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There's so much more to salads than just lettuce, cucumber and tomato. Here are 6 fun recipes to try that prove salads don't have to be bland and tasteless. All recipes serve 5 as a main meal or 8-10 as a side dish.
Thai peanut coleslaw
Serves 5 - 217 kcals per serving
Kcals |
217 |
Fat |
12.9g |
Sat fat |
2.8g |
Carbs |
20.1g |
Sugar |
17.8g |
Fibre |
6g |
Protein |
6.1g |
Salt |
1.03g |
Ingredients
- ½ small white cabbage, thinly sliced
- ½ small red cabbage, thinly sliced
- 1 large carrot, grated
- 1 small red onion, thinly sliced
- 80g smooth peanut butter
- Juice of 1 lime
- 3 tbsp honey
- 2 tbsp reduced-salt soy sauce
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 2 tsp sriracha
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- 1-inch piece ginger, crushed
- 3 spring onions, diced
- 1 tbsp sesame seeds, to garnish
- 1 handful fresh coriander, to garnish
Method
- Add the cabbage, carrot and red onion to a large salad bowl.
- Create your dressing by combining the peanut butter, lime juice, honey, soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, sriracha, garlic and ginger in a bowl. Mix well.
- Pour the dressing over the salad and toss well to combine.
- Serve topped with spring onion, sesame seeds and some fresh coriander.
Tuscan panzanella salad
Serves 5 - 384 kcals per serving
Kcals |
384 |
Fat |
22.4g |
Sat fat |
4.1g |
Carbs |
32g |
Sugar |
7.3g |
Fibre |
4.7g |
Protein |
12.3g |
Salt |
2.49g |
Ingredients
- 300g stale sourdough
- 1kg tomatoes, quartered
- 1 small red onion, sliced into rings
- 20g capers, drained
- 50g tin anchovy fillets, drained
- 100ml olive oil
- 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 100g reduced-fat mozzarella
- 2 large handfuls basil, roughly chopped
Method
- Cut or tear the sourdough into bite-size chunks. Spread out on a plate or tray and leave in a warm place for around 30 minutes to fully dry out.
- Add the tomatoes to a large salad bowl and season with salt and pepper. Add the onion, capers, anchovies and sourdough to the bowl.
- Splash in the olive oil and vinegar and toss well.
- Tear up the mozzarella and add to the bowl, tossing again gently.
- Serve topped with the fresh basil.
Mexican quinoa and bean salad
Serves 5 - 369 kcals per serving
Kcals |
369 |
Fat |
10.5g |
Sat fat |
1.4g |
Carbs |
53.8g |
Sugar |
14.8g |
Fibre |
10.1g |
Protein |
13.3g |
Salt |
0.15g |
Ingredients
- 300g quinoa
- 400g can black beans, rinsed and drained
- 200g can sweetcorn, drained
- 12 cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 1 green bell pepper, diced
- 2 tbsp avocado oil
- Juice of 1 lime
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- 1 tsp paprika
- ½ tsp cumin
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 1 handful fresh coriander, to garnish
Method
- Cook the quinoa according to the packet instructions. Leave to cool.
- Add the cooled quinoa to a bowl along with the beans, sweetcorn, tomatoes and peppers.
- Create a dressing by whisking together the oil, lime, garlic, paprika, cumin and salt and pepper to taste.
- Pour on the dressing, toss thoroughly and serve topped with fresh coriander.
Tuna Nicoise salad
Serves 5 - 393 kcals per serving
Kcals |
393 |
Fat |
19.3g |
Sat fat |
3.7g |
Carbs |
28g |
Sugar |
6.1g |
Fibre |
4.4g |
Protein |
27.7g |
Salt |
1.98g |
Ingredients
- 750g baby potatoes, halved
- 3 tbsp olive oil, plus 2 tsp for roasting
- 6 eggs
- 1 head of romaine lettuce, chopped
- 6 tomatoes, quartered
- ½ red onion, thinly sliced
- 20g capers
- 100g pitted black olives, drained
- 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 3 cans of tuna steaks in spring water, drained
Method
- Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C Fan/Gas mark 6.
- Coat the potatoes in 2 tsp of olive oil and a little salt and pepper. Spread evenly on a baking tray and roast in the oven for 20 minutes until golden. Set aside to cool.
- Meanwhile, place the eggs in a pan of cold water. Bring to the boil, then simmer for 8-10 minutes.
- Plunge the cooked eggs into cold water for a couple of minutes, then peel away the shells and slice each egg into quarters.
- Tip the lettuce, tomatoes, onion, capers and olives into a large salad bowl. Pour over the remaining olive oil and vinegar and toss well.
- Add in the tuna and toss again lightly. Serve topped with the eggs.
Sweet potato salad with spicy cashew dressing
Serves 5 - 395 kcals per serving
Kcals |
395 |
Fat |
33.7g |
Sat fat |
5.8g |
Carbs |
17.9g |
Sugar |
6.4g |
Fibre |
4.5g |
Protein |
6.1g |
Salt |
0.25g |
Ingredients
- 2 large sweet potatoes, cubed
- 100ml olive oil, plus 2 tsp for roasting
- 80g unsalted cashews
- 4 tbsp rice vinegar
- 1 tsp honey
- 1 garlic clove
- 1 tsp dried chilli flakes
- 60g fresh parsley
- 1 avocado, diced
- 250g baby spinach
- 3 spring onions, diced
Method
- Preheat the oven to 220°C/200°C Fan/Gas mark 7.
- Coat the potatoes in 2 tsp of olive oil and a little salt and pepper. Spread evenly on a baking tray and roast in the oven for 20 minutes until browned and cooked through. Set aside to cool.
- Meanwhile, create the dressing by adding 40g of the cashews to a blender along with the rice vinegar, honey, garlic, chilli flakes and parsley. Blitz until smooth. If the mixture isn't blending well, add a splash of water as needed to loosen it up.
- Add the sweet potatoes, avocado, spinach, spring onion and remaining cashews to a large salad bowl. Pour over the dressing and toss well to combine.
Feta and beetroot salad
Serves 5 - 417 kcals per serving
Kcals |
417 |
Fat |
30.6g |
Sat fat |
6.8g |
Carbs |
24.8g |
Sugar |
23.9g |
Fibre |
3.4g |
Protein |
12.3g |
Salt |
1.29g |
Ingredients
- 100g baby spinach
- 50g radicchio, chopped
- 50g rocket
- 400g beetroot, cooked
- 6 spring onions, diced
- 50g walnuts, halved
- 1 handful fresh mint, roughly chopped
- 100ml olive oil
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 5 tbsp honey
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 200g reduced-fat feta cheese, cubed
Method
- In a large salad bowl, add the spinach, radicchio, rocket, beetroot, spring onion, walnuts and mint leaves.
- Create a dressing by mixing together the oil, lemon juice, honey and mustard.
- Pour the dressing over the salad and toss lightly. Add the feta and toss again lightly before serving.
Nutritionist Beth Furness (ANutr), holding a BSc in Nutrition and Health, is deeply dedicated to applying evidence-based knowledge to all aspects of nutrition. Her passion lies in fostering healthy relationships with food, ensuring that everyone maintains a balanced and sustainable approach to nutrition.