27 Winter Salads So Good, You’ll Want to Make Them Forever
Photographer: Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall, Prop Stylist: Julia Bayless
Seasonal produce like beets, cabbage, winter squash and sweet potatoes star in these winter salad recipes. With four- and five-star ratings, these main and side dish salads are so delicious that you'll want to make them again and again. Options like our Winter Cobb Salad and Kale & Quinoa Salad with Lemon Dressing will have you craving a flavorful, healthy and tasty salad right now.
Roasted Squash & Lentil Kale Salad
Photographer: Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Jennifer Wendorf, Prop Stylist: Christina Brockman
This squash and lentil salad packs 14 grams of fiber and features plenty of kale, a powerful prebiotic that helps set the stage for a healthy gut. This salad can be assembled in a Mason jar so you can prep it the night before for a grab-and-go lunch the next day.
Roasted Broccoli Salad
Photographer: Morgan Hunt Glaze, Prop Stylist: Lydia Pursell, Food Stylist: Jennifer Wendorf
The vibrant colors and flavors in this crowd-pleasing roasted broccoli salad make it a must-have side dish for the holidays. For a twist, you can easily swap out the dried cranberries for raisins, chopped dried apricots or even pomegranate seeds to suit your taste or the season.
Antioxidant-Rich Beet & Grapefruit Salad
Photographer: Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall, Prop Stylist: Julia Bayless
This beet-grapefruit salad is an antioxidant-rich seasonal side that’s both visually stunning and nutritious. The earthy sweetness of roasted beets pairs beautifully with the bright, tangy burst of grapefruit. Beets are rich in inflammation-fighting phytochemicals, while grapefruit is loaded with vitamin C and antioxidants that support immune health. Red, golden or Chioggia beets all work well here.
Kale & Shaved Brussels Sprouts Salad with Avocado Caesar Dressing
This salad combines the flavors of a Caesar salad with tender green lacinato kale and the crunch of raw, shaved Brussels sprouts. The brown-butter breadcrumbs add additional crunch and a nutty, toasted flavor. Serve with grilled chicken for an added boost of protein.
Roasted Cabbage Salad with Citrus Vinaigrette
Ali Redmond
This roasted cabbage salad combines the sweetness of roasted cabbage with the bright, zesty flavors of lime, orange and cumin. This versatile side dish works well alongside roasted chicken or steak. Or make it a vegetarian main dish by mixing it with brown rice and black beans.
Broccoli, Chickpea & Pomegranate Salad
Simple steps give this broccoli salad a more nuanced flavor: soaking the onion tempers its bite and toasting the cumin enhances its aroma.
Roasted Cauliflower Salad with Almonds, Olives & Feta
Photographer: Jake Sternquist, Food Stylist: Annie Probst, Prop Stylist: Joseph Wanek
The combination of roasted cauliflower with crunchy toasted almonds, briny olives and tangy feta creates a well-balanced salad that’s perfect as a side dish or a light main course mixed with cooked farro or spelt.
Roasted Butternut Squash Salad
Photographer: Morgan Hunt Glaze, Prop Stylist: Hannah Greenwood, Food Stylist: Sally McKay
This roasted butternut squash salad, with its caramelized butternut squash, tender kale and a zingy dressing, makes the perfect dish. Whether paired with roasted chicken or seared steak or enjoyed on its own, it brings a balance of sweet and savory to the table, making it a crowd-pleaser at any gathering.
Spinach Salad with Roasted Sweet Potatoes, White Beans & Basil
Roasted sweet potatoes are paired with spinach, cabbage and white beans and tossed together with a bright basil dressing in this healthy main dish salad.
Broccoli & Cauliflower Salad
This festive holiday salad features plenty of oven-roasted broccoli and cauliflower combined with massaged kale. Why massage the kale? It helps tenderize the leaves and infuses the sweet-tangy flavor of the dressing directly into the heart of this hearty winter salad.
Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Goat Cheese & Pomegranate
This gorgeous warm salad with nutty roasted Brussels sprouts, sweet-tart pomegranate seeds and creamy goat cheese is perfect for any winter meal—from a weeknight dinner to holiday celebration.
Massaged Kale Salad with Roasted Squash & Chickpeas
Photography: Rachel Marek, Food stylist: Kelsey Moylan, Prop stylist: Gabriel Greco
This kale salad is piled high with roasted butternut squash, red onion and toasty chickpeas. The kale starts to break down as you “massage” it, soaking up the lemony dressing. Za’atar, a Middle Eastern seasoning with dried herbs, sesame seeds and sumac, adds a bright, earthy taste. You can swap it out for chili powder for a slightly different flavor profile.
Quinoa Power Salad
Make this satisfying salad in the evening and enjoy one portion for dinner, then pack the remaining portion for lunch the next day. Loaded with protein- and fiber-rich ingredients like chicken, sweet potato and quinoa plus power greens, this meal is nutrition-packed!
Lentil & Roasted Vegetable Salad with Green Goddess Dressing
Goddess dressing typically gets its umami-ness from anchovies, but we use miso in this super green salad to keep it vegetarian. Substitute 2 chopped anchovies for the miso if you like. Or add baked tofu, poached salmon or grilled chicken for a boost of protein.
Cabbage Crunch Salad with Cider Vinaigrette
Photographer: Jacob Fox, Food Stylist: Holly Dreesman, Prop Stylist: Breanna Ghazali
This crisp and fresh cabbage-apple salad features carrots, walnuts and creamy Gorgonzola cheese. Allowing the cabbage to sit before serving helps develop the flavor and soften the cabbage.
Roasted Butternut Squash Salad with Burrata
This beautiful butternut squash salad with creamy burrata cheese and peppery arugula is perfect for entertaining. If you can find pomegranates, the arils add a bright pop of color and flavor to this wholesome salad, but it’s just as good—and almost as impressive-looking—without them.
Apple, Fig & Brussels Sprouts Salad
Salad dressing made from sweet and mellow white balsamic vinegar balances out the assertive greens and Brussels sprouts in this healthy winter salad. If you have one handy, a small mandoline makes it easy to slice the Brussels and apple. To make it a dinner salad, top with shrimp or chicken.
Winter Cobb Salad
This seasonal twist on a traditional Cobb salad swaps in kale for lettuce and spiced butternut squash for chicken but keeps the essential avocado, blue cheese, bacon and egg.
Kale & Quinoa Salad with Lemon Dressing
This kale-quinoa salad pops with different flavors and textures. Massaging the kale helps break down its fibrous nature, while add-ins like toasted almonds, feta and cucumber add crunch and saltiness.
Roasted Butternut Squash & Pear Quinoa Salad
This roasted vegetable and fruit salad gets infused with flavor from quinoa that’s cooked with fresh ginger, garlic and a hit of turmeric. Serve it alongside a roast chicken, then mix the leftovers together for lunch. Your future self will thank you.
Massaged Kale Salad with Roasted Sweet Potato & Black Beans
Loaded with roasted sweet potatoes and shallots, black beans, quinoa, feta and pepitas, this salad makes for a satisfying meatless meal. Not only does massaging the kale tenderize it, it also helps the greens absorb more of the bright dressing.
Make-Ahead Cabbage Salad
Photographer: Morgan Hunt Glaze, Prop Stylist: Hannah Greenwood, Food Stylist: Sally McKay
This make-ahead cabbage salad is the perfect dish that only gets better with time. As it sits, the flavors meld together, with the crisp cabbage and tender, nutty farro soaking up the tangy dressing.
Roasted Chicken & Winter Squash over Mixed Greens
This hearty salad comes together with little effort, since the squash and chicken can roast together on the same sheet pan. Prep the dressing and the salad greens while the chicken is roasting.
Crunchy Chopped Salad
Photographer: Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Jennifer Wendorf, Prop Stylist: Christina Brockman
This chickpea-cabbage salad features carrots and cucumbers, giving it a quartet of ingredients that all begin with the letter “C”! This chopped salad is loaded with fiber and prebiotic chickpeas, promoting a healthy gut. Green cabbage keeps the color vibrant and fresh, though red cabbage works just as well.
Beet Salad with Goat Cheese & Balsamic Vinaigrette
Photographer: Rachel Marek, Food stylist: Holly Dreesman, Prop stylist: Addelyn Evans
This beet salad with goat cheese and balsamic vinaigrette is flavor-packed, blending earthy beets, tangy balsamic vinegar and creamy goat cheese. Oranges lend a citrusy brightness, while arugula adds a peppery kick.
Roasted Cranberry, Squash & Cauliflower Salad
Serve this healthy salad as a main course or as a starter for a special meal. To speed up prep, look for precut butternut squash in the refrigerated area of the produce section at your grocery store.
Spicy Black-Eyed Pea & Collard Green Salad
This black-eyed pea and collard green salad can be served warm or at room temperature, either as a side dish or as a vegetarian main course along with rice or crusty bread. Harissa and peri-peri sauce provide gentle heat, and preserved lemon gives it briny tang.
Read the original article on EATINGWELL
