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Summer salads are my favorite easy dinner! Summer doesn’t officially start for 3 more weeks but as soon as June hits, I’m in full summer mode. Making buckets lists, planning trips and enjoying our pool.
Summer Salads Are Great on Hot Days!
We only get about 100 days of summer here in Chicago and we have to make it count. Especially after the particularly harsh winter we had this year.
Summer salads are my go-to dinner when the weather gets warm. They don’t heat up the kitchen, they can be thrown together quickly and the clean-up is minimal. Win win win!
While brainstorming for summer content for you guys, I realized I had written quite a few salad recipes over the past year. A wide variety in fact so I thought I’d throw them all together on one post for ease.
Let me know which of these easy salad recipes you like best in the comments below!
Panzanella: Italian Bread Salad
My version of Panzanella uses Turano rolls instead of croutons or day old bread. I like the chew it has to it and the texture is more my style. But you can certainly leave it on the counter overnight to dry yours out if you prefer it.
I love making this salad in the height of summer when the tomatoes are in season and super flavorful. This is one summer salad my kids and husband love. I highly recommend you give it a try!
Tuna Noodle Salad
Tuna Noodle Salad was a staple in my childhood. It’s such an 80’s classic. My kids also love it and I continue to make it to this day.
I spiced up my moms original recipe by using sour cream and red onion. Adding sour cream gives it a tang and I find the red onions are more mellow than traditional yellow onions.
This summer salad is perfect for busy weeknights because you can make it ahead of time. If Mondays are crazy in your house, make this salad on Sunday and it will be ready to go when you get home Monday night. Truth be told, it gets better the longer it sits!
Buffalo Chicken Salad
Buffalo Wings are my weakness. I’m not a huge fan of spicy food but buffalo wings are just spicy enough but they don’t burn my whole mouth.
Give me a side of ranch and I’m a happy camper. But fried wings are obviously not a healthy choice so I created this delicious and nutritious summer salad version.
The chicken is made in the crockpot and the salad is a cinch. Buffalo Chicken Salad is a great make ahead lunch. I highly recommend you give this a try if you like buffalo wings.
Arugula Asparagus Salad: CPK Copycat
Arugula Asparagus Salad is such a delicious way to eat a lot of greens. Packed with arugula and asparagus, it’s loaded with nutrients. I got inspired to make this salad from the the California Pizza Kitchen version.
This version is meant to be a side dish but if you toss some shredded rotisserie chicken on top, you’ll have a beautiful and light summer salad. The homemade dressing in this one is so easy to make but full of flavor.
BBQ Chicken Salad Wraps
Okay so technically this BBQ Chicken Salad recipe is a wrap recipe but it’s just as delicious eaten as a salad so I wanted to include it. It’s also incredibly easy.
Taking help from the store, this is made with a BBQ Ranch bagged salad kit and leftover barbecue chicken. This particular bagged salad is my favorite because it’s got lots of crunchy and delicious ingredients as well as a super yummy barbecue ranch dressing.
It’s the perfect summer salad to have after a throwing a BBQ. Just grill up a few extra pieces of barbecue chicken and save them for this salad. This is one of the easy salad recipes is one the whole family will love.
Cobb Salad Bar
What’s more fun than a food bar at a party? We’ve done taco bars, potato bars, nacho bars and a Cobb Salad Bar. All were received extremely well by our guests Cobb Salad Bar also makes a great weeknight dinner.
You can make some of the ingredients ahead of time or use all store bought. Keeping everything separate allow your whole family to customize it their way. You’ll find that letting them do that makes them more likely to eat it, lol!
Fruit Salad
Fruit salad, the most official of all summer salads. This one is as easy as they come and I don’t even have a written recipe for it.
Just chop up whatever fruit you like and throw it in a bowl together. (Though I personally stay away from bananas because they get mushy.)
However, I did do a Facebook Live with my 4-year-old daughter Georgia and she helped me make one so I thought I would share. This is a great summertime snack as well as activity.
She uses the nylon, kid-safe knives to chop up fruit and they can’t cut her skin! We’ve have them for about 2 and half years now and they’ve never failed us.
There’s nothing my daughter loves more than cooking with me and fruit salad is a pretty low mess food to make. If you have little ones at ho,e, grab a set of these knives and make some fruit salad this summer. You’ll make some memories without losing your mind🤣
There you have it- seven easy and delicious salads that you can make this make for an easy weeknight meal or side dish. If your family is new to salads for dinner, I suggest starting with the Cobb salad or tuna noodle salad.
Slowing work them up to more complex summer salads with different greens and veggies. Always remember it’s your dinner, so modify these recipes as you see fit, If you have any questions or comments, throw them in the comments below.
Taran is a self-proclaimed undomestic mom. She thrives as a stay-at-home-mom by consistently carving out time for herself and practicing realistic self-care. As a busy mom of 3, she knows that if mama ain’t happy, nobody’s happy! With a focus on how SAHMs can carve out time for themselves everyday, she teaches fellow SAHMs how they can do the same.
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