15 Garbage Salad Recipes for Those Nights When You Just Can’t Even

The Cobb is the O.G. of garbage salads—it was created by tossing together random ingredients from a restaurant kitchen for a late-night snack. Feel free to throw in whatever other ingredients you have on hand, like nuts, dried cranberries and leftover herbs. (Thanks, Coterie member Maria Lichty.)

Take leftover quinoa, the rest of the pint of cherry tomatoes, and the hot sauce from the fridge door to make this quick guacamole salad.

Everything is right. This salad can be edited to include any and all ingredients you’re craving. Monique Volz’s lemon basil vinaigrette works with all sorts of veggies.

Elevate a basic can of tuna—combine it with Mediterranean-inspired ingredients like peppers, chickpeas and feta cheese for a mayo-less tuna salad.

You know those packs of ramen noodles hiding in the back of the pantry? Yep, those. Give them a new life in this simple salad from Coterie member Heidi Larsen.

Use your leftover bacon from breakfast, almost-too-ripe tomatoes and any pasta you have on hand to create this satisfying lunch. A pantry salad at its finest.

There’s no need to turn extra cucumbers into pickles. Instead, use them as the base for tonight’s dinner salad with a Greek yogurt-based dressing.

Toss your favorite breakfast ingredients with Bibb lettuce and balsamic vinaigrette for a new take on the first meal of the day. (Thanks for this inspo, Coterie member Carlene Thomas.)

In need of a quick pasta salad for tonight’s potluck? Raid your cabinets to pull together this quick and easy antipasto.

Mix day-old bread and seasonal produce and voilà, you’ll have this Panzanella salad. (You really can’t go wrong with any sort of veggie.)

There’s no right or wrong here. Coterie member Phoebe Lapine’s Cobb salad works with any leftover vegetables you have on hand.

That head of cauliflower has been sitting in your fridge all week, waiting to be eaten. Make short work of it with this quick, fuss-free dinner.

You were running late and skipped breakfast a few times this week, and now you have a ton of fruit piling up in the fridge. Good thing it easily translates to a hearty salad with a simple balsamic dressing.

Not sure what to do with that stick of salami in the fridge? Chop it up for this simple pasta salad with creamy chunks of ricotta and canned artichokes.

Fruit salad meets leafy greens in this light, lunch-ready salad from Coterie member Liz Harris. (Feel free to drink the leftover rosé while you’re cooking.)