To call something a salad, you don’t need lettuce. A salad is just a bunch of ingredients and dressing. They can be served cold, at room temperature or even warm. Opening up your definition of salads, creates opportunity for when and how you serve them from side dishes to entrees.
Summer is peak no-lettuce salad season, but I make them all year long. The only thing that changes is the amount of fresh produce and pantry ingredients. I put together this list of my favorites.
Also, no greens means no soggy salads. That makes these recipes great for make-ahead lunches and meal prep, potlucks and entertaining.
Bean Salads
Canned beans are the ultimate pantry superstar. Black beans and white beans have permanent shelf space in my kitchen because they play so well with other ingredients, and they can stand on their own.
Mediterranean Bean Salad
With cannellini beans, kidney beans and chickpeas, this twist on a three bean salad also has red peppers, olives, cucumbers, tomatoes and feta.
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Black Bean Corn Avocado Salad
Jalapeño lime dressing gives black beans, grilled corn, avocados and cherry tomatoes a pleasantly spicy kick.
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White Bean Salad with Basil Lemon Vinaigrette
Making an herby and zesty vinaigrette is all you need to dress up a couple cans of white beans (any kind will work), chopped red onions and pecorino cheese.
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Butter Bean Salad
Tossed in red wine vinaigrette, I combine big and creamy butter beans with cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, kalamata olives, red onions and feta.
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Tomato Salads
During peak season, I have at least one tomato salad a day because nothing compares to fresh summer tomatoes. That can be small cherry tomatoes cut in half or big heirloom tomatoes cut into wedges.
Marinated Feta Tomato Salad
With cherry tomatoes and cubes of feta cheese, this salad is a celebration of the season. I like serving it spooned over crusty bread to soak up the dressing and tomato juices.
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Cornbread Panzanella Salad
Cornbread croutons take the place of the usual bread in this classic salad with tomatoes, cucumbers, red onions and basil.
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Avocado Tomato Salad
Creamy, crispy and fresh is the best way to describe this salad with avocados, cherry tomatoes, raw corn and diced cucumbers.
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Heirloom Tomato Salad
Find the best heirloom tomatoes and make this simple salad with fresh mozzarella, toasted pine nuts, Fresno chilies, red onions, basil and parsley.
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Cucumber Salads
I always use English cucumbers or Persian cucumbers in salads. Their skins are more delicate, and they have less seeds than regular cucumbers. Then the focus can be all on that fresh crunch.
Chickpea Cucumber Salad
I love this recipe as written with sliced cucumbers, chickpeas, red onions and feta, but you can turn it into a pasta salad or grain salad and make other additions to customize it.
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Cucumber Carrot Salad
Tossed in a lightly creamy peanut dressing made with ginger and garlic, this cucumber salad has shredded carrots, scallions, chopped peanuts and cilantro.
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Pineapple Cucumber Salad
Perfect for a hot day, this salad has ripe pineapples, cool cucumbers and creamy avocados. I finish it with crumbled tortilla chips.
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Cucumber Tomato Feta Salad
Inspired by a Greek salad, this recipe has sliced Persian cucumbers, halved cherry tomatoes, red onions, and of course, feta cheese.
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Pasta Salads
Beans might argue, but pasta salads are the OG of no-lettuce salads. Paired with roasted, fresh or grilled vegetables, they are packed with fantastic flavor.
Bruschetta Pasta Salad
Inspired by the Italian summer appetizer, I toss heirloom tomatoes, cherry tomatoes and basil with balsamic vinaigrette before combining them with pasta, fresh mozzarella and pine nuts.
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Grilled Vegetable Orzo Salad
With grilled zucchini, yellow squash, peppers and red onions, this vegan pasta salad goes all in on vegetables. Grilling adds good smoky flavor.
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Roasted Vegetable Chickpea Pasta Salad
Another salad with a medley of summer vegetables, this one also has crispy roasted chickpeas tossed with gluten-free chickpea pasta.
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Roasted Broccoli Pasta Salad
Quick roasting broccoli is great in this easy, multi-season pasta salad with toasted almonds, scallions and parmesan tossed in lemon vinaigrette.
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Potato Salads
You won’t find any classic potato salads with mayo, eggs or boiled potatoes. All these salad recipes have golden brown roasted potatoes and sharp vinaigrettes.
Roasted Green Bean Potato Salad
I toss roasted baby potatoes and green beans with Kalamata olives, red onions, feta and parsley in a garlicky vinaigrette.
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Roasted Tomato Pesto Potato Salad
A favorite of my mom, I dress roasted fingerling potatoes and cherry tomatoes in an herby 3-ingredient pesto vinaigrette.
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Roasted Red Potato Salad
This crunch in this salad goes beyond the edges of the roasted red potatoes because it also has roasted corn, all tossed in a chive vinaigrette.
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Roasted Asparagus Potato Salad
Dressed in a lemon mustard vinaigrette, roasted fingerling potatoes and crisp asparagus make a wonderful spring – summer side dish.
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Vegetable Salads
Featuring raw, roasted and grilled veggies, these salads have plenty of greens, just not leafy ones. They really blur the line between salad and side dish.
Three Pea Salad
This spring version of a three bean salad has snap peas, snow peas and English peas tossed with feta, scallions, parsley, mint, toasted walnuts.
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Green Bean Salad
I toss blanched green beans with tomatoes, kalamata olives, parmesan and Italian vinaigrette in this easy veggie salad.
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Broccoli Cauliflower Salad
I keep broccoli and cauliflower raw in this fresh and crunchy chopped salad with sun-dried tomatoes, chickpeas, olives and tahini vinaigrette.
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Grilled Corn Broccoli Salad
Dressed in white balsamic vinaigrette, I combine grilled corn and broccoli with scallions, fresh herbs and pecorino cheese.
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Fruit Salads
More fruit in salads than typical fruit salads, these recipes have a good balance of savory flavors with fresh sweet accents.
Mango Avocado Salad
With creamy avocados and crisp bell peppers, this easy mango salad has a mix of interesting flavors and ingredients all tossed in a zesty honey lime dressing.
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Strawberry Feta Salad
Strawberries take the place of the usual tomatoes in this summer salad with cucumbers, red onions and feta cheese.
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Watermelon Cucumber Corn Salad
I include smoky grilled corn kernels in this watermelon cucumber salad with feta, scallions, cilantro and fresh lime juice.
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Snap Pea Citrus Salad
Together chopped snap peas, mandarin oranges, shredded cabbage, carrots and peanuts make a crunchy, flavor packed salad. (Before you ask, cabbage is a cruciferous vegetable, so it's not lettuce.)
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Lentil Salads
One of my go-to base ingredients for a filling lunch salad, I’m a big fan of black lentils, which are always in my pantry (next to the canned beans). They work with roasted and grilled ingredients.
Roasted Zucchini Tomato Lentil Salad
Zucchini and tomatoes share a sheet pan in the oven. Then I combine them with lentils, parsley and parmesan and toss everything in balsamic vinaigrette.
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Grilled Halloumi Lentil Salad
This lentil salad has a good balance of fresh ingredients including tomatoes and cucumbers to go with grilled halloumi cheese.
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Snap Pea Lentil Salad
I keep snap peas raw for all that fresh crunch and toss them with crumbled goat cheese, chopped almonds, scallions and fresh herbs in this spring lentil salad.
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Roasted Cauliflower Lentil Salad
This hearty fall-winter lentil salad has roasted cauliflower and red onions, olives, chopped pistachios and parsley.
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Looking for more salad inspiration? Check out my seasonal salad guide with recipes and tips on ingredients, meal prep and more.
