Salad Meal Prep Guide (3 Meals in 1!)
Here’s one of our favorite meal prep ideas: salad meal prep dinners! Prepare the greens mix, then mix and match toppings, proteins, and dressings to make different bowl meals. It also works as prep for lunch or side salads. Ditch those bag salads and try this meal prep idea for healthy meals through the week!
- Yield
- 10
Ingredients 37
- 1 head iceberg lettuce (8 cups), washed, dried, and chopped
- 1 head red cabbage (8 cups), washed, dried, and chopped
- 1 bunch kale (4 cups), washed, dried, and chopped
- 1 handful sliced cherry tomatoes
- ½ cup canned chickpeas (drained, rinsed, and seasoned with olive oil and salt)
- 1 handful sliced olives
- 1 handful sliced English cucumber
- 1 handful jarred pepperoncini
- 1 sprinkle feta cheese crumbles
- 1 sprinkle Italian breadcrumbs / panko
- Dressing: Purchased or homemade Italian dressing or Greek dressing
- Protein of choice (see below)
- 1 handful sliced cherry tomatoes
- ½ cup canned black beans (drained, rinsed, and seasoned with olive oil and salt)
- 1 handful canned corn (drained)
- 1 handful sliced red onion or pickled red onions
- 1 sprinkle feta cheese or queso fresco crumbles (optional)
- 1/2 sliced avocado (optional)
- Crushed tortilla chips or pepitas
- Dressing: Purchased or homemade Chipotle ranch dressing (or purchased ranch with added hot sauce), Salsa ranch dressing , Cilantro lime dressing , or Vegan cilantro sauce . For BBQ Ranch bowls, use purchased or homemade ranch dressing and BBQ sauce.
- Protein of choice (see below)
- 1 handful chopped apple (chop right before serving)
- 1 sprinkle feta cheese crumbles
- ½ cup canned chickpeas (drained, rinsed, and seasoned with olive oil and salt)
- 1 handful chopped walnuts, pecans, or almonds (make toasted nuts for the most flavor)
- 1 handful sliced red onion or pickled red onions
- Dressing: Purchased or homemade Balsamic dressing or Honey mustard dressing
- Protein of choice (see below)
- Chicken: Pan Seared Chicken (chopped or sliced), Shredded Chicken , Instant Pot Shredded Chicken , or Crock Pot Shredded Chicken , or purchased rotisserie chicken
- Tofu: Breaded Tofu , Baked Tofu , or Pan Fried Tofu
- Shrimp: Sauteed Shrimp or Old Bay Shrimp
- Chickpeas or Beans: Drain and rinse chickpeas or beans, then season with olive oil and salt to taste. Or try Easy Black Beans or Canned Chickpeas .
- Canned Tuna or Salmon: Drain and mix with olive oil and salt to taste.
- Quinoa (GF)
- White rice or brown rice (GF)
- Farro
- Couscous (pasta)
Method 6
- 01
Make the Greens mix: Chop the lettuce, chop the cabbage, and chop the kale (reference the linked videos if desired). Make sure the greens are washed and thoroughly dried. Store in a sealed container; the greens mix stays fresh up to 5 days. For maximum freshness, we like to cut half the batch and then chop a second batch later in the week, but you can also cut it all at once.
- 02
Make the protein: Decide which proteins you’d like, and which you’d like to prep in advance versus prep before serving. Cooked chicken lasts 3 to 4 days refrigerated, and cooked tofu lasts 4 to 5 days refrigerated. Shrimp is best to cook the day of serving; it takes 5 to 10 minutes to prep. Canned chickpeas, beans, tuna or salmon can be mixed up in minutes the day of.
- 03
Make a grain (optional): You can add a grain to make the dish more filling, though we don’t always do this. Prep these in advance and refrigerate until serving. For the rice, you can reheat it with a splash of water on the stovetop and heat over medium low until it is warmed through (it becomes very dry when cooled). Cooked quinoa, rice, farro, or couscous last up to 5 days refrigerated.
- 04
Prep toppings (optional): If desired, chop some of the salad toppings in advance as well and refrigerate; vegetables tend to last 2 to 3 days chopped (or you can chop before serving to maximize freshness). Pickled red onions are great to make in advance and use across all the salads.
- 05
Prep dressings (optional): If desired, you can prep dressings in advance or use purchased.
- 06
Assemble the salad (day of): The day of serving, place 1 ½ to 2 cups of greens mix in a bowl. Top with the toppings and serve. Mix and match the proteins to create different meals throughout the week!
Provenance
- recipe-clones/acouplecooks-data
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