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Make eating salad as simple as can be with these salad ideas and easy salad recipes for every day of the week. Salad meal prep has never been so easy!
I’m sharing all of my salad meal prep tips here today: the salad base, the proteins, the toppings, and all of the salad dressings in one giant blog post. I promise you now, that if you give it a try, this just might rock your salad-eating world.
This salad meal prep was first published almost 10 years ago and it immediately became one of the most popular posts I’ve published here on this site. I’m updating the post today to answer some of the more frequently asked questions.
Eating Salad Everyday
“How To Eat Salad Every Day And Like It!” could also be called “My FAVORITE Salads a.k.a. the Fritos Every Day Diet.”
While I’d like to say that I’ve always been a fan of salad, that hasn’t always been true. I’ve always tried to love eating salad, but unless I went to the trouble of making a really great salad (something that often felt like a whole lot of effort in the past), it was hard to get excited about eating a salad most days.
That all changed when I topped my salad with a handful of Fritos for the first time. I know, that sounds completely ridiculous, but I’m telling you now that Fritos are a salad game changer.
Not only does that simple corn chip add great salty flavor and crunch to any salad, the Frito fits perfectly on a fork, it is bite-size, and it’s a fun way to tell all the greens that there is more to the salad life than just vegetables.
Still not convinced? I can’t even tell you how many people have snapped me pictures of their salads with Fritos on top while laughing and telling me that I’m to blame for their newfound love of salads + Fritos. I swear that there really is no better way to top a salad.
Thank you! This is just the information I needed! I have gotten into the habit of not eating salads with my meals because I didn’t take time to make them. This has changed everything! Again thank you.
Salad Meal Prep
There are countless ways to make a fantastic salad completely your own, so I’m sharing some of my favorite salad meal prep tips today. The key for me is to prep all the greens and vegetables for the salads about once a week; I typically do this on Sunday.
It takes me about 30-45 minutes, but in the end, I have lunches made for the week and that keeps my healthy eating on track without having to fuss with it during the week or come up with new lunch salad ideas each day.
I use 6 large containers that I line with a paper towel. The paper towel absorbs moisture and as a result, the greens and other vegetables will stay fresh longer.
When I originally photographed this post, I used these square containers to store the prepped salads. But I’ve since found that I prefer these less expensive and sturdier deli containers and I use them endlessly in my meal prep now. (You can see them in the video below.)
Notes on Equipment
- Cutting board
- Chef’s knife
- Salad spinner – I’ve had my salad spinner for over 10 years now and what a salad-making game-changer it has been. I balked at buying one for years before I finally did so, and man, if you’ve ever considered one, let this be the nudge you needed.
- Storage containers – I swear by these containers for all of my meal prep. They are freezer safe and you can’t beat the price.
Vegetables for Salads
Any combination of these vegetables will keep nicely for several days in the refrigerator.
- chopped greens: typically a mix of romaine, spring mix, spinach, arugula, or butter lettuce (rarely all of them, just whichever ones I have on hand at the time)
- tomatoes: sliced or chopped
- cucumber: sliced or chopped (I often remove the seeds, but it isn’t required)
- corn: canned, frozen, or fresh
- bell peppers: sliced thin or chopped small
- red onions: sliced thin
- green onions: sliced thin
Proteins for Salads
The proteins can be made just for the salads or simply be saved as leftovers from dinners through the week.
- taco meat
- pulled pork or carnitas
- slow cooked chicken: shredded or chopped bite-size
- grilled chicken thighs: sliced thin or chopped bite-size
- ham: diced
- hard boiled eggs: chopped
- canned tuna fish or chicken: drained well
- chili lime shrimp
- mojo salmon
- beans: black, kidney, or pinto beans
Salad Toppings
- cheese: shredded, diced, or crumbled
- avocado: sliced or diced
- fruits: diced apples or pears, orange slices, grapes, fresh berries
- plenty of crunch: croutons, tortilla chips, or my personal favorite Fritos
- fresh lime
- salt and pepper
- salad dressing of your choice: Italian, Poppyseed, White Balsamic Vinaigrette, and the absolute BEST Homemade Ranch Dressing are a few of our favorites.
Your frito idea seriously changed my salad loving life! I adapted it probably a year ago and before that, I used to hate the idea of a salad. Now I can literally eat it for every meal! With minimal oil and vinegar too! It’s the gateway to salad loving! Thank you!!
Make Ahead & Storage
I made a video to show exactly how I meal prep my salads each week. So, be sure to check it out in the recipe card below. There are a lot of different salad ideas here and so many delicious ways to keep things interesting when you’re meal prepping salads.
Make Ahead: Prep all the vegetables and toss them together. Line your containers with paper towels and fill each one with the salad mix. Place a second folded paper towel on top of the vegetables and close each container to make it airtight.
How to Store: Store the prepared salads in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
How to Use: When ready to use, remove the paper towels. Add the protein of your choice to the pre-made salad greens and vegetables. Add the toppings of your choice. Squeeze lime generously over the salad, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Or toss with your favorite salad dressings.
More Salad Ideas
- Carnitas (or pulled pork), avocado, cotija cheese, lime, salt, and pepper
- Grilled chicken, bacon, hard-boiled egg, cheddar cheese, ranch dressing
- Chicken, berries, feta cheese, almonds or walnuts, poppyseed dressing
- Tuna fish, strawberries, avocado, lime, salt, and pepper
- Chicken or bacon, red grapes, shaved parmesan cheese, candied walnuts, white balsamic dressing
- Taco meat, beans, corn, avocado, shredded Mexican cheese blend, lime, salt, and pepper
The paper towel in the container with the prepped vegetables absorbs moisture and helps keep the lettuce fresh for longer while it is in the refrigerator.
You’ll want to store the proteins separately, so that you can are able to warm them before adding them to the cold salads.
I keep the toppings separate until I’m ready to eat each salad. I warm the proteins separately and add them right before eating and then I add whichever toppings I want at that time so that everything stays nice and fresh.
Yes. They are required. Just kidding. Of course not, but personally, I rarely skip them. The crunch and flavor they add makes every salad even better.
Salad Meal Prep
Ingredients
VEGETABLE OPTIONS
- chopped greens: typically a mix of romaine spring mix, spinach, arugula, or butter lettuce (rarely all of them, just whichever ones I have on hand at the time)
- tomatoes: sliced or chopped
- cucumber: sliced or chopped I often remove the seeds, but it isn’t required
- corn: canned frozen, or fresh
- bell peppers: sliced thin or chopped small
- red onions: sliced thin
- green onions: sliced thin
PROTEIN OPTIONS
- ground beef or ground turkey: cooked and seasoned generously with Mexican spices or taco seasoning
- taco meat with black beans and corn
- pulled pork or carnitas: shredded and chopped bite-size
- cooked or roasted chicken: shredded or diced
- ham: diced
- hard boiled eggs: chopped
- canned tuna fish: drained well
- cooked shrimp or fish
- beans: black kidney, or pinto beans
TOPPING OPTIONS
- cheese: shredded diced, or crumbled
- avocado: sliced or diced
- fruits: diced apples or pears orange slices, fresh berries
- plenty of crunch: croutons tortilla chips, or my personal favorite Fritos
- fresh lime
- salt and pepper
- salad dressing of your choice: Italian, Poppyseed, Balsamic Vinaigrette, and Ranch Dressing are a few of our favorites.
Instructions
Salad Meal Prep
- Prep the vegetables and place in serving size containers. (I use these containers to store prepped salads.) Add a paper towel to each box to help the produce last longer. Place in the refrigerator until ready to eat.
When Ready to Eat
- Warm the protein of your choice and chop bite-size, if needed. Add the protein to the pre-made salad greens and vegetables.
- Add the toppings of your choice. Squeeze lime generously over the salad and sprinkle with salt and pepper, or drizzle with your favorite salad dressing.
Video
Notes
- Carnitas (or pulled pork), avocado, cotija cheese, lime, salt, and pepper
- Grilled chicken, bacon, hard-boiled egg, cheddar cheese, ranch dressing
- Chicken, berries, feta cheese, almonds or walnuts, poppyseed dressing
- Tuna fish, strawberries, avocado, lime, salt, and pepper
- Chicken or bacon, red grapes, shaved parmesan cheese, candied walnuts, white balsamic dressing
- Taco meat, beans, corn, avocado, shredded Mexican cheese blend, lime, salt, and pepper
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
{originally published 1/7/17 – recipe notes and photos updated 8/26/26}
This helped me lose 20 lbs one summer. I’d always had a hard time eating salads, but the preparation and variety made this possible for me to do. Thank you!
I’m so glad the salad ideas were helpful, Jordan!
Hello Mary Younkin,
I am Shamir from Singapore. For a person with absolutely no clue on where to begin on how to make salad, the instructions accompanied by the beautiful pictures are absolutely fantastic! It is very, very detailed and specific. Exactly what I am looking for! This will definitely help me as I am embark on a journey of healthy eating. Thank you Mary Younkin, may God bless you!
I’m glad this was helpful!
Dope
Looks great! Do you have a recipe that you used for the carnitas/pulled pork that you’d be willing to share?
Here’s my carnitas recipe, Molly: https://barefeetinthekitchen.com/slow-cooker-pork-carnitas-recipe/
I love this article and recipe suggestions. I will share this with others. Thank you.
Thank you Mary for your recipes I love them, you don’t have to go and buy a lot of product,they are regular household staple food.😀😀
Love,love all your recipes thank you so much.Linda King.
Thank you! This is just the information I needed! I have gotten into the habit of not eating salads with my meals because I didn’t take time to make them. This has changed everything! Again thank you.
Bob
I hate to break it to you but you didn’t actually have a single salad recipe just tips. Thanks but no thanks. *Zero stars*
I don’t think someone should actually need a salad recipe.
The tips are what counts!
“Salad” starts with some kind of lettuce as stated in the beginning with various options. You add on from there. Easy
So many options!
I don’t understand the paper towel lining. Doesn’t it get mushy and become part of the salad? Yuck!
It actually does not, Leora. I wash and spin my lettuce. The towel simply absorbs any additional moisture as it sits in the refrigerator. The paper towel ends up damp at best.
Paper towel deal! It’s a great tid bit, really works. P.S. you dont eat it, just toss it lol
Yes! Do toss it. But it works so well!
Thank you for sharing these ideas on salads. My favorite type of lunch s salad and these ideas are awesome.
Thanks Dale! I could not agree more.
These ideas for ad ons are really great as I get bored with the same and usual ingredients. I use paper towels in zip lock bags to absorb moisture in salad greens, zucchini & yellow squash, mushrooms, any high water content veggies. It works wonderful, makes them last so much longer. Do you have any recipes for healthy lofat dressings?
Thank you Maureen. I love a good homemade dressing because you can control the ingredients. Here is a link to a library of them: https://barefeetinthekitchen.com/category/recipes/condiments/salad-dressings/ I won’t promise they are all lowfat but you can make some swaps to get you there.
When you say that you prep the vegetables once a week, are you assembling them together or separately? (Do you have 5 containers with lettuce and veggies or one container for each and assemble individual salads in the morning or right before eating?) I’m just trying to clarify to avoid a disaster.
Thanks for the post. These are great ideas especially since they can be modified for individual’s preferences or nutritional needs/goals.
When I do a taco-related salad, I’ll skip traditional dressing and use a little guac and salsa instead.
Hi, Lilly! When I prep salads, I’ll usually prep the ingredients in one sitting and separate them into Tupperware containers in advance. Either way would work, though; whichever method works for you should be fine.
A really good (& super healthy combo) we do in our house: mixed greens, pears and or apples, avocado, raw walnuts or pecans (or if you’re not into raw nuts, toasted pine nuts), & add a little olive oil, red wine vinegar & a sprinkle of pepper. If you wanna be extra, you can pan sauté some chicken breasts…gives you antioxidants, healthy fats, protein, iron (if your salad mix has spinach)! 👩🍳
That sounds delicious! I’m glad to hear that you’re enjoying making salads a regular part of your meal plan.
PREACH GIRL! Fritos are the BEST salad topping ever. I got hooked on the combo of cool crunchy salad and salty Fritos and never looked back! I am taking note of your delicious sounding salad ideas too.
I’m glad you’ve been loving the salad, Laura!
Loved all the details and the pictures. Made me want to jump up and make a salad. Everything looked so fresh and tasty.
Happy salad making!
Would love to try this as these salad recipes look great! Silly question: How do you keep the lettuce fresh for a week? I’m retired and want to continue to eat healthy.
Thank you!
The paper towel in the container with the prepped vegetables helps by absorbing moisture and helps keep the lettuce fresh for longer.
The Chile cheese Fritos are even better! I buy a bag every week or so just for a salad topping.
YES!! I love them so much. I just tossed some on today’s lunch salad too.
I really like this salad recipe—it’s fresh, tasty, and so easy to make 🥗💚 I can’t wait to share it with my friends.
I’m glad that you are enjoying the salads too!