11 Genius Ways To Improve Store-Bought Salad Kits

Salad is that fresh, crisp dish that can really make a meal, especially if it's full of tasty ingredients and a flavor-packed dressing. Since it's often a side dish, it's likely that most of the effort has gone into the main entree, meaning there's not a lot of time and energy left to put into a salad. Plus, salad is a laborious task. All that washing, trimming, and chopping would have anyone avoiding making it a regular thing. This is why store-bought salad kits can be a real savior. You can still get some fresh veggies and fiber in your daily diet without having to sweat.

Let's be real, though; not all store-bought salad kits are made equally. While we've come a long way, and there are some great options now, some are definitely better than others, and you don't always get the most exciting or interesting kits available. This is where a little jazzing up can make all the difference, and sometimes, all you need is one or two little additions or tweaks to make a store-bought salad kit into something worthy of your dinner table. You don't need a whole bunch of fancy ingredients; sometimes, it's as simple as adding a little crunch or some creaminess to the mix. I'm a recipe developer who often relies on store-bought salad kits to make quick meals when I don't have time to prepare anything. I also love to mix some of my leftovers and favorite toppings into salad kits to make them more exciting. Here are some genius ways to improve store-bought salad kits.

Anyone who says they don't like salad has likely not had one made with a good salad dressing. A bad salad is a badly dressed one, because with the right ingredients, you can make an undeniably tasty dish. One of the easiest ways to make your store-bought salad kit pop is to make your own dressing. Don't bother with the included dressing as it's not always the best flavor or freshness, and the same goes for most store-bought dressings, which likely have a lot of added salt or sugar when it's not necessary for a great-tasting dressing. Making your own is a way for you to put your own spin on the salad and guarantee a flavorful and fresh-tasting salad. It's also probably the easiest way to make it a little more interesting, since you can add complex spices, herbs, and other exciting additions.

You can stick with a simple dressing of good-quality olive oil and some vinegar. This, along with a good amount of salt and pepper, should be in your toolkit of essential, go-to salad dressings. It's also a good base to start with, but don't stop there. Adding in a spoon of wholegrain mustard and shaking that up lets you create a simple fresh salad vinaigrette that's tangy and slightly sweet. You could also replace the vinegar with a little mirin or Chinese black vinegar. Along with a teaspoon or two of soy sauce and a few drops of sesame oil, and you've got an umami-packed dressing for your salad that will keep you going back for more.

A lot of the salad kits available in grocery stores are made with raw vegetables only. Even the kits that contain some cooked or roasted vegetables will need to be served cold as you can't warm up your whole salad. There's something extra satisfying about a salad that has both cold and warm ingredients that makes it feel like a richer meal. This is why you should incorporate some warm ingredients of your own. Roasting any vegetable gives it a more caramelized taste than it would have when raw, so throwing some into a salad kit that has mostly raw veggies will add a dynamic taste.

Some roasted butternut squash, pumpkin, zucchini, carrots, or even eggplant would add a whole lot more depth. Plus, it's nice to go between crisper veggies to softer textures for a more complete mouthfeel. Cut up the vegetables you wish to roast and lay them on a baking tray with a brush of oil and salt. Roast them until they've cooked through and developed some browning or crispy edges, which is a sign of caramelization. You don't have to wait for them to cool down to add them to your salad. Sure, they'll warm some of the rest of the ingredients, too, but this can sometimes give a salad new life. Just mix them in and make sure you add dressing to everything.

Salads are often lacking a pickled ingredient, as it's a little less common to include them in salads in the U.S. than in the rest of the world. This is sad because pickled veggies are sweet and crunchy and add a hit of acid that brightens up anything. My absolute go-to for most things is pickled red onions. They taste incredible and also look beautiful, making any dish you add them to look extra appetizing and impressive. Pickled onions are just as great as a sandwich topping as they are on a salad, and once you see how easy they are to make, you'll probably add them to many more things.

You can take the long method and let them pickle in some water, salt, and vinegar (some people add sugar but it's not necessary) over a few days, or you can do a quick pickle by using hot water and vinegar. I warm up a one-to-one ratio of water to vinegar in a small saucepan over some medium heat. To this, I dissolve ½ a teaspoon of salt. Once the steam rises, the liquid will be warm enough to do the trick. Fill up a bowl or jar with slices of red onion and pour the pickling liquid over it to submerge all the onions. Leave for about 15 minutes before you eat them; this will give them a chance to soften slightly and become a delicate purple color.

Salad kits are marketed to us as already complete without needing anything else, but often, they're in need of seasoning. With salads, we might think of the dressing as the only way to add flavor, but it's also possible to add on some dry spices and herbs. A simple salt and pepper might greatly improve your store-bought salad, but why stop there? Seasoning can take the form of many things, and I love throwing on some of my favorite spice blends or savory sprinkles.

You could throw in any spice or seasoning blend you love, but instead of reaching for something basic, it's an opportunity to make it a salad like no other. Opt instead for something more interesting like everything bagel seasoning or even some tajin for a smoky, zesty taste. You could also go with some Middle Eastern flavors like za'atar, or Egyptian dukkah, which will not only add a hit of warm spice but also some nuttiness. Or, you could go for a Japanese influence with some furikake, a blend of nori flakes, sesame seeds, and dried bonito (fish) flakes. Your salads will never be boring again.

If you're ever looking for just one ingredient that can pick up a meal and make it infinitely more tasty, the answer is always cheese. And it's no different with salad kits. Cheese instantly bolsters a salad, making it more filling, rich, creamy, and full of umami. Depending on the type of cheese you use, you can either make it more sophisticated and elegant, or you can make it more fun and child-friendly. In truth, it makes salad more delicious to adults and kids alike, so unless you don't eat dairy (for which you can find vegan cheeses), you'll always find a cheese that will improve your store-bought salad kit.

Which type of cheese for which salad can sometimes be the trick for making an okay salad a great salad. The most common cheeses people like to add to salads tend to be feta or blue cheese because they're creamy and salty, and you can crumble them on top of any salad. However, you shouldn't be limited to these cheeses because there's so much room to play around with different flavors and types. You can go with a hard yellow cheese like pecorino to add a more salty, umami flavor that pairs nicely with a peppery arugula salad. Roquefort is always a great choice for people who like a funkier cheese that pairs well with sweeter salad ingredients like pears or cranberries. You can also keep it simple and go for a classic cheddar if you prefer to add a familiar and moreish taste to your greens.

Because of certain health ideas about bread, many people stopped adding croutons to salad for a while, and it was a sad time. Bread belongs in salad; just look at traditional panzanella, an Italian tomato salad made with day-old bread, or fattoush salad, a Lebanese dish with toasted pita chips. It works as something texturally different while absorbing the dressing and becoming even tastier. You can have it fresh or toasted, or even make your own homemade croutons, which are easier than you can imagine.

This works great with any type of bread, but it is especially good for stale bread that you would have chucked out. Instead, prevent food waste and cut it up into cubes or chunks, drizzle it with some olive oil, and add some salt, pepper, and perhaps some garlic powder or dried thyme (or whatever flavorings you might like in a crouton). In my experience, they'll need to bake in the oven for about 15 minutes at 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Fresh, warm croutons will make any bagged salad something of desire.

Salad doesn't always have to be a side dish, and one sure way to make a meal out of it is to add some protein. Chicken is a no-brainer for most people, and it might be your first choice of protein to add to a salad. That, or boiled eggs, which are always a good choice, too. Chicken is great because it can take on many different flavors, and you can shred up some leftover rotisserie chicken or grill some breasts to slice up. 

While chicken is a good choice, don't be limited to it. You can just as easily make a scrumptious and satisfying salad with some cured fish like salmon or trout or slice up a seared steak. Roasted chickpeas can also add a pleasant crunch to your greens, and you can spice them up with some paprika and cayenne pepper to give them amazing flavor. Beans are incredible in salads and absorb the dressing well. 

Then, if you want to include an ingredient that adds both protein and crunch, nuts and seeds are the best thing to add to a salad. Especially roasted nuts like hazelnuts, almonds, walnuts, and peanuts, or seeds like sunflower, pumpkin, or even sesame seeds, give any salad so much more bite and a comforting nuttiness that is sure to fill you up. When you move away from thinking protein only equals meat, you're able to think outside the box and come up with more interesting salad toppings.

Grains are not the immediate thing that comes to mind when you think of how to spruce up a salad kit, but they should be. They give any salad more body and can transform it from an ordinary bowl of greens into something more dynamic. You can either add just a little to your salad for texture, or you can make them the base of your salad. Grains can be boiled and cooked until soft, or they can be roasted for a crunchy salad topping. However you choose to use them, make sure to coat them in the dressing because they'll be great at carrying it.

The types of grains are where you can have fun. Grains include things like rice, barley, bulgar, buckwheat, rye, whole wheat, amaranth, sorghum, and more. Sure, grains like sorghum and amaranth are a little harder to track down, but if you do manage to get your hands on some, throwing them in a salad is a great way to use them. If you don't know where to start, then start with a grain you're comfortable with, like rice. Then, you could try different types of rice, like red rice or black rice, and then you could move on to barley. They are all tasty and nutritious and make your salad a little more chewy and nutty.

People have strong opinions about fruit in salad, but if you like a bit of sweet and savory together, fruit is a wonderful way to spruce up a salad kit. There are so many ways you can go about it, and you can choose your fruit in a way that completely aligns with the salad in terms of flavor and texture, or you can use fruit as a surprise factor to give it a pop of brightness and contrast. Obvious fruits are apples for slaw-like salads, or pears if you've got an arugula salad. With arugula salads, you have a lot of options because sweetness always complements the pepperiness of arugula. Figs would go great and would give your salad a visually striking edge. Plus, fresh figs have a meaty texture and make a good vessel for dressing.

Citrus is also a good choice for salad, and you can choose mandarins and oranges for sweetness or go for pomelo, blood orange, or grapefruit if you like a bit more sour and bitter notes. If you don't like a lot of sweetness but still want to try fruit in your salad, an excellent choice is pomegranate seeds. They're tart and explode with juice in your mouth, making them exciting to eat and adding just the right amount of sweetness without dominating a salad.

There are no rules that say salad can't be spicy. If you love a good kick of heat in your food, you don't have to lay off on your salad. In fact, it can make for a tasty vehicle for spiciness in many ways. You can straight up throw in some fresh sliced chiles, or you can add those slices into your dressing to infuse the spiciness into the liquid. Another way is to use chili oil. You make your salad as usual and then drizzle it with some chili oil and mix well.

Chili oils are all different depending on the brand. You can always make your own chili oil at home to customize its ingredients and spice level to your liking. You can also use chili oil as the base of your salad dressing or vinaigrette. To it, you can add some vinegar, salt, and whatever other seasonings you like. Shake well and use it as your salad dressing.

If you're looking for perhaps the most fuss-free option to improve your store-bought salad kit, then you can simply mix and match different kits. Combining two different salad kits is an easy way to turn one basic salad kit into something more exciting. Choose a chopped green salad and an Asian slaw for double the crunch and flavor, or try a Caeser's salad kit mixed with a green goddess for double the greens without skimping on the classic Caesar flavor.

You can also mix the level of sweetness by picking one salad with sweeter elements and one with saltier ones. Or you can play with texture and combine a chopped salad with one that isn't so that you have a mix of veggie sizes and textures. There are hardly any ways you can go wrong by mixing two bags or more of salad, except perhaps the different dressings might clash with each other. In this case, making your own might be your best bet.