24 5-Star Salads to Support Healthy Weight Loss
Ali Redmond
Reviewed by Dietitian Jessica Ball, M.S., RD
These delicious salads should be at the top of your list for new recipes to try! They’ve made a great impression on our readers, earning 5-star reviews. Each recipe is lower in calories and high in protein and fiber (or both) to support healthy weight loss. They also feature some nourishing ingredients like kale, spinach and avocado, all of which can help slow down digestion and keep you feeling full and satisfied for longer. Whether you enjoy them as a main dish or as a side to pair with an entree, you’ll love the bright flavor combinations. Recipes like our High-Protein Mason Jar Salad and Tofu & Watercress Salad with Mango & Avocado might just become your new favorites.
High-Protein Mason Jar Salad
Ali Redmond
Mason jar salads make for a convenient lunch that can easily be taken on the go or enjoyed at home. With just a few ingredients, you have a well-rounded lunch packed with fiber, protein and micronutrients that won’t spike your blood sugars. This nutritious Mason jar salad allows plenty of room for customization based on your taste preferences.
Bhel Puri-Inspired Salad
Ali Redmond
This flavorful salad was inspired by bhel puri, a type of chaat (savory snack) served across India, and features puffed quinoa and lentils for extra protein and fiber.
Tofu & Watercress Salad with Mango & Avocado
This tofu-topped watercress salad is a fresh, plant-based meal perfect for when you want something hearty but are looking to cut down on the meat. Salad ingredients like mango and avocado add tangy flavor and creamy texture to bring the dish together and level up your green salad or vegetable salad repertoire.
Green Bean Salad with Balsamic & Tomatoes
Photographer: Morgan Hunt Glaze, Prop Stylist: Lydia Pursell, Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall
This green bean salad recipe features crisp-tender green beans, juicy cherry tomatoes and peppery red onions, all coated in a sweet and tangy balsamic dressing. This colorful salad captures the essence of summer and shines when served alongside grilled meats or seafood. To add even more color to this vibrant salad, swap out half of the green beans for yellow wax beans.
Salmon Couscous Salad
This healthy and easy salad is designed to be made with precooked or leftover salmon. To quickly cook salmon, lightly brush with olive oil, then roast in a 450°F oven until the fish is opaque and firm, 8 to 12 minutes.
Big Beautiful Summer Salad
This gorgeous and healthy summer vegetable salad is loaded with pretty produce, including golden beets, avocado, corn, microgreens and radishes. Chickpeas and edamame add substance, and an herb-filled buttermilk-avocado dressing makes this salad really special. Serve it on its own for a light vegetarian meal or add grilled chicken for an easy weeknight dinner.
Vegan Kale Caesar Salad with Tofu Croutons
Swapping tofu for the bread in these meal-prep Caesar salad bowls bumps up the satiety factor with 18 grams of protein. Lacinato kale, also known as dinosaur kale or Tuscan kale, has flat, dark green-blue leaves—and its tenderness makes it perfect for eating raw, like in this salad.
Chickpea, Beet & Feta Salad with Lemon-Garlic Vinaigrette
Photographer: Rachel Marek, Food stylist: Holly Dreesman, Prop stylist: Addelyn Evans
This chickpea, beet and feta salad is a vibrant blend of flavors and textures, marrying the earthy sweetness of beets with the creamy richness of feta cheese, all tied together with a zesty lemon-garlic dressing.
Forbidden Rice & White Kimchi Steak Salad
This steak salad doesn't feature a typical dressing, but tangy kimchi, savory pan-fried shallots and lemon juice pack it with flavor. Forbidden rice helps add more color and nutrition to this tangy dish.
Broccoli Salad with Sherry Vinaigrette
Parmesan, red onions and pecans contribute flavor and texture to this quick and easy broccoli salad that makes a great easy side dish for almost any protein. If you have leftovers, toss them with pasta for lunch the following day.
Italian White Bean Salad
This Italian white bean salad is healthy and delicious. The capers and rosemary-lemon dressing add wonderful flavor to the cannellini beans and chopped tomato.
Southwest Chopped Salad with Tomatillo Dressing
Jicama is the crunchy, sweet tuberous root of a legume native to Central America. If you love it in this salad, try including sticks of it with your next crudités spread.
Grilled Eggplant Salad
This easy grilled eggplant salad is the healthy side dish you'll want to serve all summer long. It comes together in just 25 minutes and can be served warm or at room temperature, so it's equally suited to casual parties and weeknight dinners. The combination of eggplant, cherry tomatoes, red peppers, red onions and fresh herbs creates a salad that's full of bright flavors and colors.
Chicken, Brussels Sprouts & Mushroom Salad
Shaving the vegetables for this easy salad recipe makes them deliciously tender-crisp without having to cook anything and helps them stand up to the bright homemade vinaigrette and salty Parmesan cheese.
Arugula Salad with Pork Tenderloin, Pears & Blue Cheese
Toasted walnuts and roasted pork tenderloin make this elegant salad worthy of company, yet it's easy enough to prepare on a weeknight!
Grilled Corn Salad with Chili-Miso Dressing
Serve this salad with grilled steak, chicken or firm white fish like halibut. You can also double the recipe and bring it to your next potluck. If you can find tatsoi, a peppery Asian leafy green, use it instead of mild-mannered spinach. Store-bought Thai sweet chili sauce and umami-packed white miso build fast flavor in this easy summer salad.
Green Salad with Pita Bread & Hummus
Elevate hummus and pita by piling your plate high with cucumbers, carrots and mixed greens! Just a drizzle of balsamic vinegar and extra-virgin olive oil is all it takes to dress it up.
Caesar Salad with Cashew Dressing & Tofu "Croutons"
In this healthy salad recipe, blended cashews and flaxseed take the place of oil in the dressing, while seasoned tofu works as a lower-carb crouton alternative. Cashews are packed with potassium and iron, but also have more carbs than many other nuts (they have 8 grams per ounce versus 4 grams for walnuts).
Tomato, Cucumber & White-Bean Salad with Basil Vinaigrette
This no-cook bean salad is a delicious way to use summer's best cherry or grape tomatoes and juicy cucumbers for a light dinner or lunch. Fresh basil elevates an easy vinaigrette recipe that dresses up this simple salad into something extraordinary.
Chicken & Kale Taco Salad with Jalapeño-Avocado Ranch
This healthy, super-fast salad recipe swaps out romaine for kale, giving you more than 10 times the vitamin C. Easy flavor hacks like store-bought ranch and pickled jalapeños help make a creamy, tangy and spicy dressing you'll want to drizzle on everything from salad to sliced veggies and shredded poached chicken.
Easy Vegetarian Taco Salad
Taco salad doesn't always have to contain beef—this 15-minute version uses tofu or black bean crumbles, which taste delicious and offer up a healthy dose of protein. This vegetarian meal is so tasty that even meat-only eaters won't miss the beef.
Soy-Lime Beef & Cabbage Salad
Using ready-made slaw mix in this crunchy salad cuts down on prep time. And because it uses lean ground beef, this savory main dish is full of iron and B vitamins.
Warm Chicken Salad with Peas & Polenta
Typical kid-friendly fare gets a zap of fresh flavor from pesto in this easy 15-minute dinner. Make a quick creamy chicken salad with Greek yogurt, pesto and peas and serve over pan-fried polenta. Serve with a salad of greens and balsamic vinaigrette for a healthy dinner the whole family will love.
Chopped Cobb Salad
This single-serving recipe for Cobb salad swaps chicken in for bacon, which makes it a great source of protein for lunch. If you prefer another salad dressing, feel free to use that instead of our honey-mustard vinaigrette.
Read the original article on Eating Well.
