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    Home » Budget Recipes

    Serve a Salad Bar for a Cool, Summer Supper (& a Salad Bar Checklist)

    Published: Jun 22, 2012 · Modified: Apr 17, 2021 by Jessica Fisher

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    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. For more details, please see our disclosure policy.

    Summer nights are perfect for a cool, salad bar dinner with family and friends.

    dishes of salad bar ingredients on wooden table

    I have always been a big fan of salads. And salad bars? Oh my! Takes me back to the days when Sizzler was a cool place to go for dinner. I was in grade school and it was so fun when Dad decided to take the family to Sizzler. I always got the salad bar and went back as many times as I wanted.

    The days of the salad bar have faded. It used to be that even fancy steak houses featured a salad buffet laden with cold, crisp greens, and a variety of toppings.

    But just because it’s not in vogue, doesn’t make the salad bar a thing of the past. In fact, it’s an excellent choice for cool summer suppers.

    Consider the benefits of the salad bar:

    • You can prepare all the ingredients ahead of time and chill the components in the refrigerator.
    • A salad bar is a great way to fill your family up on fruits and vegetables.
    • Each diner can customize his dinner, allowing for a variety of tastes and preferences.

    Clearly a salad bar is an apt choice for good eats this summer. It’s a delicious option for family suppers, evenings with friends, and light lunches when it’s too hot to do much else.

    Grab some fun salad tools:

  • plastic cutting boards
  • vegetable brush
  • Ergo Chef cooking tongs
  • cherry wood salad bowl
  • salad spinner
  • Your purchases help support this site. Thanks so much!

    Here’s how to pull it off with taste and style:

    1. Start with crisp, cold greens.

    Back in the day, chopped iceberg was the only choice. But, times have changed. There are a variety of greens readily available like spinach, romaine, green leaf, red leaf, butter, and a mixture of baby greens, as well as the iceberg standard.

    Tear your greens gently into bite-sized pieces and rinse well with cool water. I like to use a vinegar and water rinse to add a natural anti-bacterial effect. Spin your greens dry in a salad spinner and then chill in the refrigerator.

    It’s important to dry your lettuce. Wet lettuce and greens are more susceptible to spoilage and won’t hold onto your dressings when the time comes to add a vinaigrette or other dressing.

    eggs, avocado, and onion sliced on cutting board

    2. Provide some protein.

    If the salad bar is your main dish, make sure that you provide some protein sources. These can be varied and inexpensive. You can even use up the previous night’s leftovers.

    Try the following:

    • cooked, chopped chicken, turkey, beef, or ham
    • cubed or shredded cheese
    • hard-cooked eggs
    • beans, such as kidney, black, or garbanzo
    • cooked and cooled quinoa

    A bowl of salad before tossing

    3. Offer lots of veggies.

    Vegetables are typically expected in a salad bar. Offer as large as a variety as you can, including:

    • chopped or shredded carrots
    • sliced cucumbers
    • chopped or sliced avocados
    • sliced or chopped onions (red or green are nice)
    • chopped bell pepper
    • cooked and cooled beets
    • chopped or sliced tomatoes
    • sliced olives
    • sliced radishes
    • broccoli and cauliflower flowerettes
    • chopped celery
    • sugar snap or sweet peas
    • sweet corn
    • pea tendrils, oh yes, indeed

    close up of a plate of salad

    4. Add some fruit, too.

    Fruit is a lovely foil for the more savory components of your typical salad bar. Orange slices, dried cranberries, berries, chopped apple, sliced or whole grapes, and grapefruit sections add great flavor.

    5. Don’t forget the crunchy toppings.

    Crunchy toppings make salads just a little more fun. Yesterday I bought a day-old loaf of shepherd’s bread so I can make a monster batch of homemade croutons. Yum! Other things to add crunch would include nuts and seeds. Sliced almonds, chopped walnuts and pecans, pepitas, and sunflower seeds make great salad toppings.

    6. Include a touch of fresh herbs or flowers.

    Fresh herbs add a fresh, earthy component to your salads. Offer chopped fresh dill, basil, parsley, and cilantro for a little green flavor. Arugula flowers add an interesting kick of pepper as well as make the plate a little prettier.

    ingredients to make dressing on table

    7. Dress it up.

    Homemade dressings are amazingly easy to pull together. Mix them up in jars for easy mixing and storage. Some of my favorites include:

    • Tarragon-Balsamic Vinaigrette
    • Homemade Ranch Dressing
    • Garlicky Anchovy Vinaigrette

    Bring it all together.

    The fun of the salad bar, besides getting to eat as much as you want, is that you can experiment with all kinds of different combinations, making this a great meal to serve to friends on a festive summer evening.

    Want an easy way to remember all these tasty additions to your next salad bar supper? Download this salad bar checklist for a handy reminder.


    Basic Salad Bar

    Serving a salad bar is a great way to feed a crowd and appeal to a variety of tastes. Lay out a variety of vegetables, greens, cheese, and proteins for a great salad bar.

    dishes of salad bar ingredients on wooden table this …

    Preparation Time: 10 minutes
    Cook time: 10 minutes
    Total time: 20 minutes
    servings vary

    Ingredients:

    • greens
    • cooked chicken, turkey, beef, or ham
    • hardcooked eggs
    • beans
    • chopped vegetables
    • croutons
    • shredded cheese
    • salad dressing

    Instructions:

    1. Lay out bowls or jars of each ingredient as well as plates. Let guests create their own salads.

    What do YOU like to add to your salads?

    « How to Eat Well & Spend Less During a Staycation
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Michael Donatelli

      December 03, 2020 at 1:38 pm

      What is the red granular crunchy topping you see at salad bars? I cannot remember its name.

      Reply
      • Jessica Fisher

        December 04, 2020 at 6:54 am

        Sounds like bacon bits. Could that be it?

        Reply
        • Michael Donatelli

          December 04, 2020 at 4:05 pm

          No, not bacon bits. But thanks for replying. What I am thinking of are red and granular. Common at salad bars.

        • Jessica Fisher

          December 04, 2020 at 4:06 pm

          Sorry. Wish I could help. I don’t recall anything like that.

    2. Mialee

      January 25, 2014 at 6:08 pm

      I have a silly question. When you prep a salad bar to keep on hand for the week, HOW do you store it? Do you put everything in little containers and then pull out all those containers for every salad? Or have you found a container with many compartments??? Same goes for having veggies cut for snacks. How do you store them? So silly….thanks!

      Reply
      • Jessica Fisher

        January 25, 2014 at 7:19 pm

        Not a silly question. I have a few divided containers that I use for similar items (like all cheeses and meats, or all vegetables). But I also use canning jars, small plastic containers with lids, plastic bags, etc.

        Reply
    3. Sharon Stough

      October 09, 2013 at 4:47 am

      That reminds me of the Salad Box from Simply Smiles. http://simplysmiles.us/salad-box/ We made one and love it. I’m going to use your checklist and add to my Salad Box. Thank you!

      Reply
    4. Haley @ Cheap Recipe Blog

      May 07, 2013 at 1:33 pm

      Brilliant! I love the idea of preparing your own salad bar. And the checklist is awesome.

      Reply
    5. Tiffany @ DontWastetheCrumbs

      June 23, 2012 at 8:03 am

      Pepitas (pumpkin seeds) are comparable to chicken in regards to protein content. We’ve been trying to eat less meat in general and by adding these to our diet, we’re not sacrificing nutrients!

      Reply

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