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21 Summer Salad Recipes

Once the weather warms up, the salad craving hits. These are a hand-picked collection of the best summer salad recipes your family and friends will actually double up on. You’ll find strawberry salads, pasta salads, and dinner-worthy grilled chicken salads. Plus the most delectable salad dressings.

summer salad recipes collection
These refreshing salad recipes are super easy and perfect all spring/summer long.

The Salad Collection

Here in the Upper Midwest, we wait 8 long months for this single event: the arrival of summer. Once it gets above 60F here, we’re all about grilling, watermelon, and crispy salads. We’ve included salads are are great picnic recipes, side dishes, as well as summer cookouts with easy summer cocktails that are perfect for healthy dinners. We hope you land on a few salad recipes that become family favorites!

Fruit Salad Recipes

We’re not talking about fruit salads mixed in yogurt or whipped cream here. This section is focused on crisp green salads with an ample amount of fresh fruit mixed in. Enjoy the season’s best, with strawberries, mangoes, and even watermelon.

  • strawberry asparagus farro salad
    Strawberry Salad With Asparagus

    This beautiful salad is lush-full of red strawberries and spring-summer asparagus. It’s one of the first salads we think of as soon as the frost disappears.

  • corn avocado salad
    Fresh Corn Avocado Salad

    Believe it or not, corn is classified as a fruit, grain, and vegetable! Whichever way you like to categorize it, just know this: it’s absolutely delightful in this crisp, refreshing summer corn salad recipe!

  • A person pouring a dressing on a strawberry chicken salad.
    Strawberry Chicken Salad with Poppyseed Dressing

    This Strawberry Avocado Chicken Salad has everything going for it, including a Healthy Oil-free Poppyseed Dressing that’s creamy and scrumptious! All the goodness without the guilt. Done in 20 minutes.

  • Mango Caprese with Basil
    Mango Salad

    Super ripe, sweet mangoes. Little radiccio leaves for that slightly bitter crunch. Fresh, savory mozzarella and an aromatic basil dressing round out this fabulous appetizer/salad. This is so good, sorefreshing, and a crowd pleaser!

  • strawberry caprese salad
    Strawberry Caprese Salad

    Here’s another mouthwatering rift on the classic caprese that graces so many picnic tables. Here, we add avocado for creaminess and replace tomatoes with strawberries for a sweet pop of flavor.

  • watermelon salad in a bowl.
    Watermelon Salad Recipe

    Who doesn’t love some juicy, crispy, sweet watermelon all summer long? We love it by the slices, and we’re bringing that love to this refreshing watermelon salad! It will be the star of any picnic table or cookout gathering.

  • Peach Caprese Salad
    Peach Caprese Salad

    This Peach Caprese Salad is layered with flavors for a refreshing recipe all summer long. It’s an amazingly delicious spin on a classic caprese salad. Perfect for an appetizer, side, or light meal.

Grilled Chicken Salad Recipes

Our easy go-to healthy summer recipe is a really good grilled chicken salad. These hand-picked grilled chicken recipes aren’t for just any grilled chicken salad. No bland, dry grilled chicken salads here. These are tender, flavorful, and juicy…perfect for sharing with friends during a casual summer gathering, and perfect for a healthy family meal. We’ve also included some more classic chicken salad recipes for you to enjoy as well!

  • Chicken caprese salad with balsamic dressing.
    Chicken Caprese Salad

    This Grilled Chicken Caprese Salad with Avocado is extra scrumptious with the best honey balsamic dressing you’ve ever tasted. Healthy, satisfying, and done in under 30 minutes!

  • Ranch Chicken Salad
    BBQ Ranch Chopped Chicken Salad

    This BBQ Ranch Chopped Chicken Salad is hearty and makes a great meal. Full of black, beans, corn, chicken, and crispy greens, it’s both delicious and nutritious.

  • chopped asian chicken salad
    Chopped Asian Chicken Salad with Sesame Ginger Dressing

    This Chopped Asian Chicken Salad with Sesame Ginger Dressing is healthy and 200% delicious. You’ll definitely want to keep it in regular rotation; perfect for lunch, dinner, or sharing with friends.

  • a healthy chicken salad sandwich with green grapes and a bowl of chicken salad in the background
    Chicken Salad (Healthier)

    This Rotisserie Chicken Salad is healthier than most, without compromising a bit of flavor. Minimal effort with delicious results. Use it in your choice of buns, or over a bed of greens.

  • Mexican Style Chicken Salad with Chips
    20-Minute Mexican Style Chicken Salad

    This delish 20-Minute Mexican Style Chicken Salad is a fun twist on the classic chicken salad. It’s absolutely perfect for picnics, weekday meal prep, or parties and potluck gatherings.

  • Chinese Chicken Salad on a black plate
    Chinese Chicken Salad

    This flavorful, aromatic salad is often termed Chinese Chicken Salad or Asian Chicken Salad. The flavor of this sesame ginger dressing is consistently phenomenal.

  • Chicken caprese salad with balsamic dressing.
    Chicken Caprese Salad

    This Grilled Chicken Caprese Salad with Avocado is extra scrumptious with the best honey balsamic dressing you’ve ever tasted. Healthy, satisfying, and done in under 30 minutes!

Pasta Salad Recipes

Pasta salads are quintessential side dishes for all the summer gatherings, picnics, July 4th cookouts, and 30-minute dinners. Here are our top picks for pasta salads that are super easy and way better than store-bought pasta salad!

  • A plate of Caesar pasta salad with penne, cherry tomatoes, black olives, croutons, green onions, and lettuce, topped with a creamy dressing.
    Caesar Pasta Salad Recipe

    This Caesar Pasta Salad Recipe is easy, quick, and delicious. Chock full of fresh veggies and chewy pasta, it’s a tasty and satisfying meal you can feel great about any day of the week.

  • pesto pasta salad with grilled chicken
    Pesto Pasta Salad with Grilled Chicken

    This Pesto Pasta Salad with Grilled Chicken is healthy, satisfying, and 200% delicious. It’ll take center stage at any picnic, potluck, dinner table, or the lunch table if you’re lucky enough to have leftovers…YUM!

  • easiest summer italian pasta salad
    Easiest Summer Italian Pasta Salad

    This Easiest Summer Italian Pasta Salad is just that. Super easy, fast, and tasty. It’s picnic perfect and cookout ready.

  • Asian Pasta Salad with Ginger Sesame Dressing
    Asian Pasta Salad with Sesame Ginger Dressing

    This Asian Pasta Salad with Sesame Ginger Dressing is healthy, light, and supremely delicious. Easily whip it up in less than 30 minutes. Asian Pasta Salad is fabulous for picnics, potlucks, or a healthy family meal.

  • tortellini pesto caprese
    Tortellini Pasta Salad with Pesto Sauce, Tomatoes, and Mozzarella

    Tortellini Pasta Salad with Pesto Sauce, Tomatoes, and Mozzarella showcases the brilliant flavors of fresh homemade pesto sauce…it’s SO good, you’ll want to use it on everything.

  • caprese pasta salad with mozzarella and pesto.
    Caprese Pasta Salad

    With its bright flavors and color, this Caprese Salad will be a hit at any party. It’s super easy to throw together and can be made in advance. It’s going to be an instant hit – get ready!

Video: Grilled Chicken Caprese Salad

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Tomato Caprese Salad

Summer Salad | Classic Caprese Salad

5 from 69 ratings
This classic caprese salad is bursting with all the scrumptious flavors of summer – ripe, sweet tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, aromatic basil, and the best balsamic glaze.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Author: Amy Dong

Ingredients  

  • 3 medium sized heirloom tomatoes, sliced into 1/4" rounds
  • 12 oz fresh mozzarella, sliced into 1/4" rounds
  • bunch fresh basil leaves
  • Extra virgin olive oil for drizzling
  • Balsamic vinegar or Balsamic glaze for drizzling

Instructions

  • Arrange sliced tomatoes and sliced mozzarella on a large plate so that they overlap. 
  • Tuck the basil leaves in between the layers of tomatoes and Mozzarella, using as much or as little as you'd like. Then, sprinkle a bit of kosher salt and black pepper on top.
  • To finish the caprese, drizzle olive oil and balsamic vinegar on top, making sure each slice receives a drizzle. Serve immediately. 

Notes

*We love balsamic glaze for caprese, as it is much thicker than balsamic vinegar, with a sweeter profile and richer flavor. 
*Nutrition facts do not include condiment amounts used to taste.
*If you enjoyed this dish, please come back and give it a rating ❤️ 

Nutrition (per serving)

Serving: 1g | Calories: 181kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 13g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 45mg | Sodium: 359mg | Potassium: 189mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 896IU | Vitamin C: 8mg | Calcium: 292mg | Iron: 0.4mg
Course: Appetizer, Salad, Side
Cuisine: Amerian, American Italian
Diet: Gluten Free, Vegetarian
Method: Combining, Mixing

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