Meal Prep Salads for Easy Lunches You’ll Want to Eat

Meal prep salads are a great way to enjoy an easy and delicious lunch. You can mix and match fresh produce, cooked proteins, homemade dressing, and fresh herbs for all kinds of healthy salads made just the way you like them. We’ll show you an easy meal prep method that you can embellish with your favorite things so that you never get bored.

Be sure to try our base Meal Prep Salad recipe topped with Grilled Peppers and Dijon Chicken for a fun option or assemble our Raspberry Chicken Salad dotted with goat cheese for one of our favorite salads ever.

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You want something quick and easy for lunch. You don’t want to spend a lot of money. And you’re trying to eat foods that make you feel good, not sluggish?

Whaddya do?

Delicious meal prep salads are the answer. You can beat the price and flavor of a restaurant or take-out salad while enjoying the convenience of meal prepping your own lunches. Trust me, after years of making the most satisfying salads for my lunches, I’ve got go-to meal prep tips that will save you both time and money. 

Why Make This

They are delicious. Meal Prep Salads can be a refreshing and nutrient-rich meal, that you can customize with your favorite veggies and homemade salad dressing to suit your preferences. They are great Mom Food.

They are cheaper than what you buy elsewhere. The fragility of greens and vegetables calls for special handling on the part of restaurants and take-out establishments which means they charge a higher price. Packed appropriately in meal prep or glass containers, you can make cheaper salads that taste great.

They are convenient. A big salad is a repeat on my weekly meal plan because they are so convenient to keep on hand and can be dressed up in so many ways. Healthy meal prep salads are my go-to for lunches to help me “eat the rainbow”.

Base Salad Ingredients 

The best meal prep salads start with a common base of ingredients. In this way, you can assemble several meal prep salads at once and then vary the toppings from day to day so that you never get bored. Here’s what I like to include in my basic meal prep salad:

romaine lettuce or baby leafy greens – You can really use whatever salad greens you like, such as baby kale, spinach, spring mix, or head lettuce that you chop yourself. What’s most important is that you rinse and dry the greens well. Extra water on your greens is what gives you soggy salads. So, either buy your greens pre-washed or take extra time to dry the leaves with a kitchen or paper towel or spin them dry in a salad spinner. The grocery store greens that come in a box seem to work well for me.

shredded carrots – bagged shredded carrots are the most convenient, while shredding your own is cheaper. Do what works for you.

shredded purple cabbage – I love the color and flavor that purple cabbage brings to salads. You can buy it presliced or shred your own.

chopped green onion – I find that scallions are the most versatile and mild of the onions and the one that seems to stay fresh the longest, but you can use red onion or white if that’s what you prefer. 

sliced bell pepper – Baby peppers sliced into rings add a lot of interest and color to your salad prep, but you can also use a regular chopped bell pepper.

I find that these five ingredients are perfect for a neutral base salad that you can embellish with different dressings, proteins, veggies, fruits, nuts, and herbs for a complete meal. Or you can leave it plain for a simple side dish alongside different meals.

Toppings

Once you’ve got your salad bases prepped and ready to go, you can make things more exciting by varying the toppings. Keep in mind that adding very wet toppings too far in advance can make the salad soggy and reduce its freshness. I like to store each base salad in an individual airtight container and then add the rest of the ingredients right before serving. This also allows me to change my mind at the last minute, based on what sounds good that day. 

There are so many great salad toppings to choose from. Consider some of these as you create your own salad recipes:

• fresh fruit, such as berries, figs, pomegranate arils, chopped apples, peaches, plums, or pear
• dried fruit, such as craisins, raisins, dates, apricots, or cherries
• beans: black, kidney, garbanzo
• chopped tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, or grape tomatoes
• cooked potatoes, such as russet or sweet potatoes
• steamed green beans
• shaved brussels sprouts
• corn kernels
• sweet peas
• other fresh veggies
• creamy avocado
• cooked chicken breasts (sliced, chopped, or shredded)
• rotisserie chicken
• chopped deli meat
• canned tuna, drained
• cooked shrimp
• cooked meatballs
• crispy tofu
• hard-cooked eggs
• cooked, chopped bacon
• cubed or shredded Monterey Jack or cheddar cheese
• crumbled cheese, such as feta, gorgonzola, goat cheese
• chopped nuts or seeds
• pepperoncini or sliced jalapeños 
• croutons
• crushed tortilla chips

Salad Dressings

The secret is in the sauce! Don’t forget some homemade dressings in your salad ingredient prep, such as 

• hummus
• garlic yogurt sauce
• ranch
• vinaigrette made with extra virgin olive oil, lemon or lime juice or apple cider vinegar or another vinegar
• salsa
• sour cream
• creamy garlic dressing
• guacamole
• peanut dressing
• Balsamic dressing with maple syrup

The Best Way to Meal Prep a Salad

One of the objections to meal prep is that folks don’t want to commit in advance to what they’re going to eat all week long. I love making basic meal prep salads so that I can decide the day I serve one how I’m going to top it. The best way is to assemble your base salads  in airtight salad containers and store in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. 

You can store a variety of toppings in mason jars or a separate container for each. Then add when you’re ready to eat! 

If you prefer prepping complete salads, make mason jar salads. For best results, place the wet and heavy ingredients in the large jar first, then the greens last. Store in the fridge for 2-3 days. When ready to serve, give it a good shake and pour into a small bowl to serve. 

Ideas for Meal Prep Salads

Here are some of our favorite salad combinations to try:

• meatballs or falafel, hummus, tzatziki, feta cheese
• chickpea salad with feta, chopped veggies, and vinaigrette
• tuna or shrimp, potato, tomatoes, green beans, vinaigrette
• chicken, fruit, nuts, goat cheese crumbles, vinaigrette
• turkey, bacon, avocado, onion, blue cheese, hard-boiled eggs, ranch for a cobb salad meal prep
• ham, cheddar, peas, corn, tomatoes, egg, cheddar cubes, ranch
• black beans, tomatoes, sliced jalapeños, avocado, shredded cheese, salsa, sour cream

FAQ

How to save money on meal prep salads

All of my recipes are affordable to begin with but there are some things you can do to make sure you’re spending well. Here are some of the strategies you can use to make this recipe more economical:

• Stock up on ingredients when they are on sale. When I find regular kitchen staples on sale, I buy a lot. It’s a great way to save money on your groceries without clipping a single coupon. I’m currently using a price book to track prices and that’s saving me money. Vegetables are generally pretty affordable, but items like bell peppers can get pricy. Stock up during a sale and enjoy salads all week long!
• Shred or chop your own. While I like the convenience of buying shredded cabbage and carrots, you can save more money by shredding your own vegetables.
• Grow your own! If you’ve got the space and inclination, growing your own lettuce and other vegetables can be a great way to trim costs.

Tools I use to make this easily:

• salad spinner – I have this one and love the salad bowl bottom. A salad spinner is key to getting lettuce dry. Dry lettuce lasts longer and holds dressings better.
• plastic cutting board – I have several: blue for veggies; white for meats
• Ergo chef chef’s knife – some of my favorite knives
• meal prep containers – These are available in BPA-free plastic as well as glass. I prefer the square Pyrex Snapware.

Favorite Salads Recipes to Meal Prep

This post was originally published on September 5, 2019. It has been updated for content and clarity.