Summer is around the corner, and for me that usually means less time cooking and more time grabbing my favorite fresh ingredients for summer salads. Give your oven a break and consider one of these delicious salads as a side or a meal.
Danielle Walker’s [Against All Grain] Tuna Salad
This tuna salad is a lunch staple in my house. I can usually come up with most of these ingredients, starting with lettuce and a can of tuna. The honey crisp apple offers a nice crunch. Feel free to sub a different fruit or other seeds instead of pepitas.
Simple Watermelon Salad
On a recent trip to Florida, I discovered watermelon, feta, and mint salad topped with honey vinaigrette, and I can’t wait to make it this summer for barbecues. Slice watermelon (or save time and buy pre-cubed), finely chop some mint, and toss with the honey lime dressing. Top with feta cheese for a nice savory tang. It almost works as a dessert!
Wedge Salad Bar
When hosting a group, one of my favorite time savers is an easy wedge salad bar. Find a cute tray, display your ingredients, and let your guests season to taste.
- Quartered heads of iceberg lettuce
- Crumbled bacon
- Quartered cherry tomatoes
- Blue cheese or finely shredded cheddar
- Ranch or blue cheese dressing
Joanna’s A Little Bit of Everything Pasta Salad
This one’s from my fellow Dallas Moms writer Joanna Martin. Just chop, combine, and enjoy. It’s best if you let it marinate for a few hours so the flavors can combine.
- 1 box tri-color rotini cooked and rinsed in cold water
- 1 bottle of zesty Italian dressing
- 1 red bell pepper, chopped
- 1 yellow bell pepper, chopped
- 1/2 large red onion, chopped
- 1 cup Kalamata olives
- 1.5 cups mozzarella balls, halved
- 1.5 cups chopped salami
- 1.5 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1/2 cup flat leaf parsley, chopped
Cucumber Onion Salad
Growing up on a farm, we would often have fresh onions and cucumbers, and I loved the summer flavor combo of a cucumber onion salad. (This is a delicious yet very inexpensive salad idea!)
Nana Bev’s Best Potato Salad
Here is the one recipe I had to learn to replicate for my husband once we got married. I’ll never match his mom’s skills in making this family favorite, but I urge you to give it a try for your gatherings this summer, as it serves 10–12 people.
- 8 Irish medium potatoes, quartered with skin on
- 10 eggs
- 1 pound bacon
- 1 large yellow onion
- Mayonnaise (Kraft with olive oil is my fave)
- Yellow mustard
- Salt and pepper (to taste)
Place potatoes into large Dutch oven or soup pot with enough salted water to cover potato chunks.
Add eggs or hard boil separately. Cook potatoes until fork tender; 15 minutes or so.
While potatoes are cooking, chop onions and set aside.
Cook bacon till crisp, then break into bits. Set aside.
Remove eggs, peel shells, and chop. Set aside.
Remove potatoes from cooktop and drain off salty water. While still warm, gently mix in mayo and mustard to taste. Add salt to taste. The warm potatoes will absorb the mayo/mustard flavors. Then add eggs, onions, and bacon, reserving some bacon pieces for the top. Stir in gently so the potatoes are not mashed.
Turn into serving bowl. Set aside for a few hours so the flavors can work into the potatoes. Top with reserved bacon pieces before serving.
What are YOUR favorite summer salads? Share in the comments!
