6 Ways to Make Salad More Exciting

Garden salad, Caesar salad, cobb salad, all the salads….they can seem a little boring especially if you’re used to more “exciting” lunches.

Lunches like turkey, bacon, and cheddar on ciabatta, a hamburger with sweet potato fries, or margherita pizza.

So, if you’re aiming for healthier eating habits, but salads don’t exactly light you up inside, this post is for you.

I’m sharing 6 ways to make salad more exciting, while still maintaining their health benefits.

Add Some Pasta to Your Salad

Who says you can’t have pasta while trying to eat healthier? Although pasta is refined grains and has less nutrition and fiber than whole grains that haven’t been refined, it’s not bad to still have some pasta here or there.

Try adding 1/2 – 1 cup of cooked (but room temp or cold) pasta to your otherwise very green salad.

Mix it in with the greens, dressing, and any other toppings you might enjoy. The pasta adds a bit of interest as far as texture, taste, and even appearance.

You can use either small pasta like elbows or even penne. (I like a larger pasta like penne just because it doesn’t get lost in the salad and is easier to “stab” with your fork.)

DIY Dressings With Any Add-Ins You Want

Making your own dressing sounds like it would be a hassle, but it’s really not. It takes all of about 2 minutes and you can make it exactly how you like.

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Just start with an oil and vinegar, then add things like dried herbs, spices, or even grated parmesan cheese to make each batch unique.

You can try a Tuscan blend, with dried oregano, basil, garlic, onion powder, and parmesan, or even a spicy one with chipotle powder, lime juice and onion powder.

I’ve also made an Asian soy one with toasted sesame oil, rice vinegar/soy sauce, and ginger. Get creative, and make sure you write down the recipe of your favorite blend once you’ve found it.

Check out the Minimalist Baker for some amazing dressing recipes.

Add Some Nuts or Seeds

An easy way to get some protein, healthy fat, crunch and flavor, is to add some nuts or seeds to your salad. Any and all nuts are great for salads….seeds too.

A personal favorite is sesame seeds, pepita seeds and pecans. Pecans and pepitas are great for summer salads that have fruit in them. Sesame seeds are great for any salad, but especially an Asian-themed salad.

Aim for 1/4 cup of nuts or 1/8 cup of seeds for a lunch salad for one. Otherwise, you can double that for a salad that’s serving a family as a side with dinner.

Sprinkle on Some Bits of Nacho Chips

If you’re going for a Mexican themed salad, you can add some black beans, corn, and broken bits of nacho chips for a really delicious and filling salad.

For this, I would recommend making a dressing that has a bit of spice to it. Mix your olive oil with white vinegar, some lime juice, onion powder, and chili, chipotle, or red pepper powder.

It’s totally optional if you want to add a bit of shredded cheddar cheese too.

Mix in Some Grains

If you want a healthier version of the pasta add-in, then try making a grain like quinoa, farro, or bulgar wheat ahead of time and mixing some in with your greens.

The small grains tend to stick to the lettuce well once the dressing is mixed in, making it easy to eat.

Grains have lots of high quality protein and fiber, so you’re really going to meet your nutritional needs with a salad mixed with grains.

You can even use quinoa or bulgar wheat for a really healthy breakfast option. Read the post below for 35 breakfast ideas.

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Top With Protein

Admittedly, this one isn’t super exciting, but can really fill you up. Add any kind of protein to your salad like chicken, salmon, black beans, chickpeas, or even leftover ham or steak from last night’s dinner.

Steak on top of your greens is especially delicious if you add some sliced radishes and make your dressing with olive oil, red wine vinegar, black pepper and onion powder.

You can even do salmon on your salad and make an Asian dressing like the one I mentioned, but add a little teriyaki sauce if you have it.

Final Notes

Making your traditional healthy foods a little more interesting is key to getting more enjoyment out of them. You can really get creative and find some new options that you love.

Once you start really enjoying getting creative, you’ll look forward to your interesting salad for lunch, rather than needing the massive sandwich that always makes you feel like you ate too much.