20 Dinner Salads That Are Main Course–Worthy (and Not a Sad Pile of Lettuce)

• Time Commitment: 25 minutes
• Why I Love It: high protein, <30 minutes
• Serves: 4

Using the broil feature on your oven (a highly underrated move), you can create enough heat to give steak and veggies a smoky char sans grill. Honey-sweetened and spiced with smoky chipotles, the homemade dressing ties everything together.

• Time Commitment: 1 hour, 35 minutes
• Why I Love It: make ahead, beginner-friendly
• Serves: 4

If your idea of a spectacular dinner salad leans heavily on the toppings, you’re in for a treat. This one is piled high with the best goodies, including grilled chicken, avocado, barley, cherry tomatoes and red onion (but feel free to swap them for any of your personal favorites). You can make the components ahead of time to streamline the cooking process, too.

• Time Commitment: 20 minutes
• Why I Love It: <30 minutes, high protein, low sugar
• Serves: 2

Oh, look: It’s everyone’s favorite sandwich in salad form. If you aren’t familiar with tomatillos, they’re a lot like tomatoes but are slightly less sweet with a firmer texture, and make an unexpectedly delicious pair for rich salmon and crowd-pleasing ranch.

• Time Commitment: 45 minutes
• Why I Love It: beginner-friendly, vegetarian
• Serves: 4

Caesar salad is a given. Whisking together a homemade aioli? Not so much. This twist on the classic features a magical cheater’s Caesar dressing that skips the raw egg and anchovies. (The secret is store-bought mayo and Worcestershire sauce, but shhh.)

• Time Commitment: 20 minutes
• Why I Love It: <30 minutes, crowd-pleaser
• Serves: 6

Everyone should have a good Niçoise salad recipe in their back pocket. Why? Because it’s high in protein yet doesn’t require a ton of cooking, thanks to tinned fish and hard-boiled eggs. If you want to make the toppings ahead of time and assemble later, more power to you.

• Time Commitment: 55 minutes
• Why I Love It: vegetarian, gluten free, dairy free
• Serves: 2

If you have a convection setting on your oven, use it to your advantage and roast your cauliflower to crispy perfection. But if not, no worries. Just set your oven 30 degrees higher for a similar effect. (FYI, this one serves four as a side or two as a main.)

• Time Commitment: 30 minutes
• Why I Love It: keto friendly, gluten free
• Serves: 4

If you want to meal prep dinner for the week ahead, you’re in the right place. Just keep all the components of this dinner salad in separate containers until you’re ready to eat to keep the greens from getting soggy.

• Time Commitment: 1 hour, 50 minutes
• Why I Love It: vegan, make ahead
• Serves: 4

I’ll admit it: One of my biggest weaknesses is those salad places that add a billion toppings and chop everything up into tiny pieces…and then charge me an arm and a leg. This is the homemade rendition, and it just so happens to be vegan friendly. If you want to streamline the process, make the dressing a few days ahead (and feel free to substitute items for whatever’s lingering in your fridge).

• Time Commitment: 1 hour
• Why I Love It: sheet pan recipe, high protein
• Serves: 4

Meat and potatoes, meet salad. The spuds and sausage get friendly on a sheet pan in the oven, then they’re dressed in a tart lime vinaigrette, tossed with lettuce and sprinkled with queso fresco. Unconventional? Only until you take a bite.

• Time Commitment: 1 hour
• Why I Love It: <500 calories, make ahead
• Serves: 4

You could argue that it’s not technically a Cobb salad without the requisite chicken breast and tomato…but one taste of the maple vinaigrette and you won’t even care. I like the funkiness that blue cheese adds to this dinner salad, but if that’s not your thing, try substituting goat cheese or Parmesan.

• Time Commitment: 1 hour
• Why I Love It: make ahead
• Serves: 6 to 8

I love a lettuce-free lunch salad for many reasons, but chief among them is that it’s easy to make a few days ahead and store in the refrigerator until needed. Here, you can use the meat from a rotisserie chicken to save time, or cook your own chicken breasts if you feel compelled.

• Time Commitment: 35 minutes
• Why I Love It: beginner-friendly, low sugar
• Serves: 4

Crunchy, creamy and high in protein, chicken Caesar might be the ideal dinner salad. This one features another twist on the traditional dressing, as it’s made with yogurt and features green olives for a hint of briny tang. Serve it in a big bowl family-style to stay true to its name.

• Time Commitment: 45 minutes
• Why I Love It: gluten free, vegan
• Serves: 4

This dinner salad is proof that lettuce isn’t your only option. Recipe developer Aran Goyoaga recommends doubling the pine nut cream recipe and keeping extra in the refrigerator to use for other salads or to serve alongside eggs and crudité. I recommend using pre-cooked lentils to save time.

• Time Commitment: 30 minutes
• Why I Love It: vegetarian, <30 minutes
• Serves: 4

Surprisingly, this high-protein salad recipe is free from meat. Instead, it gets a boost from grilled halloumi (plus plenty of hearty plant-based toppings, like green beans and peaches). Stash any leftovers in the fridge to make tomorrow’s lunch a breeze.

• Time Commitment: 30 minutes
• Why I Love It: high protein, <30 minutes
• Serves: 4

Instead of making those wimpy mixed spring greens the main component, I propose you let the other ingredients in your dinner salad—like spicy chickpeas, corn relish and sautéed chicken—be the stars. You won’t regret it when your stomach isn’t grumbling at 10 p.m.

• Time Commitment: 20 minutes
• Why I Love It: vegetarian, <30 minutes
• Serves: 4

If you’ve only every tried Swiss chard as a sautéed side dish, now is your chance to unlock its full potential. Here, it takes the place of lettuce for a tender yet sturdy base to a plant-based dinner salad. The creamy beans offset any bitterness for a balanced plate.

• Time Commitment: 5 minutes
• Why I Love It: <15 minutes, keto friendly
• Serves: 1

How does one make a steak salad in five minutes, you ask? The secret is using leftover slices of steak…but if you don’t have those on hand, you can make an easy steak recipe and plan on cooking up this dinner salad the next day with what’s left.

• Time Commitment: 1 hour + soaking time
• Why I Love It:
• Serves: 6

Heads up: This dish requires soaking dried beans ahead of time, and the final flavor is worth the effort. But if you’re short on time, go ahead and swap in drained and rinsed canned beans. With the spiced, roasted squash and preserved lemons, you won’t miss out.

• Time Commitment: 1 hour
• Why I Love It: vegetarian, high protein
• Serves: 4

Homemade falafel patties are the key to turning this plate of veggies into a dinner-worthy salad. A spicy yogurt sauce takes the place of traditional dressing, while cucumbers, tomato and red onion add a crispy crunch to every bite.

• Time Commitment: 35 minutes + soaking time
• Why I Love It: vegan, gluten free, dairy free
• Serves: 4

There’s something about a creamy type of salad dressing that tastes more satisfying, but if you’re vegan or dairy-free, it can be hard to come by. This cashew cream is the solution: It’s ridiculously simple to make, and surprisingly versatile depending on how much liquid you add.