Sometimes your body wants a wholesome, veggie-packed salad, but your soul craves a comforting, belly-filling meal that’ll keep you satiated for hours. These 15 salads give you both, so you’ll leave the table feeling like a vegetable garden just gave you a big ol’ hug.
Ready in: 25 minutes
Credit…Rachel Vanni for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Spencer Richards.
Hetty Lui McKinnon’s hearty salad is inspired by the classic Italian soup, but it’s better suited to summery dinners than sweater-weather lunches. A healthy ratio of kale to chickpeas keeps this salad on the lighter side, while a punchy lemon dressing brightens everything up.
Recipe: Pasta e Ceci Salad
Ready in: 25 minutes
Credit…Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
Here to prove that the combo of salmon and broccoli never gets old is this serves-a-crowd salad from Yasmin Fahr. Salmon fillets and broccoli florets are coated with a combination of miso and soy sauce and roasted until browned at the edges. The broccoli is tossed with earthy soba noodles dressed in a creamy peanut sauce and topped with chunks of salmon.
Recipe: Charred Broccoli and Salmon Noodle Salad
Ready in: 20 minutes
Credit…Julia Gartland for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Spencer Richards.
Yasmin Fahr crowns a simple spinach-and-chickpea salad with seared halloumi that has been coated in honey and sesame seeds for a touch of sweetness and a lot of crunch. A silky dressing of tahini, honey, lemon juice and olive oil brings it all together.
Recipe: Honey Sesame Halloumi Spinach Salad
Ready in: 30 minutes
Credit…Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
“Friends rave about this salad, and I live in Nice,” wrote one reader about Melissa Clark’s riff on the classic French salad. The fresh, tangy vinaigrette makes it something special. For the best flavor absorption, toss the vegetables with the dressing while still warm.
Recipe: Niçoise Salad With Basil and Anchovy Lemon-Vinaigrette
Ready in: 45 minutes
Credit…Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
Hetty Lui McKinnon really knows her way around a vegetable. Here, she takes run-of-the-mill cauliflower and combines it with lentils, spinach and onions to create a hearty and filling salad that is anything but. The spinach adds freshness, and a simple cooling dressing of yogurt and olive oil gives the salad richness and tang.
Recipe: Roasted Cauliflower and Lentil Salad
Ready in: 35 minutes
Nargisse Benkabbou’s chicken-chickpea salad with green harissa dressing.Credit…James Ransom for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Maggie Ruggiero.
Inspired by tayb o’hari, a traditional Moroccan street food of warm chickpeas topped with fragrant cumin, sweet paprika and chile powder, this salad from Nargisse Benkabbou adds chicken for heartiness, fresh tomatoes and olives for texture, and a spicy green harissa dressing for joy.
Recipe: Chickpea-Chicken Salad With Green Harissa Dressing
Ready in: 30 minutes
Credit…Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
Hetty Lui McKinnon’s clever salad, inspired by laksa noodle soup, is packed with exciting textures: smooth noodles, pillowy tofu, crisp broccoli and crunchy bean sprouts. But the star of this recipe is a bold, creamy dressing that calls for just two ingredients, red curry paste and coconut milk.
Recipe: Laksa Noodle Salad
Ready in: 45 minutes
Credit…Linda Xiao for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Yossy Arefi.
Delightfully roly-poly pearl couscous is the base of this glorious salad from Yossy Arefi, who tops it with fresh sweet corn, tangy feta, crunchy radishes, plump shrimp and fresh cilantro and mint.
Recipe: Pearl Couscous Salad With Shrimp and Feta
Ready in: 1 hour
Credit…Johnny Miller for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Hadas Smirnoff.
Packed with bacon, pecans, squash and blue cheese, this sweet-savory salad from Ali Slagle is great warm or at room temp, so make it for dinner and pack leftovers for lunch. Everything comes together on a sheet pan, so prep and clean up is a breeze.
Recipe: Roasted Squash and Bacon Salad
Ready in: 40 minutes
Credit…Armando Rafael for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Cyd Raftus McDowell.
“FANTASTIC!!!” one reader wrote. “This was really a restaurant quality dinner prepared in a reasonable amount of time. Don’t skip making this one! 5+ stars,” added the commenter about this gorgeous salad from Jerrelle Guy. Mayo is the base of the simple Caesar dressing, which coats the greens as well as the salmon before it’s broiled
Recipe: Parmesan-Crusted Salmon Caesar Salad
Ready in: 45 minutes
Credit…Armando Rafael for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Cyd Raftus McDowell.
For a hearty vegan salad that’ll keep you going, try this recipe from Kayla Hoang. Loaded with crisp tofu, coconut rice, cabbage, cashews and cilantro, and dressed in a zippy mixture of honey, Sriracha, coconut milk and ponzu, it’s a party for your mouth.
Recipe: Toasted Coconut Rice Salad
Ready in: 45 minutes
Credit…David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
This salad from Lidey Heuck was one of our most popular recipes in 2024, and for so many good reasons: juicy tomatoes, chewy halloumi, crispy pita chips, hefty chickpeas and cool cucumbers dressed in a tangy vinaigrette. Make it on Sunday and eat it for lunch all week.
Recipe: Taverna Salad
Ready in: 45 minutes
Credit…Armando Rafael for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Cyd Raftus McDowell.
A classic is a classic for a reason, and this salad, which Melissa Clark adapted in 2013 from Charlie Bird in SoHo, is one such dish. Chewy farro cooked in apple cider is combined with arugula, cherry tomatoes, radishes and loads of fresh herbs. Pistachios, olive oil and plenty of Parmesan ribbons give it a wholesome richness.
Recipe: Charlie Bird’s Farro Salad
Ready in: 50 minutes
Credit…Craig Lee for The New York Times
A Cobb never goes out of style, and this one from Alison Roman includes all of the requisite ingredients — chicken, avocado, tomato, blue cheese, bacon and lettuce — but skips buttermilk dressing for a zippy shallot vinaigrette.
Recipe: Cobb Salad
Ready in: 30 minutes
Lidey Heuck’s chopped salad.Credit…Linda Xiao for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Monica Pierini.
“My wife and I love this salad,” one reader wrote about Lidey Heuck’s everything salad, adding, “we start to crave it if we go several weeks without making it.”. The key to this salad — and any good chopped salad — is achieving an equal balance of ingredients so that each bite is a perfect one.
Recipe: Chopped Salad With Chickpeas, Feta and Avocado
Follow New York Times Cooking on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, TikTok and Pinterest. Get regular updates from New York Times Cooking, with recipe suggestions, cooking tips and shopping advice.
