, to create this simple salad.
Chilli chicken with BLT salad
This delicious salad combines all the flavours of a BLT sandwich (bacon, lettuce and tomato) with juicy chilli chicken pieces.
Jewelled couscous salad
Jeweled couscous is a special dish, traditionally served to mark big occasions, in parts of the Mediterranean.
Couscous, red cabbage and walnut salad
Couscous, red cabbage and walnut combine for a bright and tasty salad.
Mediterranean grain salad
If you’re looking for a healthy salad with a difference, try this Cypriot-inspired Mediterranean grain salad packed with lentils, brown rice, quinoa, seeds, nuts and fresh herbs.
Avocado and mandarin chicken noodle salad
This tasty avocado and mandarin chicken noodle salad makes the perfect light lunch or dinner.
Grilled pork with quinoa and kale salad
Totally delicious and totally good for you – you simply can’t go wrong with this kale and quinoa salad with grilled pork! And it’s perfect for diabetics too.
Lamb with heirloom tomato and almond salad
Quick, easy and tasty, this pasta salad is the perfect dish to whip up after work with no compromise on taste!
Lime and coriander beef salad
This beef noodle salad is perfect for a quick and easy weeknight dinner – spritz with lime for a citrus zing, and top with a crunch of peanuts. This recipe is suitable for diabetics.
Barbecued squid salad
Deliciously fresh barbecued squid salad, this dish is perfect for spring entertaining.
Lemon and dill chickpea salad
Light and fresh – this tasty lemon and dill chickpea salad is quick, tasty and perfect for the whole family! Suitable for the 2-Day Fast Diet.
Salmon and quinoa salad
Enjoy this deliciously fresh salmon and quinoa salad for lunch or dinner any night of the week.
Pasta salad with tomato and crisp prosciutto
Really ripe tomatoes and crisp, salty prosciutto make this pasta salad a sensational dish. Store tomatoes at room temperature, rather than in the fridge, which will alter the texture and spoil the flavour. To accelerate ripening, place in a paper bag with a ripe banana.
How to make a roast vegetable salad with garlic mustard dressing (video)
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